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Love Simon Film Analysis

Love Simon Film Analysis in Sociological Perspective

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The film “Love Simon” has a lot of sociological significance. In a society where acceptance and understanding of others is more prevalent than ever, the film portrays two teenagers who experience this phenomenon as different from their peers. These main characters, Simon (Nick Robinson) and his best friend – Josh (Jacob Elordi), are in juvenile court after it has been revealed that they have had sexual intercourse with one another. The question becomes: what do these plot developments say about societal norms? This article will briefly introduce the topic of homosexuality and queerness as a whole to help start an open dialogue that could lead to a better understanding of this timely topic. A highly educational blog post for sure!

As hinted at above, there are certain terms that need to be clarified before diving into this topic. Homosexuality is when someone exhibits sexual attraction to members of the same gender. Note that this attraction is not exclusive to any one gender, which means that it is possible for a person who identifies as heterosexual to still experience homosexual attractions as well as any other permutation one could think of. On the other hand, queerness is an umbrella term used by anyone that does not identify as heterosexual or cisgender (a binary term used to refer to people whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth).

To examine this topic, we will look at homosexuality in a historic context and also consider it in terms of the sociology of gender, as well as the sociology of sexuality. Some other topics to consider are the relationship between religion and homosexuality, including Protestantism and Catholicism (specifically when looking at their stances on homosexuality), as well as homosexual individuals’ experiences with religion (Macionis, 2010).

There is also the role that language plays in shaping individuals’ perceptions about those who identify under the LGBTQ acronym. In other words, we will examine the ways in which language can be used as an agent of social change. In other words, we will look at the role that language plays in the development of new narratives. Through our explorations, we hope to gain insight into the complex nature of the issues surrounding homosexuality and ask why the LGBTQ acronym is such a popular choice for its members. We also hope to consider homophobia’s role in this discussion and how society can move forward in terms of changing discriminatory practices against individuals who identify under this umbrella term (for example, gay conversion therapy).

The goal of this article is to paint a sociological picture of homosexuality and queerness, thus incorporating the insights of multiple fields within sociology and critically examining how these perspectives interact with one another.

As an overview on the “history” of homosexuality in America, let us first consider that it was not all that long ago (1940’s – 50’s) when homosexuality was considered a mental disorder by key medical health professionals, such as: The American Psychiatric Association (APA), The National Association for Mental Health (NAMH) and The National Council for Mental Health (NCMH). While these organizations have since changed their policies and now consider such categorizations to be unprofessional, the APA did not officially change its stance on homosexuality until 1973. Additionally, in 1962, a researcher named Evelyn Hooker published a study that showed that gay men were no more likely to show signs of mental illness than anyone else. This study is regarded as the first major step in changing the narrative surrounding homosexuality (Macionis, 2010).

As mentioned above, one of the most important outcomes of this shift in thought from medical professionals was their reclassification of homosexuality from a mental disorder to merely an orientation (i.e., homosexuals were no longer thought to be ill).

This is not to say that homosexuality has been widely accepted as a normal part of life throughout the entirety of American history. No, that is not what I am saying at all. Rather, I am pointing out that in recent history there have been significant strides made to accept people who identify as LGBTQ as full and equal citizens in our society (Robinson & Schmitz, 2021).

The social acceptance of homosexuality has been an ongoing conversation for centuries. Discussions about homosexuality often lead to key sociological questions such as: what does it mean to be normal? This is a question that extends beyond just the topic at hand and can be applied to every aspect of human behavior including race, religion, class, language, gender (to name a few).

As we dig deeper into the first point, ‘what is normal?’, we will find that there are many different opinions about what is considered normal and abnormal. For example: if one believed that blonde hair was not something to be concerned about, then this would be considered abnormal by another. In order for society to function, however, we must find what to focus our attention on in order to maintain a collective sense of “normalcy”, i.e. a sense of the “sameness” among all members of our society (Macionis & Plummer, 2005).

The commonalities people share allow us to develop a certain set of social norms as well as identify and differentiate behaviors that deviate from these norms from those who do not (Robinson & Schmitz, 2021). For example: Simon struggles with coming out to his friends, how he understands his attraction to men, what kind of backlash he might face for being gay and whether or not he will be accepted at school after news of his sexuality gets out. He also struggles with his mother’s decision to commit him to a mental institution because she believes he is mentally ill and believes he should be “cured”.

This film showcases the story of a gay teenager in America whose life is completely different from most, who gets thrown into the courts at a young age and faces devastating consequences that significantly affect his life. Before this point, there has not been a lot of movies like this (or series, for that matter). It has shown how discrimination can have a huge impact on those who are part of the LGBTQ community. This film manages to show just how serious this inequality really is (Macionis & Plummer, 2005).

