Friends of the Earth Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Friends of the Earth - Research Paper Example The organization asserts that the right to a clean and healthy environment is concurrent with the right to justice for every individual. This organization aims at not only changing the world for the people dwelling on Earth but also aims to preserve the natural blessings from complete deterioration. The key areas of the organization’s focus involve the promotion of economic justice and increasing resistance related to neo-liberalism, preservation of natural resources including forests, promotion of bio-diversity, steps to promote autonomous food availability and environmentally sound activities as well as preserving the energy resources which are getting scarcer in the modern age. The organization follows a fixed procedure to manage the tasks and project. Friends of the Earth International organize bi-annual meetings to prioritize projects and campaigns. The organization under review does not only aid environment and life locally but extends its activities at an international level. Its major international efforts relate to desertification, water, maritime, nuclear powers etc. MISSION The mission of the organization as described on its official website is â€Å"To campaign on today’s most urgent environmental and social issues by challenging the current model of economic and corporate globalization, and promote solutions that will help to create environmentally sustainable and socially just societies† [1]. The organization’s mission involves several deep concepts which extend the scope of its work areas and extent of its activities. Globalization, for instance, requires the organization to work in different areas like labor relations and issues, environmental issues and so on. HISTORY Friends of the Earth organization was started in 1969 by David Ross Brower (1912-2000), a prominent environmental enthusiast with also a passion for mountaineering. In 1971, the organization went international by collaborating with groups belonging to S weden, UK and France and over the years, the number of member groups in different countries increased to a number of 76. Among their early battles was the law suit against building a pipeline in Alaska going from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez Alaska. According to the Friends of the Earth, this was in conflict with the National Environmental Policy Act and an incursion into America’s last wilderness. They were also keen to tackle supersonic aircrafts due to its sonic boom and higher potential for damage to the ozone layer. This resulted in the ban of all overland commercial flight. Friends of the Earth was also one of the first organizations to challenge the construction of Nuclear Plants for generating energy in the United States. In 1986, Brower resigned to be succeeded by Erich Pica, a leading expert on the way federal tax dollars subsidize pollution and took the work forward of holding corporations accountable to the social and environmental impacts of their practices [1]. INFLUEN CES OF FRIENDS OF EARTH Giving voice to issues that favored the earth’s environment and lobbying aggressively for the correct government action has led to many governmental policies that curb if not prevent corporations and industries to violate the health and safety of our environment. These policies, legislations and checks not only benefit the subjects but are beneficial to the entire population of the Earth and its

The order of the legal system helps Essay Example for Free

The order of the legal system helps Essay Legal stability helps ensure that citizens and businesses can manage their affairs efficiently (Lindquist Cross, 2010). The order of the legal system helps to guarantee that all cases will be heard equally. Legislatures create laws that protect citizens and business, and when these laws are broken, the court system is used to reprimand the offenders. The court system is organized into two court structures, the federal system and state system (Kubasek, Brennan, Browne 2009). There is a specific order to the organization to the court system and court proceedings, and this order promotes the stability of the legal system. Every player in the court system knows what to expect regarding their trial, and this predictability is important to ensure that the legal system is fair to all participants. Businesses and citizens alike benefit from a stable legal system because the laws are known and disputes are handled reasonably. The enactment of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act in 1999 is one example where an action of the legal system caused instability in business and society. The act repealed the Banking Act of 1933, or the Glass-Steagall Act, that prohibited banks from selling securities (Barth, Brumbaugh Jr., Wilcox, 2000). It also repealed the Bank Holding Act of 1956 that kept banking separate from insurance business. These acts were repealed because academics showed that banks being involved in the sale of securities and insurance did not cause the Great Depression of 1929 (Barth et al., 2000). The fact that banks were allowed minimal sales of insurance and securities with little problem also helped this act to pass. This deregulation of banking contributed to the financial crisis of 2008. The repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act allowed investment and commercial banking to merge, which led to higher capital ratios and lower risk (Bordo, 2008). As a result, normal lending practices were relaxed, and when the subprime mortgage market collapsed in 2007, many banks felt the repercussions. Defaulted mortgages effected the economy and caused a significant recession that affected citizens and businesses alike (Bordo, 2008). Major changes in banking regulations through the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act is just one example where alleged failure in the legal system lead to instability in business and society. This instability shows the importance of having predictability in the legal system. The Glass-Steagall Act had been in place for over six  decades when it was finally repelled in 1999 (Barth et al., 2000). While research showed that repelling this act would help create a more universal banking system, the deregulation of the banking system caused more corruption instead (Bordo, 2008). Banks were allowed to undertake even more activities than before. These extra activities and the vagueness of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act helped to contribute to the instability of the financial sector. When the legal system helps to contribute to instability, more citizens become wary of both the legal system and the financial sector. In order to avoid this problem in the future, the legal system should be more predictable by keeping regulations that protect the people in place.

