Pocho by Jose Antonio Villarreal :: Mexican Culture Catholicism Book Review

Pocho by Jose Antonio Villarreal Many people would say that to be born a Mexican is to be born a Catholic. This perpetuating stereotype has forced many Mexican families to raise their children as if no other religions options even existed. In the book Pocho by Jose Antonio Villarreal a young boy by the name of Richard Rubio finds himself being raised Catholic by a traditional Mexican family. Richard, struggling to find his place in the world, has his parents religious beliefs pressed down on him forcing him to conform to a religion he does not agree with. Throughout the course of the novel the Catholic religious beliefs imposed on Richard affected his personality in many ways. By the end of the book it is clear that not allowing others to find their own spiritual calling can have drastic effects on their ability to recognize who they are. Many of the spiritual problems Richard faces in book are common to a number of Mexican children. Through the use of my personal experiences in being in a situation similar to that of Richard's, I intend to support my claim that forced beliefs may have damaging effects on a person. As soon as the main character Richard is introduced into the story line we learn his beliefs about god before we even learn his name. Perhaps Villarreal, even this early, is tiring to show readers that in the Mexican American culture religion, specifically Catholicism, plays an extremely large role. Richard carries his Virgin Mary picture home which he received as a reward for being the first in his age group to learn the catechism protecting it in his handkerchief. The Catholic Church has often rewarded people for their achievements when pertaining to studying their religion in hope that they will encourage them to remain catholic. When I attended catechism I was always rewarded for having perfect attendance. This idea that you will be rewarded for an achievement or attendance may be a way for the church to make sure you are there every Sunday and behaving well. Richard claims that the picture had little value to him but it was a symbol of recognition. Surely he would go home and p resent it to his mother knowing that it being from the church would mean a lot to her. Many times I would do the same thing with my tokens of recognition, posting them proudly on the refrigerator, not because it was worth anything, but because of the praise I would received for it.

Hobby: Actor and Favorite Pastime Essay

People live a very busy life nowadays, so they have little time to spare. Still they try their best to make use of those rare hours of leisure. A hobby is a favorite pastime of a person. Hobbies differ like tastes. People choose their hobbies according to their taste and character. Someone likes simply to watch TV, lying on a sofa. If you have chosen a hobby to your liking, lucky you are: you have made your life more interesting. But many people have nothing to do during their spare time, though there are many different hobbies: reading, collecting, going in for sports, traveling and others. If a person collects something, he does it according to his financial abilities: someone collects cars or pictures of world-known painters, while another one collects beer cans or stamps. But no matter what they collect, it gives them pleasure. Many collections started in a small way with one or two items. Some private collections are really valuable. No matter what kind of hobby a person has, he always has an opportunity of learning from it. Some young people find it a pleasure to go to the theatre. The theatre is one of the most ancient kinds of art. For centuries people have come to the theatre for the different aims: to relax, to be amazed or entertained, to have a good laugh, to enjoy the acting of their favorite actors and actresses. Modern life is impossible without traveling. Many people travel by rail, by air, by sea or by road for pleasure. Many people are fond of reading. As for me I don’t like to read very much, but I think that it’s the most useful pastime. If a person likes to read, he can take many useful information and life experience from the books. As for me I am fond of dancing. I am doing it since my childhood. While dancing I feel very comfortable, I am flying as if I have wings. Especially I feel so while dancing Arabic dances. Another hobby is to dry flowers and to make different bouquets. There are a lot of such bouquets in my flat. Also I like to present them to my relatives and friends. Also I like singing very much. But I am afraid to sing when there are other people in the same place. But I do like to sing. While doing it I can naked my soul, I can express what I feel in that very moment.