The legal system has always been very relevant and continues to be so in many ways in contemporary times. The system is not only used as a means to fairly punish those who break the law, it can also be a tool for further discrimination as well. For example, in the film, Simon’s mother is sentenced by a judge after being found guilty of violating Simon’s civil rights. This decision was made even though she fought against her decision to have her son committed and spoke out to defend him.

As mentioned above, the film also highlights many parts of society which are beginning to shift towards greater acceptance of homosexuality and more recognition of its contribution to society. It establishes that in no way should one be considered ‘mentally ill’ because they identify as LGBTQ and are not heterosexual (or ‘straight’).

We can then conclude that “Love Simon” mainly takes place within a society with a positive outlook on homosexuality, which is also slowly becoming more common throughout more areas of America with time. The importance of this film’s release in 2018 stems from the fact that it is breaking ground on many levels. It portrays a main character who is gay and his struggle with discovering, accepting and understanding this about himself and how others would react if they were to find out (Berlanti, 2018).

References

Berlanti, G. 2018 Love Simon. Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen, Pouya Shahbazian, Isaac KlausnerMacionis, J. (2010). Sociology, 13/e.

Macionis, J. J., & Plummer, K. (2005). Sociology: A global introduction. Pearson Education.

Robinson, B. A., & Schmitz, R. M. (2021). Beyond resilience: Resistance in the lives of LGBTQ youth. Sociology compass, 15(12), e12947.

Love in the play Much Ado about Nothing

Love in the play: Much Ado about Nothing

Human beings are foolish when in love, and Much Ado about Nothing, is a study of this. It goes into the love between Beatrice and Benedict and between Claudio and Hero. The story between Beatrice and Benedict is a sub-plot, but nowadays it is found to be more interesting than the main plot, which is the love between Claudio and Hero.

Beatrice and Benedict had been playful adversaries at the beginning of the play, united only in their contempt and loathing for marriage. Nevertheless, once they ‘discover’ their feelings for each other, they let their guards down and allow their feelings to blossom. They discover that they love one another, by a cleverly engineered plot, set into place by their friends. Although it was a lie, it did have good intentions and did work out for the best.

Even before they love each other, what the other thinks of them still meant a lot to them. They would try through their ‘merry war’ to make others think that they paid no attention to what the other said of them, but they would be very hurt when they thought the other did not think highly of them. When Beatrice tells Benedict that he is widely thought of to be “the prince’s jester, a very dull fool” (II.i.103), he is hurt and becomes defensive. He is happy for them to be constantly bickering, but he still wants her to like him.

Once they discovered they were in love with each other, Benedict proves himself worthy of Beatrice by standing by her and agreeing to “Kill Claudio” (IV.i.279). At first he is not willing to do this, and tells Beatrice so, “Ha, not for the wide world” (IV.i.280). Then he realizes that not only is Beatrice right, but that she is also worth far more to him than Claudio is. He was previously ‘one of the lads’, but he then turns his back on then for Beatrice. He is willing to do whatever Beatrice asks of him, including ceasing being friends with Claudio, although we are told he is his new “sworn brother” (I.i.53). He trusts Beatrice’s female intuition over his first male assumptions, although he has no factual reason to believe her. He just has a gut reaction that tells him that the accusations against Hero are not true. Moreover, the fact that he is willing to go with that feeling, is what makes him now worthy of Beatrice.

Claudio is criticized for his actions in the play. He behaved appallingly, and so receives the least sympathy. Even when he is at his best, I never found him that appealing a character. When at the start of the play, he was ‘in love’ with Hero, he tells Benedict and Don Pedro how wonderful she is – “In mine eye, she is the sweetest lady that ever I looked on” (I.i.139), he never tells Hero herself, how he feels. In my mind, this is not what a romantic hero should be like. I am also extremely distrustful of his intentions for marrying Hero in the first place, as one of the first things he asks Don Pedro is “Hath Leonato any son, my Lord?” (I.i.220) It seems as though he is checking to see just what he will get out of the marriage, and if he had not got anything from marrying her, the topic of marriage might never have come up. This question of what Claudio was really getting married for, is again brought up when he agrees to marry Leonatos’, brother’s daughter. It seems a most unusual thing for a young man to agree to do, when still in mourning for his fiancée, and supposed true love, whose death he thinks he caused. It seems a very strange thing to do that is until you read Leonatos’ speech to Claudio, and hear him say that “she [his niece] alone is heir to both of us [Leonato and Antonio]. (V.i.257) It seems to me that the only possible reason he could have for wanting to marry a complete stranger is such strange circumstances, is because the fortune of two men is involved.

The deception engineered by Don John enabled us to see the two couples in their true light. We saw just how stable their loves were, or in the case of Claudio, how unreliable. Now we are left wondering just how stable their marriages will be. I think that Beatrice and Benedicts’ will be, because we know that they interest and stimulate each other, they know each other and their faults, almost as well as they know themselves. Their belief and faith, in each other and in each other has been proved.