Reflective Essay on Music Education

Reflective Essay on Music Education Andrew Nguyen My name is Andrew Nguyen, and Im a sophomore at Golden West College. Im 19 years old, and my major is business administration. For my online class experience, this is my second time taking an online course. My first time was on this years intersession, and I took an American Government course, but it was not that easy. There was too much reading to do, and theres not enough time for studying since intersession classes last for 4 weeks. In the end, I earned a good grade for my effort, and Im hoping that Ill do the same for this class. It taught me about how I should manage my time effectively when Im not inside the classroom, and that I shouldnt procrastinate from doing any readings and assignments. To be honest, Im not exactly a music player. Im more of a listener than a player. I played an instrument before, but I wasnt playing a song. When I was little, I remember myself tapping the keyboards on an electronic piano, listening to random notes, but I didnt have a chance to properly l earn how to play an instrument. However, I taught myself how to play the guitar when I was in high school; unfortunately, I was unsuccessful. There was a lot of complicated information to know about playing music, such as chords and melody, and its overwhelming to memorize it all. Also, I couldnt properly play the instrument because I need to know about the parts of the guitar, so I can control playing better. The problem about playing an instrument is that I kept relying on being perfect, and I just give up easy. For now, I just listen to any songs for relaxation, and I noticed how the song works from beginning to end and the hidden rhythms of the song. Because of my lack of knowledge on music, I thought that taking this class would give me a head start to know about music theory. Ive been listening to popular songs for a long time, and I thought that I could apply my basic knowledge on songs to this class, so I can critically listen to how music works. There are two things I would know by the end of the course. The first one is to know how to read sheet music. It was hard to read because there were so many complex patterns on the sheet music, and its not easy for an average musician. If I took this class, maybe theres a section about understanding the melody or other parts of the sheet music, so I can use that knowledge to learn better on playing an instrument. The second one is to know about the music history. I want to know more about how they developed different methods on crafting the song, so I can use examples from my songs to know how it matches their methods. The song that sounds like a binary form would be Somnus, composed by Yoko Shimomura and sung by Aundrea L. Hopkins. It is the theme song from a best-selling video game, Final Fantasy XV. The title is Latin for sleep, and like the title, the lyrics are also Latin. A binary form has two sections, in the form AB or AABB, that each section repeats the melody, and this song happens to fit into this category. At first, the song opens with a piano melody in a minor pitch. Then, the vocalist sang the Latin lyrics, presenting a theme that could be recognized later. In the second stanza, the song repeats the same melody, but the lyrics changed and the violin and cello can be heard as a harmony. The statement for this song tells the story that the world plunged into darkness while the hero is in hibernation. After the second stanza, the variation occurs, changing the tempo to accelerando, which means to speed up. Within the variation, the piano plays solo, accompanied by the violin and cello. T he tempo starts to ritardando, which means slow down, and then it goes back to the fast tempo, introducing the third stanza, which is the departure of the form. The melody sounds different and the range of the songs tone is medium because of its fast tempo. Within the departure, there are some parts being used from the first section of the song. Two lines from the third stanza introduce a new melody, and then the last two lines repeat that melody, changing the lyrics and range. The departure lets us consider ourselves that if theres darkness, theres always a light to shine the way. In the end, the song goes back to its original theme, ending the song in a minor chord, but lasts for about a few seconds. There are many varieties of musical sounds possible from the human voice. One of the varieties is falsetto. Falsetto is the highest register of the human voice. Its been used as a vocal technique to make the voice unnaturally high-pitched. To use falsetto, the singers must control their vocal cords to get a high note. They do that by imitating someone with a higher voice to shorten their vocal cords and then the cords stretch it out, so it would produce a head voice, which is the high register of the voice in speaking or singing. When using this technique, it has limited octave range, which could lead to passaggio, a transition between