British Poetry Essay

The comparison and contrast of Wilfred Owen’s and Rupert Brooke’s approaches to the subject of war The Soldier by Rupert Brooke and Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen were both written during world war one. War and death are the themes of both poems but they are written from different perspectives. The two poets take different approaches in portraying the effect that war has on the people involved. The Soldier by Rupert Brooke idealises and glorifies war while Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen highlights the horror and cruelty of war. Wilfred Owen gives the reader the impression that war is horrible and that dying for one’s country is not all the glory and honour that it seems, and that in reality, dying in a war, no matter for what cause, can be both painful and full of suffering, while Rupert Brooke, on the other hand, gives the reader the impression that dying in war for one’s country, is very honourable, and glorious. In ‘Soldier’, Brooke expresses his love for England and how he believes it is right to fight and die for his country. However, Brooke never knew what war was like, as he died in 1915. Therefore, his poem is very idealistic. This is expressed when he writes, â€Å"†¦ there is a corner of a foreign field that is forever England†. Here, he sees the English soldiers’ bodies as parts of England. If they die on foreign soil, that land will be forever part of England because their soul remains there along with their values and love for England. Brooke does not describe the horrible nature of death in war and only tells how the soldier honors England by dying while defending the nation. He evokes positive feelings toward the war and describes optimistically the soldiers’ thoughts once the war has finished by using words like â€Å"happy dreams† and â€Å"laughter† By contrast, Wilfred Owen uses irony to portray war not as a glorious duty but as a barbaric massacre. â€Å"Dulce et decorum est/ pro patri mori† which mean: â€Å"it is sweet and honorable to die for one‘s country†. He considers this a lie for most soldiers after they see and live the reality of the war as soldiers. War can not be called sweet but horrible. Owen opposes to the idea of fighting in a war. Wilfred Owen focuses on the tragedy of war and the conditions of the soldiers. For example, he depicts the soldiers as â€Å"Bent double, like old beggars under sacks†. Generally, one thinks of a soldier as a man full of strength, who looks brave with his uniform and marches confidently to war. In contrast, Owen tries to make the soldiers look like penniless men and gives a sense of their non-glorified reality. Their uniforms, their psychological and physical health are destroyed. That shows how the battle has severely damaged the spirits of the soldiers. As can be easily seen, Brooke’s poem supports fighting for one’s country and patriotism, whereas Owen’s poem questions the reasons for fighting a war.

Welfare Reform Policy essays

Welfare Reform Policy essays Welfare is a program that was designed by the government to provide financial assistance from government funds and private organizations to those in hardship and need. These people include: The mentally ill, the neglected, delinquent children, the sick and the handicapped, as well as disadvantaged families. Welfare is a program intended to benefit all segments of society, but especially the less fortunate members who often find it more difficult to provide for themselves and their families. More specifically, social welfare policies focus on such matters as public education, income security, medical care, sanitation and disease prevention, public housing, employment training, childrens protective services, and improvements in human nutrition. Welfare is supported by many private organizations, such as The United Nations Childrens Fund, also known as UNICEF. Some states, and local governments, especially in the northeast and Midwest, administer general assistance programs that assist poor people who are ineligible for AFDC or SSI. People who are physically able but not working may receive assistance, for instance. General assistance programs receive no support from the federal government. Budgetary pressures have caused several states to cut back on their programs in recent years. The government decides how much welfare support to provide, and to whom based on measures of economic well-being. They are based on national mean income figures. Mean income is an estimate of how much a typical person earns over a given period of time, usually a year. People whose incomes are less than a determined amount below the national mean are considered to be living in poverty. Welfare programs target the people with relatively little income and few assets. This is called means-tested welfare. Welfare is needed in this country because in any free market economy such as the United States and most other nations, a certain percentage of ...

Nursing Preceptor Paper Essays

Nursing Preceptor Paper Essays Nursing Preceptor Paper Essay Nursing Preceptor Paper Essay A registered nurse would be an example of a preceptor in he nursing field because they have a license to practice. The nursing preceptor arranges for clinic kcal space and a variety of clinical patient encounters within rotation to ensure the student receives a wide clinical experience (Nursing, 2010). Preceptors are experts in nursing because they have years of experience and have a significant amount of knowledge. They are professionals who take on the responsibility to train and prepare new graduate nurses to seek more competencies in their area of interest in the health care setting. Discussion Nurse preceptors can have a good reputation or a bad reputation. In order for a preceptor to be effective in their roles, one has to support a new nurse through the phases of transition: honeymoon, reality shock, recovery and resolution (Garners, Chewer, 2012). A survey of new graduate nurses was conducted by the University of Memphis about what traits were most important for a nurse preceptor. According to this survey, a nurse preceptor allows hands on experience; welcomes interns and is prepared and ready to precept; remembers what it was like to be an intern; patient, supportive and encouraging; knowledgeable, confident, and enthusiastic about continuing heir own learning energetic and enthusiastic about ones career; models good organization and time management; has high expectations of intern; has integrity and respect for all people; and demonstrates professional ethics (Characteristics, 2014). Nursing preceptors are responsible for molding, shaping, educating and mentoring students into nurses (Scott, 2005). A preceptor needs to be a planner, coach, advocate, evaluator, cheerleader and role model for new nurses, regardless of their level on Bends model. Goals There are many goals of preceptor programs. Preceptor programs assist dents in making a smooth transition from novice to an entry level position, such as a beginner. A smooth transition focuses on improving patient care, skills and reducing the occurrence of role practice (Lurch, 2012). Another goal is for the students to gain clinical experience and critical thinking skills by practicing treatments, planning, organizing and acquiring priority-setting skills under supervision. Nurse preceptor programs provide that smooth transition by requiring numerous clinical hours and completing competency skills by providing learning opportunities, in which will follow accountability and growth professionally. Nurse Preceptors in relation to Bennett Model The Banners Model helps determine what level of competency a nurse has. It is made up of novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and expert. A novice could be a nursing student who has had no experience. A novice will follow rules and procedures step by step. An advanced beginner can demonstrate performance but still rely on past experiences to perform practices. A competent nurse has a few years of experience in the health field (Banner, 1984). They may be able to practice the same skills as a proficient nurse, but they lack the speed that a proficient nurse displays. The expert performer no longer relies on an analytic principle (rule, guideline, and maxim) to connect her or his understanding of the situation to an appropriate action (Banner, 1984). Nurse preceptors fit the description of Banners Model of expert because their intuition of what to do in a situation is right on key. They have the experience and the knowledge to know what to do in most situations. As a nursing student, we are novices who need to learn the nursing process, learn how to effectively apply evidenced-base practice and to acquire the critical thinking skills as those as a professional nurse. Conclusion Nursing preceptors can make a difference in a student, new nurse or staff in a particular setting. Lack of preceptor skills can lead to the new nurse and staff to be dissatisfied, which could lead to a new position. It is certain that all nurses, professional or a novice, face environmental, cultural, social, technological, physical, political and emotional changes during a new job (Scott, 2005). It is the role of a nursing preceptor to make sure that the nursing student or new graduate is prepared for these changes. Perception is an organized, evidence-based, outcome-driven approach to assuring competent practice (Lurch, 2012). The competencies of a nurse preceptor need to reflect on a student.