Although Claudio and Hero seen to be happy and supposedly in love with each other, at the end of the play, I really don’t think that they will be happy together. At the very first trial in their love, Claudio showed us that he has no faith in Hero. He actually went out of his way to humiliate her publicly and to bring shame on her name. Although I can see how he was feeling, I cannot forgive him for wanting to do such a cruel thing to someone he was in love with.

Shakespeare shows us two kinds of love in Much Ado about Nothing. Beatrice and Benedict’s love is a very deep and powerful one. On the strength of it, they do things that are completely uncharacteristic to them. Benedict agrees to kill Claudio, and they both he and Beatrice agree and want to get married. Claudio and Hero’s love is a shallower and artificial love, if it is even a love at all. I have difficulty believing it is, for they have barely met before they decide to get married, and then Claudio betrays Hero terribly. But we have to bear in mind, that the idea of love at first sight was a far more acceptable and popular idea in Shakespeare’s time. In Romeo and Juliet, for instance, the two characters fall in love at first sight, though when their love is tested, it proves to be powerful enough to survive. In the same way, Claudio’s methods of courting Hero would have been acceptable by Shakespeare’s audience. Whereas now, the idea of Hero being proposed to by Don.

John, only to be told that she is really for Claudio, is bizarre. She was supposed to return Claudio’s feelings, so why did she agree to marry Don Pedro? Just as strange is Claudio’s belief, when Don John tells him that Don Pedro is wooing Hero for herself.

When he is tricked into believing that Don Pedro is wooing Hero for himself, he says, “Friendship is constant in all other things, Save in the office and affairs of love” (II.i.131).

He not only does not have faith in his fiancée, but also in his friends. He is very untrusting and ready to believe the worst in people.

I find it interesting that Claudio refuses to marry Hero when he thinks she has been unfaithful to him, as it shows us that possibly, there love wasn’t as strong as it should have been, in the first place. He does not seek her out to talk to her, to find out whether what he thinks he has seen was true or not, but instead lets his anger take hold.

He is very bad at handling situations. Beatrice is much better, and when she is proposed to by Don Pedro – “Will you have me lady?” (II.i.248), she knows just how to handle the situation. She replies “No…unless I might have another for working-days, your grace is too costly to wear everyday” (II.i.249). She is a very bold and blunt character, but she knows better than to hurt the prince. She treats the matter lightly, so that Don Pedro cannot be hurt or offended.

I think that Shakespeare shows us in Much Ado about nothing, that love is a very strong thing, when it is pure. It completely softens the character of Beatrice, who at the start of the play says she would “rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me”, (I.i.97). However, by the end of the play, both she and Benedict are writing love sonnets to one another. This change in their characters, is a shock to everyone, including themselves. The first time Benedict makes his feelings known towards Beatrice, he tells her “I do love nothing in the world as well as you, is not that strange?” (IV.i.259) He has trouble believing he could be in love, as does Beatrice who replies “As strange as the thing I know not” (IV.i.261). They do not know how to react to these feelings, but they are willing to find out together.

Claudio and Hero seem to be very plain characters. All we know about them is that they are in love with each other. There characters are like blank sheets, their characters themselves seem to be only plot devices, without them we couldn’t have got to know Beatrice and Benedict as well as we do. In contrast to this, Beatrice and Benedict have sharp, stubborn and lively characters. The greatest obstacles that they have to overcome, in their love, are each other. Beatrice and Benedict are equals, whilst with Claudio and Hero, it is clearly Claudio who has the authority and commands Hero’s respect. This makes a difference in their relationship and the way they act towards each other.

Bibliography:

Love For Sale

Love For Sale

From the outset, the author critiques the actual position of psychotherapy from a rare perspective, highlighting complex issues established in the formation of a psychothepeutic dyad. Psychotherapists assume a complicated role of offering professional assistance guided by several elements of professionalism and social responsibility. Despite the fact that the extent of personal relationship between the therapist and the client is restricted by professional boundaries mitigating dual relationships, it is difficult to isolate professionalism from practical client-therapist relationship (Bromley n.d.). In view of the author’s choice of title that captures the theme accurately, the responsibility of the therapist in professional exercise is inseparable from emotional attachment extended in the dyad as sympathy and empathy for clients goes.

A critical examination of the role of the therapist within the principle of empathy and responsibility over clients, it is difficult to draw the line between profession and social relations. By likening the psychotherapist to a ‘paid friend’, the apparent emotional attachment such as observed in friendships is illustrated. Contrary to ordinary friendships, the dyad is guided by professional practice which attracts fees for the service. The empathy principle needed for the dyad to discharge its obligations captures the friendship aspect, while the fee paints the payment concept.

In view of the endless demand for money during the entire therapy period for the services rendered, the author shows how the dyad is different from a friendship that is generally not conditional. Termination of remittance of the fees translates to the termination of the therapy sessions, even if friendship aspects are present during the sessions. Giving a listening ear as needed by the client is the sole responsibility of the therapist, which makes some sence for the charges. Listening is an important principle in therapy, which supports the client’s psychological composure needed for the healing process.