the vocal registers. Its a difficult technique to control, but famous singers, such as Prince and Michael Jackson, have practiced this technique to sing their songs better. The origin of the term is unknown because of its vagueness to know what that term is. But during the Renaissance period, the term was common in Italy because thats where they named the term. The term Falsetto is Italian for false. This vocal technique is commonly used by male singers, and they have used it during the 16th century when women were restricted from performing, so the men could fill in their roles at church and on stage. Falsetto has been used in different regions, for they have their own style of this technique. For instance, Hawaii has their own falsetto style. Although its part of the U.S, Hawaii still maintained their traditional culture before they annexed to the U.S. Their falsetto music dates back a long time ago when a group of immigrants from different countries brought their music with them, combined with their Hawaiian music that created their falsetto. Their falsetto is called ka leo kiekie. Like the other cultures in the 16th century, women were forbidden to perform while the men sang in high pitch. Whats different from the western use of falsetto is that they would emphasize the tone between the vocal registers. They would also amplif y the tone through repetition. Theyve used this technique to sing stories about their state culture. There may be some female singers used falsetto, but theres barely any proof of that since most male singers have used this technique for a long time. Another variety of music sound from the human voice is yodeling. Yodeling occurs when the singer switch between their voice from normal to a high pitch. When yodel, the singers have control of their voice in the range by switching to different vocal registers, and they timed their yodeling for a few seconds in a high volume. They sang non-lexical syllables to help project their yodeling. The origin of this technique is unknown since theres no evidence indicating when and how it was created; however, historians believed that yodeling occurred in the Alpine mountains in Switzerland. In the Renaissance era, the early yodeling was used by the herders to help communicate their flock of cows, or they used the technique to communicate the villagers from a different village. For the communication on the villages, perhaps yodeling acted as an early development of making long-distance communication before the telephone was invented in the 19th century. Since that discovery in the Alps, it beca me an everlasting tradition in Europe, and then it became popular in the 1830s for entertainment. Other than the Swiss Alps, yodeling is common around different cultures from around the world. For example, Central Africa has used yodeling. An ethnic group called the pygmy people yodeled for their complex polyphonic singing. Another example is the United States. A group of German immigrants first introduced yodeling in the 1800s to the U.S. Yodeling was used for their minstrel shows, consists of skits, acts, dancing, and music, throughout the 19th century. But after the 1900s, yodeling became common when singers use it for their country music. Yodeling has been useful for a long time, for it provides a purpose for letting the people communicate with each other and give different formats to express music also. String: An example of a string instrument is a violin. It is the smallest and high-pitched instrument in the string family. A violin is a carved hollow wooden box, which consists of many parts. The top plate of the violin is the top plate, or the belly, that joins the back plate by the carved sides called the ribs. The neck of the violin is attached to the front side, and that flat wooden strip on top is called the fingerboard. It runs across the neck to the bridge, which is in the middle of the top plate. The four strings are attached to the tailpiece, located on the bottom of the top plate, and then it runs across the bridge and neck to be fastened to four pegs in the pegbox, located at the top of the neck. A scroll is attached on top of the pegbox to make it decorative. Between the bridge are two f-holes. The sound holes were carved to reduce the thickness of the top plate and act as a resonator to strengthen the sounds created by the strings. Finally, located at the bottom of the top plate is the chinrest. It helps the violinist to position their jaw or chin when playing the violin. To play the violin, the player must hold the violin with his left hand and the bow in his right hand. On the violinist left side, the fingers must be on the fingerboard, chin on the chinrest, and the body of the violin resting on the shoulder. Also, the strings must be tuned in the order, G, D, A, and E, from the left to right. When the violin is played, the violinist presses the strings to change the pitch, and he can also shift his left hand up and down to create a high or low set of tones. As for the bow, it