Censorship in Huck Finn

Many people claim that the novel is racist due to the frequent use of racial slurs and the disrespect and mistreatment of the character Jim who is a runaway slave. Mark Twains famous novel is not a racist text because it is a historical account of the south during the 1840s, when racism was commonplace. The books purpose was to emphasize real life and mock the faults in human nature. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a young boy named Huckleberry Finn runs away from his life and travels down the Mississippi River with his friend Jim, a runaway slave. The story follows Hucks moral growth and maturity throughout his many adventures and experiences. The major turning point of the book is when Huck realizes that Jim cares about him, and that he cares about Jim in return. As a child, Huck is taught that Jim isnt a person because of his skin color and that he does not deserve respect, but Huck discovers that Jim is a person and deserves more respect than most people Huckleberry met on his journeys. He comes to this decision because Jim cares for him and treats Huck better than his own father. Huck says â€Å"All right, then, Ill go to hell. when he decides to go against the racist teachings of his childhood and help Jim get his freedom (Twain 216-217). The book was written to show what life was like in the 1840s and successfully revealed the way people viewed each other and people of other races. In the beginning of the story, Huck treats Jim poorly because he is taught that Jim isnt a real person and he could get away with it. One of the many tricks Huckleberry plays on Jim was hiding a snake in the cave they were living in, but the snake bites Jim and Huck realizes how cruel his trick was and begins to feel sorry for how he treats Jim (Twain 55). Events like this are the reason people believe that Mark Twains book is racist, but without these examples the books purpose is muddled and the historical reliability is gone. The book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is considered a controversial text because it contains derogatory language and examples of disrespectful behavior towards people of color. Speech and actions like the ones in the book were common in the setting of the book (Knab 1). People want to ban or edit the original text of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, because of these elements, but they still allow these remarks in other literary works. Fredric Douglass used the same language in his narrative that was published in 1845, forty years before Twain published The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but people dont challenge his work because he was a slave and his story is a historical account of a slaves life (Bowker). The two stories are based in the same time, are about the same topic, and both aim to be realistic portrayals of everyday life in the 1840s, yet one is constantly challenged while the other is allowed to be as it is. People today are concerned with being â€Å"politically correct† and â€Å"non-offensive†, but they have reached the point where they are willing to change history to protect the feelings of certain people (Kay). If these â€Å"racist† remarks and actions were removed from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the message of the book would not be evident, its historical accuracy destroyed, and the book would just be a meaningless childrens story. Censorship is useful to an extent, it allows people to keep mature information from children, but when it is used on history it takes away from the importance of knowing about and learning from the past. The reason racism is so important to avoid now is because of the negative effects it had in the past. If people dont learn about these effects, then they can not understand the importance of equality now. When books are censored, their historical accuracy is lost and they are unable to educate people on the importance of the past to modern-day (Kay). Without learning about the good, bad, and ugly of the past, people wont be able to comprehend why the world is the way it is and how they can avoid the mistakes of the past. If the offensive content of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is removed, then people will not be able to see the severity of racism during the 1840s (Bosman). If the book is censored, then the point where Pap starts ranting about the â€Å"injustice† of a well educated black man being able to vote will not have the impact it should, representing the opinion of the average white male in the south (Twain 28). The novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is seen as a masterpiece (Mark Twains Adventures of Huckleberry Finn) and a classic (Robert OMeally) due to the original riting and arrangement. Without these elements, that people want to change, the book would not be as renowned or highly regarded. Although The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn may have some content that offends some people and they believe that it would be better to remove the offensive content, it would take away from the plot and meaning of the story. If the novel really offends someone, then they do not have to read it again or even finish reading it, but they do not have the right to change the words of someone else to suit their own ideals. The words of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn were all carefully picked by Mark Twain to carry the message of his story and editing them would be defacing his hard work. Twain often complained about his proofreaders and editors changing his work (Kurutz). The book was written by Mark Twain and if he saw the need to add these controversial elements, then we should not interfere with his decision or his historical accuracy (Kay). Then novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not a racist text, nor is Mark Twain a racist himself. Mark Twains novel was written as a historical account of life in the 1840s and as a result, any content that could be considered offensive to some is all added to make the literary work more realistic and a more accurate portrayal of life in the setting. Without these elements, the story of Huckleberrys moral growth would not be as developed and the message of the book will not be as prominent. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should not be censored because the way the book is written provides an accurate account of life in the 1840s and without the writing staying as it is, the whole integrity of the work will be diminished. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is considered a classic because of how it was written. Changing the text changes the whole book and since the book is so highly regarded as it is, it should remain the same. When people claim that a book is racist, they make this assumption based on the content of the book. What people need to note is when the book is set, its publication date, and the purpose of the offensive content. With The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the story takes place in the 1840s when racism was very common. It also was published in 1885 when people in the United States were struggling with racism after the Civil War. The offensive content of the book is used to portray what life was like in the 1840s and to mock the behavior of the people of that time. When the book was written, language like that used in the text was still common and not seen as offensive as it does now. Mark Twains novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not racist, it just contains racist content, and this content makes the story what it is and develops its meaning. To take away this major element of the literary work to protect the feelings of some individuals would ruin the story and would hurt more people than it would help. To censor The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn would take away a valuable source of historical knowledge that allows us to see the importance of how our society has changed and developed. Without this knowledge, people will forget the importance of the progress humankind has made and will not be able to avoid the mistakes we have already made as a whole in the past. Because of these reasons, changing the great literary work of Mark Twain Is unnecessary because The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not a racist text and exposure to the harsh realities in the story will help the people of today to truly understand our past as a whole and improve our future. Works Cited Page Bosman, Julie. â€Å"Publisher Tinkers with Twain. † National Post. 4 Jan 2011. Print. Bowker, Gene. â€Å"Mark Twain, racism and Huckleberry Finn. † Examiner. com. Web. 9 Feb 2013 lt;http://www. examiner. om/article/mark-twain-racism-and-huckleberry-finngt; Kay, Barbara. â€Å"We Shouldnt Censor History. † National Post. 10 Jan 2011. Print. Knab, Jakob. Racism in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. 2011. Print. Kurutz,, Steven. â€Å"A Twain Scholar Reacts to the New, Censored Version ‘Huckleberry Finn’. † National Post. 9 Jan 2011. Print. PBS. â€Å"Mark Twains Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. † Web. 9 Feb 2013 lt;http://www. pbs . org/wgbh/cultureshock/flashpoints/literature/huck. htmlgt; Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Barnes and Noble, 2003. Print.

Too Big to Fail, Wall Street, Wall Street 2 Assignment

Too Big to Fail, Wall Street, Wall Street 2 - Assignment Example The movie focuses on Bud Fox, a young broker in Wall Street. Fox’s ambition to succeed in his career is fuelled by his determination to be as wealthy as Gordon Gekko, a millionaire trader, and raider. Gekko rides on the statement ‘Greed is good’. Fox and Gekko meet which results to the young stockbroker working with the millionaire. In no time, Bud Fox rises in the financial ladder. He meets Darien in the process and is able to finance their affair regardless of her being high maintenance. The success is followed by realizing the illegal ways which the millionaire uses to acquire money. Amongst his dark dealings, Fox learned that the company his father is an employee is in jeopardy. Wall Street chronicles the greed in America during the 1980s in form of insider trading. Important companies utilized to tell the scandal stories are the employer to Bud’s father, Blue Star Airlines, Teldar Paper and Anacott Steal. The progression of the movie introduces us to L arry Wildman who wants to buy the latter mentioned company. Teldar Paper is a reputable company which the raider and trader have set his eyes on. The detailed depiction of insider trading which involves stock trading after getting information from the management of a company is the main event of the movie. The young stockbroker is caught in between the will to be rich and prevent Gekko from ruining his father’s career. The movie ends with the imprisonment of Gekko for money laundering, fraud of securities and racketeering.