Alternatively, it is the role of the therapist to accommodate the errant social attributes of the client for the healing process to be sustained. The author reckons that the therapist must pose as a ‘tolerant acceptant…transgressions’ to depict the weird social sacrifice that the therapist makes to ensure comfort of the errant social nature of the client. This is a trade trick that instills a sence of self-worth, even in times of grievous social mistakes that would otherwise attract social judgment, isolation and torment. Perhaps the accommodation offered arises from the compulsory reward expected by the therapist, to cater for the social cost incurred.

Paying attention to the client’s needs and undertaking to facilitate their development and healing is described as rare social coat specially worn by the therapist. The author shows the high standard set by the profession in terms of the measure of willingness to accept weaknesses of social weaklings in need of professional assistance. The therapist reserves ordinary public criticism for certain psychological conditions affecting psychotherapy clients and must give the clients a ‘morally uncritical reception’ in order to attend to their psychological worries. The therapist must be closer to the client than the rest of the world is, particularly at the height of their weaknesses and make timely interventions instilling belief than showing hatred. The profession is therefore, perhaps, a balance between love and psychotherapy trade.

References

Bromley, E. (n.d.) “Love for Sale: ‘Psychotherapy as Prostitution’ Revisited,” [Online] Available from: <http://www.davidsmail.info/talk95a.htm> [Accessed 25 May 2012].

Love and Break ups

Love and Break-ups

The topic Love and Break up relate to two movies, one which is a romantic comedy film titled’ When Harry Met Sally’ and the other titled ‘Divorce His, Divorce Hers’ about a couple who went through divorce after 18 years of marriage. The topic is relevant as it relate to life involving love and relationship and break-ups, for instance Harry and Sally have several break-ups before they later get married. Similarly, in the second movie, the couple have their divorce after being married for 18 years, which is a permanent break up. In the two movies, there is a lot of love at first, but problems involving fidelity cause disagreements. In the first movie, the character reunites a number of times, and later they get married and live a happy life.

In the first movie, ‘When Harry Met Sally’ the key actors Harry and Sally meet and become friends and have several chance encounters in the New York City for more than 11 years. Each time they meet, they express love for each other and renew their friendship. Their marriages with other partners end in break-up which contributes to their uniting and moving on with their friendship. The movie gives a story of the lives of two young people in love, Harry, and Sally, who first meets at college. The two grow together and are involved in friendship liking each other and sometimes disliking one another. Harry tells Sally “I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you’re looking at me like I’m nuts.” Harry and Sally have a romantic relationship, which takes more than 11 years before they realize that they needed to live together. The movie has a lot of dialogues and the music is captivating and brings out the scenes with great magnificent. The intention of the two is having a relationship without having sex till they marry as they feel that it will ruin their relationship. Unfortunately they engage in sex, which ruins their friendship leading to a break up although they later reunite. In the Divorce his, Divorce hers, the couple Martin and Jane, dissolve their marriage after living together for 18 years. The film gives the story of separation from a two points of view, one from the husband and the other from the wife. According to the wife, Jane, the crumbled marriage has a terrible and scary effect on their children. The separation of the couple after 18 years is a terrible blow to the couple who find it difficult to move on and has a negative impact on the children.

In the movie Harry meets Sally; there are scenes that are fascinating to the viewers especially the orgasm scene played in the restaurant, which is quite funny. The movie gives a real life situation and reminds people of their everyday lives in a funny way. The dinner scene is quite interesting as Harry dominates most of the conversation as she explains how men do not realize when a woman is faking orgasm. The story gives the differences between women and men and their effect on relationships. The differences also affect commitment and sex as portrayed by the break up when the two had sex by chance. The movie shows the challenges young people undergo in relationships especially if they do not want to have sex before marriage and the relationship takes several years. The discussion between the two friends, as they travel together from Chicago to New York is on the effect of sex on relationships, “Will sex ruin a perfect relationship between a man and a woman”?. The two had no answer to their disturbing question even after 11 years of love and friendship, and could not realize that they were meant for each other. There are no dull scenes in the movie as the writer Rob Reiner makes the story lively by having lively actors full of humor and intelligence. The story gives the live stages that men and women go through to develop their relationship to maturity and later a happy marriage. The comedy is full of Romance as shown by the different relationships in the story although there are many break-ups. The love between Bruno and Carrie that led to marriage makes the story lively, as it does not take too long as compared to that of Harry and Sally. Another interesting scene is the instance when Harry and Sally try to help each other to mend their past relationships. Harry goes ahead and introduces Sally to Jess while Sally introduces him to Marie though the relationships do not work. Instead, Marie and Jess starts a relationship and marries leaving Harry and Sally lonely. The two decide to try to renew their relationship and see whether it will work.