is drawn onto the strings, causing the strings to vibrate to produce a high pitch. There are many techniques to play the violin and other bowed instruments, such as double-stopping, playing two strings at the same time to produce a chord, and open strings, without touching the string to produce the lowest note. Ever since the Baroque era, the violin is divided into two se ctions of the orchestra, the first and second. The first violinists play the melody while the second violinists play the harmony (or sometimes melody). Other than the orchestra, they also have the same role of being first and second in the string quartet, which consists two violins, one viola, and one cello. The violin plays a minor role in popular music, but in western culture, they called violin playing, fiddling. A fiddle is a second name for the violin, but its only known to bluegrass and country music. The fiddle and violin have the same shape, but their playing style is different. Fiddling would produce dancing rhythms, along with quick note changes, while the classical violin plays sustained notes. Overall, the most common uses for the violin is in classical music. Woodwind: A flute is an example of a woodwind instrument. Throughout history, the flute was the oldest instrument. They were made of wood, and it came in different forms depending on the culture. But now, most of the flutes constructed is now metal. In the metal version, there are three joints on the flute: the head, middle, and foot. In the head joint, it has a small piece at the end of the joint called the crown, and it keeps the head joint positioned at its usual depth. Near the crown is the embouchure hole, the center of the lip plate, resting place for the lower lip. The next joint is the middle joint, and its an important part of the instrument. The middle joint consists of flute keys. The original flute has open holes that would be covered with fingers; however, the modern flute replaced the original with a complex system of knitted keys and steel. Most modern flutes have closed-hole keys while some have open-hole keys. The closed-hole is common for beginners because it helps learn how to properly hold the flute, but the open-hole is an advanced flute because of its use for making special effects for contemporary music. The last joint of the flute is the foot joint. The foot joint is where the sound produces from the flute; however, the foot joint also has keys. There are two types of foot joint: C and B foot. The B foot joint has three keys while the C foot joint has two. Depending on what foot joint the flute has, it would produce a different tone and register. To play the flute, it must be held horizontally to the right, so the player is in a good stance. Then, the left hand must be in the first half of the middle joint while the right hand is on the second half. Once the flutist is in position, the flutist can blow through the lip plate to produce a soprano voice in a low register. There are no specific chords for the flute, but wherever they press the keys, it can produce a specific octave scale in a flat or sharp note. In the symphony orchestra, it has the minor role in playing the melody frequently because of its timbre being noticed in the orchestra. But the most common uses for the flutes occurs in concert and marching bands. In the concert band, the woodwind instruments are seated in front, like the string instruments in the orchestra. Theres no specific seating chart for the concert band, but the flute or another woodwind instrument can play either the melody or harmony in this ensemble. As for the marching band, the flute produces high-pitched tones for the band, but sometimes they play the melody of their musical piece. Brass: A trumpet is an example of the brass instrument. It produces the highest pitch from the brass family, declaring itself with a brilliant tone color. Like all brass instruments, it has a mouthpiece on the back. The mouthpiece leads a flow of air from the player to the trumpet to produce the sound. Connected to the mouthpiece is the lead pipe. This pipe leads the soundwave around and through the instrument. The next part is the tuning slide. Its in a c-shape, and it slides in and out to adjust tuning the trumpet, so the further its slide out, the lower the tone it would produce. On the tuning slide is the small lever called the water key. Whenever the player blows through the mouthpiece, theres a small amount of moisture coming inside the trumpet. To clear the moisture, they should press the key and then blow the mouthpiece to get the water out. Next is the valve slides. There are three different valve slides, each connected to the valve pistons. Its like the tuning slide, but th e valve slides tune the pitch of each valve pistons. The important feature of the trumpet is the valve pistons. The three pistons move up and down in the valve casings to produce different tones by different combinations of air pressure and finger movements from the player. However, each valve pistons are different, for they lower the tone of the chromatic scale. The fist piston lowers the tone by a half step while the second lowers the tone by a full step. Also, the third piston lowers the tone by a minor third, which is three half steps. At the end of the trumpet is the bell. This part is recognizable because its part of every brass instruments. It amplifies and creates the sound of the trumpet. To play the trumpet, the player must hold on to the valve slides on the left side while the right side is positioning the fingers to the pistons. And then, the player blows through the mouthpiece and uses the valves to start playing. When playing the trumpet, it plays an octave scale depen ding on what valves theyre pressing. The most common uses for trumpet is in classical and jazz ensemble. In an orchestra, the brass instruments are seated behind the string section because of its loud dynamics. For the trumpet, its mostly been used as a harmony to produce a brighter sound for the orchestra and sometimes plays the melody. In jazz music, the trumpet plays the lead role in an ensemble. The trumpet player carries the melody of most jazz songs because of its loud pitch. Along with the trumpet is the trombone that is part of a bass line and a counter melody to the trumpet. Percussion: The cymbals are an example of the percussion instrument. The cymbals are two circular plates, made of different types of alloy. Each cymbal has a leather strap in the middle, so the player can hold the cymbals. Theres no specific example on how to play this instrument. What the player needs to do is struck against another cymbal, creating an indefinite pitch. The cymbals have been used in many ensembles, ranging from orchestra to marching band. In the orchestra, the cymbals play a minor role there, for their role is to surprise the audience for drama and excitement, or its used to emphasize the rhythm. Also, the cymbals have a major role in the marching band. Along with the percussion instruments, theyre responsible for keeping the tempo going. Even when the brass and woodwind instruments are not playing, the percussion instruments keep on playing. The cymbals in the marching band follow the accented rhythms the drums are making, so they would keep the audience surprised. Last Friday, I watched How I Met Your Mother on TV, and I noticed their use of music. The show started with an opening scene, and then move on to the intro, which lasts around 10 seconds. Most of the scenes that I watched doesnt play a lot of music, but I heard some background music playing because of the locations the characters were at, such as bars, restaurants, and house parties. However, I heard some instruments playing when they switch to new scenes. Most of the instruments played at a soft dynamic, and the most common instrument I heard was an acoustic guitar. There are some instruments included, such as piano, violin, and harp. The show ends with credits, and it plays an extended intro song. With those instruments combined, I recognized a pattern for using music. Most of the instruments I heard on the show have been used as tools for storytelling. The show played the guitar and piano to show what the characters are doing right now. Also, they used the two instruments for movi ng ahead in the next days or weeks. It could be fast or short depending on how much tempo is used. But the most important use of the instruments is setting the mood. The characters can conflict with each other, and the instruments played a major or minor chord depending on what emotions theyre feeling right now. It helps attract the viewers to get their attention to see what happens next, and it lets the viewers feel sympathy towards the characters emotion because of the tonality of the scene. There were some minor uses for the instruments. For example, the harp was played to show the characters flashback or imagination of the future because the harps tone is mystical for any strange occurrence to happen in the future. As for the violin, it helps build suspense for the scene. It plays a low pitch, and as the low pitch ends, it plays a high pitch, bringing a surprise to the viewers. In this show, the suspense can affect the characters, but its funny to watch when something minor look s serious to them doesnt look serious to the viewers. As for the commercial breaks, theres so many random music playing. Theres no specific pattern about music playing in the commercials. But I noticed about how they choose their music. Depending on the advertisement, they used music that matches the companies theme to persuade their audience to buy or support the product. For example, I remember seeing a commercial about the charity group. Theyre persuading the audience to support the abused animals. They persuaded me with pictures of pets with sad eyes, and they used a piano music in a minor chord to get us emotionally attached to the pets. Overall, commercials used music to make us believed that the benefits they showed would work on us.