In another scene, Sally gets sad when she learns that her ex-boyfriend is marrying and gets overwhelmed. Harry comforts her although he does not really care about the marriage but ho to have Sally as his friend. The embrace, kiss, and sleep together, a factor that leads to disagreements between the two, as Harry wants independence while Sally is interested in intimacy. Sally tells Harry “You look like a normal person but actually you are the angel of death” to show her disgust for Harry’s character.

In the movie, Divorce his, Divorce Hers Jane and Martin divorce after living in marriage for 18 years bringing a lot of pain to the family. The movie set-up is in Rome as Martin comes back from Africa, where he represents a managerial firm. He keeps on remembering his troubled marriage to Jane and the effect of his absence due to the nature of his job. In the second part, his wife Jane dominates the scenes with family life experiences and the effect of their troubled marriage to their three children. In the movie, Martin is a businessperson married to Jane who does anything to get his attention. Her statements such as “if I slit my throat, would you pay attention to me?” portrays her appetite for attention from her husband. Jane is a beautiful woman but has a negative and nasty character especially when acting scenes involving anger. Jane asks Martin for a divorce and tells him to keep off her children a character that portrays her as a bad person. She is manipulative especially when she drags him from the airport. She also likes talking and likes expensive jewelry as portrayed by the pearl and diamond necklace that she wore. The scene that Martin tells his son that he did not want to spend time with him stood out in the movie. He argued that he had all the time to do whatever he wished without anybody’s disruption. Martin cheats on his wife and tells her that he could not stand her presence in bed a he would feel like a fool, “like a fool, a complete fool”. The way he puts emphasis on the statement shows how disgusted he was with his wife and was ready for divorce. The scene was humorous from the way he sipped his drink holding the glass with both hands and drunk like a thirsty hound. The scene involving Martin and the African head of state, Kaduna is quite interesting as he tries to impress him to make him improve their impending deal. Jane acts well in the scenes involving her and the children and in the case when she learns that, Carrie Nye is in a relationship with her husband. Her reaction when she learns of her husband’s infidelity and her demand for a divorce brings out her unique tough character.

Martin’s marriage faced many tests especially after his transfer to Africa resulting in infidelity, ill feelings, and many clashes. Jane has three children, who are quite annoying and in several occasions struggles with her son who has the habit of playing loud music. The couple spends a lot of time trying to think of what went wrong with their marriage and scenes show Martin always on transit carrying his briefcase. He is always traveling, a factor that possibly contributes to their break-up.

In conclusion the two movies represents life involving love, marriage, and separation. In the first movie, Harry meets Sally; the characters meet, love each other, but encounter several challenges leading to break-ups. Harry and ally feel that sex can ruin a relationship and want to avoid it until they get married. However, this does not happen as they sleep together, an act that makes them separate for a while. They later discover that they love each other and get married to begin a happy life together. In the movie, Divorce His, Divorce Hers, the key characters, Martin, and Jane have a strained marriage because of Martin’s nature of work and Jane’s nagging character. She is a woman who likes attention and disturbs her husband with her continuous questions. Their marriage lasts 18 years when Jane asks her husband for a divorce but tells him never to see her children. Martin was having an affair with Nye, which made her wife furious leading to a hot argument and later divorce. Love, marriage, and separation are the main themes in the two stories as characters try to find happiness.

Loss of employment as a Result of Plagiarism

Loss of employment as a Result of Plagiarism

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Loss of Employment due to Plagiarism

‘’Led Zeppelin are being sued for plagiarism over their iconic hit Stairway to Heaven. The band has been served legal papers on behalf of late Randy California for the song which had earned a reported $562 MILLION’’ said James Robertson, a writer for Mirror Magazine. (Robertson, 2014). The iconic rockers risks losing millions of dollars in this lawsuit. The band Spirit claims that Led Zeppelin lifted from their track Taurus, Stairway to Heaven’s opening soundtrack. There had been claims for years that the sound tracks were same but it has taken more than thirty years for legal action to be taken against them. They plagiarized the band Spirit’s song and it is about time that they are brought to book. Led Zeppelin allegedly wrote the song in 1970, two years after the band Spirit had released it. The two bands have shared the same stage in fact, proving that friends can stab you in the back too.

Plagiarism is defined as wrongful appropriation and stealing or publication of another author’s language, thoughts, ideas or expressions and representation of them as ones original work. It is considered unlawful and one can be charged for such an offense. It is important that we avoid practicing plagiarism both in school and beyond. First of all plagiarism reduces a person’s credibility since trust is lost on all his works. It also increases the chances of one spending his time behind bars as law suits start cropping up. Embarrassment will be faced too as the public won’t hesitate to rebuke you and criticize you for not being honest about the original source of your work. Some students have been expelled from schools and some in their professions lost their jobs in the name of plagiarism.

Copying then pasting work from the internet to your articles is one way through which students can unwittingly perpetrate academic dishonesty without realizing it. Students also practice plagiarism by getting information from books, articles or journals without properly citing their sources. In some cases, some students don’t cite sources at all. Some students also use in their work images that were taken by other photographers without giving credit where credit is due. When they deliver their assignments or reports some contain up to 97% plagiarism.

Students should always ensure that they properly credit ideas that they use in their work. Steps to be taken would include researching and mastering how to perfectly credit ideas. This is vital as if you properly credit the ideas then you won’t be accused of plagiarism. Copy and pasting someone’s work should also be avoided at all cost as this is a great act of plagiarism. A student should master the art of paraphrasing. This is possible if one reads the research materials and understands them then writes in his own words instead of writing them word by word. Though referencing in such circumstances should not be neglected either.

In conclusion, plagiarism is an evil that no student should considering venturing into. Led Zeppelin can attest to this as earlier on we realized that they are yet to lose millions of dollars in law suits. The consequences can face anyone both in school and out in the real world. We are therefore advised to shun this vice as we wouldn’t want to regret when we are faced with the punishment.

References

Lubbe, I., Modack, G., & Watson, A. (2011). Accounting GAAP. OUP Catalogue.

Gourlay, L., & Deane, J. (2012). Loss, responsibility, blame? Staff discourses of student plagiarism. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 49(1), 19-29.

Losing My Cool – Book Report

Losing My Cool – Book Report

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Introduction

From William’s childhood home of one-story ranch house, his father made a collection of books more than any library could hold. His father used some of these volumes to operate an academic prep service, while the other books were used in his never-ending quest for wisdom. William, as a teenager, had a completely different pursuit from his father; he had the thirst for money, hoe and clothes. More striking feature was his Medusa-faced Versace sunglasses and the companion of a heavy gold-medallion hanging down his neck, whenever he styled up his speech to fit into the intoxicating hip-hop culture prevailing in the communities. Often, his childhood upbringing was influenced a lot by hip-hop and he could even cite the lyrics of Tupac and Nas songs. These were the necessities of the hip-hop youth who were also showing their prowess in order to “keep their woman in line”. Eventually, William seems to justify his thesis that the problem of “hip-hop culture” in America is pinned on US black communities, which traces down the ongoing racism by the white communities who seem to maintain their prejudices based on these claims.

The aforementioned descriptions are relevant when reviewing the book, “Losing My Cool,” written by Thomas Chatterton Williams. As Williams indicates in his book, his father, Pappy, grew up in the isolated South, hiding in the closet away from the hip-hop culture so that he could read deep into the wisdom of Plato and Aesop. He had a different destiny in mind for his son. For years, Williams juggled between “keeping it real” in front of his friends and, studying books under the influence of his strict father’s tutelage. From the cover of the book, the author could not have had a better title than this one since it has been introduced at a better time when there is a cultural war between the hip-hop culture and the American lifestyle among the young generations. Therefore, the aim of this paper will be to give a report of the content of the book, while quoting relevant lines from the book to back up my claims.

Losing My Cool

The book demonstrates that the African-Americans are living in a culture that influences them to imitate, or even become criminals. The author shows that such a stance is worthy than meaningful possibilities of other lifestyles such as his father’s morale standards. Thus, William examines the seductive power of the black hip-hop culture, by describing how his peers even from a younger age, refuse to read books stating that, “it is uncool.” The pivotal focus of this book is in his description of the misogynist, superficial atmosphere, where girls and boys idolize famous rappers such as Tupac and exchange sex for material favors. For example, he is forced to hit his girlfriend when he discovers that she is having an affair, and proceed to start a fight with the other guy as a way of saving the face and to have sex with his girlfriend again.

These experiences are no doubt a quality work of non-fiction of the symptoms of the black culture. Needless to say, the experiences have been the source of promotion of sexism and the treatment of women as “just bitches,” which are mentioned as problems of the broader culture in America. The author does not err when he mentions Eminem, whose iconic lyrics involve treating women as less than humans, and only as accessories to rappers kingdom of sex, money and riches. Sadly, William makes it so easy to pin the blame on black people, yet the prevalence of the horrific and the destructive values stem from the reality of the disparity in demands between the white and the black communities. More so, the systematic discrimination by the whites has seen the black people living in states of unemployment and as the victims of imprisonment. The reality of the blame-game of whites against the blacks lurks in the background of this book. The hip-hop social misfit for the black people has lead to them having high stress levels, dying sooner, and getting lower level of education than the white community.

Williams explains openly the racist view by using his choice of clothes. He explains that “shirts and sweaters and trousers or jeans that fit” had to be the sagging jeans or the basketballs shorts. He explains that “he wanted to look like a man and not a kid” among other kids ascribing to the hip-hop culture. He goes on to mention that he did not want to look like “he was about to stick up a 7-eleven.” On other words, Williams uses theses expression to show how hip-hop culture was compelling the youths to dress in skanky looks so that they would not be seen as silly or uncomfortable.