The Great Gatsby :: essays research papers

Book Review   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is set in the 1920’s during the Jazz Age. Nick Carraway is a man in his late twenties residing on West Egg island in Long Island, New York living a â€Å"normal† life. That is, until he meets his mysterious neighbor, a wealthy man named Jay Gatsby. He is a man of mystery, living in a mansion that is constantly full of people, music, and fun. Nick’s â€Å"normal† life gets thrown topsy-turvy when he gets involved in the life of this extraordinary millionaire. Marred by jealousy, cheating, and lying, Nick begins to feel the essence of living a glamorous life in the ‘20’s. He showed this when he said, â€Å"Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All along, I felt sorry for Nick being dragged into more and more tragedy, but I especially felt bad for him during one instance. His friend Daisy was married to Tom, but Tom was having an affair with Mrs. Wilson and Daisy had a thing for Gatsby. Daisy and Gatsby were driving home from town after an argument amongst the group of friends when they passed the Wilson’s gas station. Mrs. Wilson ran out to Gatsby’s car, because they were driving Tom’s car, and was hit. Mr. Wilson went positively crazy, and Nick felt torn by his mixed feelings towards his supposed friend Gatsby. â€Å"I disliked him so much by this time that I didn’t find it necessary to tell him he was wrong.† Gatsby’s insensitivity brought on by his lifestyle made Nick despise him. This is the part where I think Nick really started opening his eyes to how Gatsby really was.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This book really displays how the life of an important person is, especially in that time period. At first, Nick is awed and drawn in by the glamour and prestige, but he eventually figures out for himself how rough it really was. Although this book was set back in the ‘20’s, the lessons you learn from it still apply to society and life in general today. Anyone could read this book and draw a few lessons about life from it. Summary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Great Gatsby was set in the 1920’s. It’s about the lives of a group of people who all become entangled in a web of, lying, scandal, and cheating together. Nick Carraway lives a â€Å"normal† life on Long Island, until he meets his neighbor, Jay Gatsby. Parties went on every weekend, and Nick

Comparing the French Poets

Antony Bush said: to me poetry is an expression of self thought. It would seem then that poetry a personal journey that a poet shares with a willing audience. This journey through the poet’s ego or consciousness is what allows poetry to be dynamic, enigmatic, and provocative. Poetry then isn’t a way in which a poet can complain about a broken heart or a broken family but a way in which they can more vividly and truthfully express their surrounding circumstance and place metaphor in the place of cliche.For instance, instead of saying ‘my heart is broken’ a poet can say ‘my heart splinters into a thousand galaxies’ thereby relating their personal pain into a more worldly occurrence and thus making the poem accessible to their audience. The aim of poetry then is to make readers feel more human when they read lines like â€Å"We flit each other, fluid affectionate, chaste, matured. You grew up with me, were a boy with me or a girl with me† i n which Walt Whitman expresses to his reader how he knows them – and in knowing them he transcends time, gender, and space thereby making the reader a little less lonely.That is the goal of poetry, to make people feel less lonely, to have them feel as if someone else has felt their love, joy, pain and grief and made it through these human emotions – it gives the reader hope that they too will make it through life. In Baudelaire’s poem One O’clock in the Morning he expresses enthusiasm for being alone. Except, in his third sentence he says ‘ours’ meaning that he is not alone, his desire was to be alone with someone – to be left by the world so that he can exist in a world of two. This is a common theme among poets.However, this ‘ours’ is rather ambiguous and the reader is left with the impression that Baudelaire is indeed alone. He states, â€Å"tyranny of the human face† meaning he attributes almost everything wrong in the world to humanity and not to simply one person but all people. Is he then an exception? The poem does not say. The poem is however definitely pointing out how sick humanity is. The poet expresses rather masochistic tendencies in wanting to be alone (the turn of the key in the lock) and how he wants to be bathed in darkness.With such metaphors and imagery the poet succeeds in delivering his desire to be alone. In Rimbaud’s poem Barbarian the poet speaks of distant – distant from humanity (again). This is shown with his allusions to humanity being a â€Å"banner of bleeding meat† and how being far from such barbarism, one can be at peace again. He perhaps has had his vision of heroism denied or proven false as this banner (a banner which is carried in battle) is what drives the narrator quite mad with barbaric thoughts.Perhaps Rimbaud is talking about death. His reverie in stating â€Å"Oh World† is a cry of a dying man, and the â€Å"eyes floating † confirms this argument. Rimbaud’s poem goes on to state something about the world and the treasures of that world that he will miss – this statement is given in parenthesis, â€Å"(Far from the old retreats and the old flames, that are known, that are felt)† (Rimbaud line 11-12). He is making a comparison between life and this new place and how both perhaps have their positive and negatives.Rimbaud however leaves the reader in an ambiguous state as he does not seem to favor one state of being over the other (unlike Baudelaire) but merely makes exhalations about either place and his feeling toward both. In the end, perhaps it is not death he is explaining in his poem, but heartbreak – a love over a woman. He states he that he sees the eyes and hair and the floating form before him – so in the end, the poem is perhaps more about how being out of favor or out of someone’s love affects him.