Conclusion

Do not be judgmental of Williams’s use of vulgar language when he is describing the effect of hip-hop culture in our lives today. Rather, he is right to shed a light into the lives of other people, who are living in the damaged and limited social context of anti-intellectualism, sexism and materialism. Nonetheless, William writes to awaken us from our obscurity so that we can understand the origin of the problems pinned on the black communities. In the United States, it is a problem of the broader culture and not a black problem. For any reason whatsoever, we are continuing to blames for both the white and the black communities, but we never reach an affirmative decision to justify our blame for the decaying society. Therefore, if we can’t blame the black culture for the escalating hip-hop culture, then it should be worthwhile to investigate the entire discrimination claims happening in America today.

References

Williams, T.C. (2011). Losing my cool: Love, literature, and a black man’s escape from the

crowd. New York, NY: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated.

Losing faith in politicians

Losing faith in politicians

Name

Course

Lecturer

Date

All countries around the world share and possess a political body made up of the president, ministers, governors and other government subordinates. Politicians guide and provide leadership to the citizens of a country and provide them with what a citizen requires from its country. With many contemporary issues revolving around countries across the world, each country demands for quality leadership. A country needs a member of the government who can listen and act towards the well being of the citizens. Campaigns before elections give politicians the chance to express their goals and objectives if given a chance to lead the country. However many politician today fail to meet their objectives leading to the question, have you lost faith in politicians?

Citizens suffer under the watch of leaders that they chose and entrusted their well being with. During campaigns government leaders promise to do things which they mostly end up not doing. It has been a trend in several countries leading to the loss of faith in politicians. Politicians exploit the most crucial needs that a citizen has and uses it as a way to gain political power and fame but once given the position, they fail to perform what was promised to the citizens.

Through radio chats and interviews citizens from different countries including America, Canada, and Japan; citizens have lost their faith in politicians because most are corrupt and are only greedy for power. Citizens believe that there is always a hidden lie behind every politician’s words and most are letting down their countries only for selfish interests. Citizens also believe that politicians dwell on issues that are of much less concern compared to others that need immediate intervention. In the United States people feel that despite healthcare being an important issue other factors such as education also requires attention (Shelley, 2013). The cost of tuition in the country has increased forcing students to attend local institutions for higher education since they cannot afford other institutions.

Corruption and dishonesty are some of the other factors that have lead to loss of trust and faith in politicians by citizens (Schmidt 2012-2011). When a leader in the government is caught on the wrong side of the law, it creates a negative image to the society leading to citizens’ loss of faith. It is hypocritical when law makers break rules they have created. In several cases politicians lie, bribe and commit crimes which as a leader should not be the case. Politicians should set an example to their citizens so that they can follow and emulate their behaviour. When one is charged with corruption, fraud, sexual abuse and other crimes t sets a bad example to the country and citizens tend to lose faith in their government. Demonstrations and protests arise due to citizens’ loss of faith in their leaders. Demonstrations are often fuelled by high cost of living created by the government, cases of corruption and mismanagement of funds (Friedenberg, 1994).

Truly people have lost faith in politicians and they are not pleased with the lies and empty promises made. People of a country need politicians who will take care of their needs listen to them and promote country development. Democracy is a tool used to create fairness and to give citizens a right to vote for the right person hence people should be keen when choosing their leaders.

References

Friedenberg, R. V. (1994). Rhetorical studies of national political debates, 1960-1992 (2nd ed.). Westport: Praeger.Schmidt, S. W., Shelley, M. C., Bardes, B. A., & Ford, L. E. (20122011). American government and politics today, 2011-2012 (2011-2012 ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.Shelley, M. C. (2013). American government and politics today: essentials, 2013-2014 (17. ed.). Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth ;.

Los narcos, El Chapo

Los narcos, El Chapo

Names:

Institutional affiliation:

ANNOTATED BIBIOGRAPHY

Beith, M. (2011). The last narco. New York: Grove Press.

This source talks about when El Chapo was born and where he was raised. It gives in details how one journalist went to the area the drug cartels used to operate and the atmosphere of the place. Additionally, it talks about his life in prison, and how he had used his influence and money to manipulate all the staff of the prison, and how he escaped after one guard sneaked him through and the operation that was carried out for his search.

Carlos, J., & Aguiar, G. (2017). “Un encuentro con Kate: el “Un encuentro con Kate: el narco jubilado y el catálogo de narco jubilado y el catálogo de Televisa”, por @jcgaguiar Televisa”, por @jcgaguiar [Ebook] (pp. 1-6). Retrieved from https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/handle/1887/54787/Aguiar_2017_oeARS18oe. pdf?sequence=1

The article talks about a documentary that was uploaded by Netflix on some interviews that were conducted including that from one actor who had a personal relationship with El Chapo. The documentary is called Narcos, which has some intrigues where it shows on how the police force and the cartels are one thing.

Cieza, D., & Arias Henao, D. (2018). La caída del” Chapo” Guzmán y el debate sobre las funciones ocultas del narcotráfico. Retrieved from http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/44809

The article talks on how the media blew after the arrest of El Chapo, after him disappearing from prisons in the past. It goes ahead to tell on how the arrest of El Chapo is of ethical importance to both international relations and social science.

Grillo, I. (2018). http://time.com. Retrieved from http://time.com/longform/joaquin-guzman-el-chapo-trial/

From this website, we are told of how El Chapos mother and grandmother talked of how he had toiled as a child and how they hope after this trial he gets to go home. It goes ahead to talk on how his trial started on September after he pleaded guilty.

Hernández, A. (2012). Los señores del narco. Mexico: Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial.The book talks on how El Chapo has had a run with the authorities when he was on run for 13 years before he was arrested again. It goes ahead to talk on how he had a crush with the DEA from his involvement in all drugs trafficking.

Lee, S. (2017). Politics: Pablo Escobar and “El Chapo” Guzman: How 2 of the world’s most powerful and dangerous drug lords compare. Retrieved from https://www.pulselive.co.ke/bi/politics/politics-pablo-escobar-and-el-chapo-guzman-how-2-of-the-worlds-most-powerful-and-dangerous-drug-lords-compare-id6963965.html

From this article, El Chapo is compared to his mentor from their early life to how they ended up controlling the drug market. It goes ahead to talk about the escapes done by El Chapo when he was in prison and on his ongoing trial that started in April 2018.

Loera, J. (2018). Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera. Retrieved from https://www.biography.com/people/el-chapo-joaquin-guzman-loera

From the website, the life of El Chapo right from his birthplace and year, it goes ahead to elaborate on his family, where his considered father to 9 children and how some of his sons have taken up the drug cartel after his arrest.

RADDEN KEEFEE, P. (2012). Cocaine incorporated [Ebook]. New York Times. Retrieved from http://sweasel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/How-a-Mexican-Drug-Cartel-Makes-Its-Billions-NYTimes.pdf

From this article, we are introduced to El Chapo’s wife who gave birth to two babies but omitted his husbands name on the birth certificate and we are told on El Chapos drug operations and how he advanced to trafficking drugs with airplanes. The article also tells us on the death of his mentor after being captured by American authorities.

Questions

3. No I did not

4. I just copied some various keywords on both Google and Google scholar, a few articles, websites, books and journals were displayed but I only chose those that were relevant to my project.

5. I have not adjusted the topic, I intend to focus on El Chapos life right from his early life to his continuing trial. I believe his early life played a big role in who he turned to be as the biggest cartel ever in history.

6. I would just need clarification whether the project should center on the early life of El Chapo or his drug life and run with authorities.

Lords

Lords

Student’s Name

Instructor’s Name

Institution Affiliation

Date

It is correct to say that lords were the most important people in Europe in the 1100s, 1200s and 1300s because as political and economic leaders, they were not considered to be performing two different professions at the same time. It was not only money and labor that the lords were able to extract from their peasants; they also had access to a huge variety of other resources. Additionally, they were judges, protectors, and chiefs, to whom people who “held” their land from them or lived on their grounds were tied, separate from any more binding and personal relationships, by a very wide but very genuine responsibility to assist and obey.

However, the Lords were more than a collection of wealthy men’s enterprises; they were a political organization. The chiefs’ authority was not restricted to their “business premises,” as it is in capitalist firms; rather, they had an influence on the people’s whole lives and functioned alongside or even in place of the state and the family’s authority. They had their own law, which was as a rule customary and determined the relationship between subjects and lords, as well as the precise demographic restrictions within which these conventional standards were enforced.

The Lords developed a system called Manorial system, which included compulsory labor and the right for subjects who were occupants on the land to cultivate a portion of their land. In return, they are given land that they may cultivate for themselves. of their land devoted to the lord of feudalism. As well as financial obligations, It was required to bill participants for a number of services, such as road construction and maintenance at specific seasons of the year. When they had finished with all of their hard work, they were able to finally settle down on their own plots of land and enjoy their newfound freedom. Their own self-interest in completing the Lord’s land as fast as possible before returning to work on their own property necessitated the need for oversight and control of their activities.

The Lords provided security for the subjects in that, It was their responsibility to administer and defend the land in order to safeguard it and the people who lived and worked on it. The lords had employed officials in order to guarantee that the villagers were carrying out their responsibilities. Lords also functioned as judges in manor courts, and they had the ability to condemn and punish anyone who defied the laws of their respective counties. In the king’s administration, certain of the king’s lords held important posts. It was common for lords of high rank to fight on their own behalf, or at the very least furnish their superiors with an army of well-trained combatants, during times of strife.