The American Dream Negative and Positive Aspects

The American Dream Negative and Positive Aspects Introduction The American dream is one of the most revered ideals of the nation and it has become a part of the American national identity. This national philosophy states that the United States of America is a land of opportunity and every person has equal opportunity, regardless of their socio-economic background, for prosperity and success if they use their talents and work hard. Inevitably, the American Dream has influenced generations of citizens who seek to obtain richer and better lives in accordance with the dream.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The American Dream: Negative and Positive Aspects specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, the US has experienced significant inequality and poverty even as more people pursue this dream. These issues have led to questions as to whether the American Dream is a good or a bad thing for the dreamer and the society. This paper will argue that the American Dream is bad b ecause it ignores the growing inequalities, promotes individualism and encourages materialism by the American people. The American Dream: A Bad Philosophy The American Dream creates an illusion of equality while the reality is that power and wealth influence the socio-economic outcomes of an individual in the United States. The perception that the US offers equal opportunities for was first articulated in the Declaration of Independence. In this document, Thomas Jefferson affirmed the ideal of equal rights and opportunities for all by declaring, All men are created equal (376). This ideal is echoed by Lincoln in the Gettysburg Address where he stresses on the importance of liberty and equality in the formation of the United States (1). As such, the American Dream proposes that each person has equal opportunity in the US in spite of his or her backgrounds. As such, even a child born and brought up in poverty has an opportunity to achieve great wealth in the country. However, this is not the case and a person’s socioeconomic roots greatly determine their future prosperity. This statement is reinforced by the fact that the nations wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few wealthy individuals and the gap between the rich and the poor is ever widening in the country. The Dream is therefore a bad thing since it downplays the reality that the US is a land where power and wealth influence a lot. The American Dream encourages individualism and a lack of concern for the poorer members of the society. The ideals promote the ethos of personal achievement through hard work. Because the dream asserts that everyone has equal opportunity and can prosper if they work hard, the nations losers are blamed for their problems. The proponents of this dream propose that any person can succeed if they transform themselves and use their talent in this land of opportunity. From the assumption that everyone has equal opportunities to prosper, all individuals are expected to ach ieve success if they work hard.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Such an outlook ignores the lack of opportunities that individuals from poor backgrounds often face. Since failing to be successful is blamed on the individual and not the system in place, the government and other community members are not inclined to do anything to remedy the situation. People are only concerned with their wellbeing therefore creating a society that does not care for its less fortunate. The ideals of the American Dream wrongly equate economic prosperity with happiness. The American Dream is based on the ideals of creating a more successful life by working hard and earning more money. It suggests that once one achieves success, economic expansion, and social mobility, he/she will experience happiness and contentment. The dream exhorts materialism above everything else and this may be harmf ul for the society. The American Dream has become a nightmare in reality since compassion for human beings has all but disappeared as more people become preoccupied with making more money. In Fitzgeralds Winter Dreams, the young confident and hardworking Dexter Green is dedicated to gaining wealth and status, well in line with the American Dream. He is convinced that achieving this will give him joy and satisfaction. However, once Dexter achieves his goals of wealth and power, he realizes that his dreams are illusory and he will never get the happiness he seeks through achieving wealth and status (Fitzgerald 23). The American Dream has been used as a justification for questionable conduct by individuals who are trying to achieve some goals or ambitions that are in line with the ideals of the dream. The Dream is not a well-defined concept and it has been stretched and adapted to fit all kinds of people and historical circumstances. The dream has accommodated immigrants, drug dealers, as well as ambitious youths yearning to make a better life for themselves. The prominent Civil Rights Activist figure Martin Luther King used the American Dream to justify the civil disobedience that he was advocating (608). From these examples, it is clear that the American Dream can be used to justify both noble and questionable causes. Positive Aspects of the Dream On the positive side, the American Dream has been used as a tool for progress and the promotion of unity. The idea of the American Dream was very instrumental in the establishment of the United States as a country independent from Britain. The American Dream was an underlying theme in the Declaration of Independence that is linked to freedom of the American people (Jefferson 377). The dream also served as a tool to overcome slavery in the 18th century.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The American Dream: Negative and Positive Aspects specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Lear n More Because the dream stated that equality and freedom were prerequisites for all Americans, the abolitionists used the American Dream to champion the emancipation of the slaves. President Lincoln referenced the American Dream in his attempt to unify the warring citizens and remind them that they all fought for the ideals it represented. The American Dream has also served as inspiration for people to fight for their rights and promote equality in the society. This is best exemplified by Martin Luther King who fought for the dream of equality. King believed that all people in the US should have the same rights and opportunities as it is granted in the Declaration of Independence (622). With such a deep conviction, he was able to mobilize people and eventually achieve the civil rights for the African-American population in the US. The American dream therefore inspired people to fight for their rights in the country. The American Dream has promoted the capitalistic economic system, which is the most favorable system for economic growth and development. The dream promotes the ideals of Capitalism where each person is rewarded based on their efforts. People are therefore encouraged to work hard and their efforts are rewarded through better pay and/or career advancement. The American Dream therefore contributes to the growth of the country’s economy since when individuals pursue and achieve their dreams; the economic outcomes of the country are improved. Discussion and Conclusion Despite being the richest country in the world, there is significant poverty and socio-economic inequality in the US. This situation can partly be blamed on the American Dream. The American Dream is not one dream but a set of ideals that have been developed over time. While the dream constitutes a wide range of ideas, they are all based on achieving prospering, success, and living a good life. This Dream is not realizable since individuals will always want more than what t hey have and therefore end up in a state of discontent. In addition to this, the dream diminishes social cohesion since it encourages individualism and an overemphasis on material possessions. The capitalistic system promoted by the American Dream favors the minority capital contributors at the expense of the working class. Capitalism also encourages exploitation of others in order to make more money.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This paper set out to argue that the American Dream is bad for the individual and the society as a whole. To this end, it set out to highlight the negative outcomes of the dream. The American dream creates a false sense of equality and promotes individualism. This paper has demonstrated that the American Dream has gone astray and is today out of reach for most Americans. The United States is a land of opportunity and liberty, but these opportunities are not available equally. Instead of promoting the universal prosperity and equality, it assumes to uphold, the American dream has encouraged immense inequality within this great nation. References Fitzgerald, Scott. Winter Dreams. The Blair Reader: Exploring Issues and Ideas. Ed. Kirszner, Laurie and Mandell, Stephen. Vancouver, Prentice Hall, 2010. Print. Jefferson Thomas The declaration of Independence. The Blair Reader: Exploring Issues and Ideas. Ed. Kirszner, Laurie and Mandell, Stephen. Vancouver, Prentice Hall, 2010. 375-378. Pr int. King, Luther. Letter from a Birmingham Jail. The Blair Reader: Exploring Issues and Ideas. Ed. Kirszner, Laurie and Mandell, Stephen. Vancouver, Prentice Hall, 2010. 608-622. Print. Lincoln, Abraham. The Gettysburg address. 19. Nov. 1863. Web. abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm