Subcultural Theories of Youth Culture

Subcultural Theories of Youth Culture Subcultural theories of youth culture owe much to the pioneering work of the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS) during the 1970s and early 1980s. The CCCS make use of the term subculture from US sociologists at Chicago University, and applied it to visually distinctive post-World War II British working class youth cultures, such as teddy boys, mods, and skinheads. Sociologists today employ three primary theoretical perspectives: the functionalist perspective, the Marxist perspective and the post-modernist perspective. These perspectives offer sociologists theoretical paradigms for explaining how society influences people, and vice versa. Each perspective uniquely conceptualises society, social forces, and human behaviour. FUNCTIONALISM Functionalism is the oldest, and still the dominant, theoretical perspective in sociology and many other social sciences. According to the functionalist perspective each aspect of society is interdependent and contributes to societys functioning as a whole. Functionalists see society as having a structure, with key institutions performing vital functions, and roles directing people in how to behave. They identify the functions of each part of the structure. For example, the state, or the government, provides education for the children of the family, which in turn pays taxes on which the state depends to keep itself running. This means that the family is dependent upon the school to help children grow up to have good jobs so that they can raise and support their own families. In the process, the children become law-abiding, taxpaying citizens, who in turn support the state. If the process succeeds the parts of society produce order, stability and productivity. On the other hand, if th e process does not go well, the parts of society then must adapt to recapture a new order, stability, and productivity. For example, as we are presently experiencing, during a financial recession with its high rates of unemployment and inflation, profit and salary reduction, social programs are trimmed or cut. Families tighten their budgets while employers offer fewer business programs, and a new social order, stability and productivity occur. Functionalists believe that society is held together by social consensus, or cohesion, in which society members agree upon, and work together to achieve, what is best for society as a whole. Emile Durkheim suggested that social consensus takes one of two forms: Mechanical Solidarity: This is a form of social cohesion that arises when people in a society maintain similar values and beliefs and engage in similar types of work. Mechanical solidarity most commonly occurs in traditional, simple societies such as those in which everyone herds cattle or farms. Amish society exemplifies mechanical solidarity. Organic Solidarity: This is a form of social cohesion that arises when people in a society are interdependent, but hold to varying values and beliefs and engage in varying types of work. Organic solidarity most commonly occurs in industrialised, complex societies such as those in large American cities like New York in the 2000s. Leading functionalists include Emile Durkheim and Talcott Parsons. Robert Merton (1910), who was a functionalist as well, developed his theory of deviance which is derived from Durkheims idea of anomie. It is central in explaining how internal changes can occur in a system. For Merton, anomie means a discontinuity between cultural goals and that accepted methods available for reaching them. Merton (1968) has proposed a number of important distinctions to avoid potential weaknesses and clarify ambiguities in the basic functionalist perspective. First, he distinguishes between manifest and latent functions. Manifest functions are recognised, intentional and obvious, while latent functions are unrecognised, unintentional, and thus not obvious. Merton used the example of the Hopi rain dance to show that sometimes an individuals understanding of their motive for an action may not fully explain why that action continues to be performed. Sometimes actions fulfil a function of which the acto r is unaware, and this is the latent function of an action. Second, he distinguishes between consequences which are positively functional for a society, those which are dysfunctional for the society, and those which neither. Third, he also distinguishes between levels of society, that is, the specific social units for which regularised patterns of behaviour are functional or dysfunctional. Finally, he maintains that the particular social structures which satisfy functional needs of society are not indispensable, but that structural alternatives may exist which can also satisfy the same functional needs. Merton expanded on the idea that anomie is the alienation of the self from society due to conflicting norms and interests by describing five different types of actions that occur when personal goals and legitimate means come into conflict with each other. Conformity is the typical successful hardworking person who both accepts the goals of the society and has the means for obtaining those goals. This is an example of non-anomie. Innovation refers to the pursuit of culturally approved goals by disapproved, including illegal means, in other words, they must use innovation in order to achieve cultural goals. (Example: Drug dealer who sells drugs to support a family.) Ritualism refers to excessively rigid conformity to approved goals and means, even to the neglect of the actual results; inefficient bureaucrats who adhere rigidly to the rules are the classic example of ritualism. The person who ignores and rejects the means and the goals of the society is said to be retreating from society. (For example a drug addict who has stopped caring about the social goals and chooses a drug induced reality in favour of the socially accepted lifestyle.) Finally, there is a fifth type of adaptation which is that of rebellion which refers to the rejection of approved goals and means in favor of new ones. Functionalism has received criticism as it has a conservative bias. Critics claim that the perspective justifies the status quo and complacency on the part of societys members. Functionalism does not encourage people to take an active role in changing their social environment, even when such change may benefit them. Instead, functionalism sees active social change as undesirable because the various parts of society will compensate naturally for any problems that may arise. MARXIST NEW-SUBCULTURAL THEORY Marx argues that societies result from humans getting together to produce food. The forces of production shape social relationships. In Marxist theory, class is the most important social group in the capitalist society and the mayor social configurations are class cultures. The classes are organised depending on the mode of production that determine a concrete set of relations of production: the capitalists (bourgeoisie) and the workers (proletariat). These classes are all the time in conflict and negotiation because one of them is dominant and the other is subordinate. This conflict perspective originated primarily out of Karl Marxs writings on class struggles and it presents society in a different light than do the functionalist perspective. While the latter perspective focus on the positive aspects of society that contribute to its stability, the conflict perspective focuses on the negative, conflicted, and ever-changing nature of society. Unlike functionalists who defend the status quo, avoid social change, and believe people cooperate to effect social order, conflict theorists challenge the status quo, encourage social change (even when this means social revolution), and believe rich and powerful people force social order on the poor and the weak. As we can see, most societies are based upon exploitation of some groups by others. Those who own the means of production, such as factories, land, raw material or capital, exploit those who work for them, who lack the means to produce things themselves. Thus, capitalists accumulate profits and get ri cher and richer. Eventually workers will come to realise that they are being exoploited and will overthrow capitalism and create a communist society. In communism the means of production will be communally owened, so there will be no ruling class, no exploitation and much less inequality than in capitalism. Today, conflict theorists find social conflict between any groups in which potential for inequality exists, such as, racial, gender, religious, political, economic and so on. These theorists note that unequal groups usually have conflicting values and agendas, causing them to compete against one another. This constant competition between groups forms the basis for the ever-changing nature of society. Critics of the conflict perspective point to its extremely negative view of society. The theorys ultimately central problems are: it has difficulty explaining the more orderly and stable elements of social life, it neglects or downplays the cultural and symbolic aspects of social life because it emphasises on economics and class, conflict theorists tend to assume the power differences lead to conflict but differences do not necessarily provoke conflict. POST MODERNISM Post modernist perspectives have developed since the 1980s. Some versions see important changes taking place in society, while other versions question the ability of conventional sociology to produce worthwhile theories of society. Some postmodernists argue that social behaviour is no longer shaped by factors such as class, gender, ethnicity and different types of socialisation. It is now simply a question of lifestyle choice. Finally, Post-Structuralism and Postmodernism, perspectives developed on the French intellectual scene, have had considerable influence on American sociologists in recent years (as well as on scholars in many other fields, especially literary studies). Derived from (but largely rejecting) both the Marxist tradition and the works of anthropologist Claude LÃ ©vi-Strausswho developed a structuralist theory of culturethese theoretical schools seek to account for the apparent disintegration of modern culture over the past several decades. Among the traditions major figures, such as Jacques Derrida and Jean Baudrillard, perhaps the best known is Michel Foucault, a historian and philosopher. Tracing the historical changes in societal attitudes toward punishment, mental illness, and sexuality, among other topics, he argued that knowledge and power have become inextricably entwined. Foucault stressed the disciplinary nature of power, and argued that (social) scientific discourse as one such discipline may itself need to be questioned. Sociologists in this tradition seek not only to study the world differently, but to make the production of sociological knowledge, and thus our own situatedness within structures of knowledge and power, part of the study. American sociologists influenced by this tradition sometimes call their work Discourse Analysis or Cultural Studies.

Young Parenthood And Teen Fathers Social Work Essay

Young Parenthood And Teen Fathers Social Work Essay Much of the researches available on young parenthood have focused on the experiences of teenage mothers and mainly those separated from the young fathers. Subsequently, efforts have been made to ascertain the proportional involvement of fathers in various aspects of parenting and the distinctive contributions of fathers (knight et. Al, 2006). There are significant gaps in the provision of service for teenage fathers (Cater et al 2006). Practitioners wishing to offer support for the young fathers face a number of barriers such as the difficultly in finding young fathers, the lack of adequate support for young fathers when they are identified, complicated family issues, educational difficulties and the negative attitudes of individual professionals. Despite the growing research on young fathers, there remains a dearth of research that recognises the wide diversity of young fatherhood and the different needs young fathers may have (e.g. young fathers in care, young fathers in prison, non-resident fathers, young fathers from ethnic minority groups). Young fathers are invisible as a group, yet they are more likely to require support services and be affected by unemployment, poor housing, and a lack of education (Speak et al., 1997). It is therefore not surprising that little is known about the expectations and experiences of young fathers in accessing support and the barriers they face. The study arose from the observation that there is limited information available in current research on the views and experiences of young fathers in Outer London Borough. Much of the research that is available on young parents focuses on the experiences of young mothers. This study sought to establish, from the perspective of young fathers and the organisations that worked with them their expectations and experiences in accessing support and the effectiveness of the support available. Research questions How accessible and effective are the support available to young fathers in meeting their socio-economic needs in Outer London Borough? Aims The aims of my research are: to identify which organisations are offering support to young fathers and how they worked with them; to explore young fathers view of support available to them and the obstacles they face in accessing it; to establish, from the view point of young fathers and the organisations that worked with them the effectiveness of the support. Research methodology The qualitative paradigm aims to understand the social world from the viewpoint of respondents, through detailed descriptions of their cognitive and symbolic actions, and through the richness of meaning associated with observable behavior (Wildemuth, 1993). The research would be undertaken using the following qualitative research techniques: Desk scoping. Structured interviews with young fathers and service providers. Case study review of projects and initiatives that provide practical support to young fathers. Desk Scoping Desk Scoping focused on investigating into the existing evidence. This included searching the following sources: An extensive search was made of all relevant databases, libraries and journals for literature sources pertaining to the project issue. In addition a comprehensive review of internet based literature and resources were made. Using the London South Bank University library online resources via http://library.lsbu.ac.uk, ASSIA (Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts), an electronic resource, was searched, 51 results were found using the term young parenthood (search was from 2001 to current), 33 results were found using the term teenage father (search was from 2002 to current to reduce the search result to a manageable number) and 9 results were found using the terms young father and support. ASSIA covers English language journals in applied social sciences and includes health, economics, social issues social policy, organisational behaviour and communication. Relevant governmental organisations websites were searched for information gathering. As relevant reports were identified through these avenues, the references within these reports were followed as a way of further identifying relevant research reports. Interviews The most common forms of collecting qualitative data are participant observation and in-depth interviewing (Kenworth, Snowley Gilling 2004). Cohen Manion (1993) interviews are initiated by the reviewer for the specific purpose of obtaining research-relevant information and focused by (her or) him on content specified by research objectives of systematic description, prediction or explanation. 7 semi-structured interviews will be conducted with service delivery personnel from those organisations offering specialist support to young fathers (social services, connexions, parenting support, parentingUK, first housing, health agency, and employment support). These interviews would be conducted by telephone to identify common/different support practices and to evaluate their perceived effectiveness. In addition to the interviews, local service providers would take part in informal meetings. Some would be interviewed at the start of the study and provide information on the local context. Others would provide ongoing dialogue during the time of the study, particularly those from maternity services in the study localities. A roundtable dissemination event would be held towards the end of the study to discuss findings and their relevance for local practice and policy. A minimum of 10 semi-structured interviews would be held with young fathers (young fathers in care, young fathers in prison, non-resident fathers and young fathers from ethnic minority groups) who have either received or not received support. Due to the delicate nature of these interviews and the potential vulnerability of the participants, an appropriate qualified researcher, following the strictest ethical guidelines, will sensitively conduct interview. Prior to any interviews, the researcher will update their Child Protection Training to ensure that s/he is fully aware of current relevant issues. The core themes to be explored through the structured interviews are: identifying the support needs of young fathers; local services available to young fathers, both practical and emotional; partnership working among agencies that provide young fathers with support; opportunities and challenges to providing practical support to young fathers. Interview will be conducted in the participants homes and supported by adult family member or friend. Parental/guardian consent will be confirmed prior to the interview and all interviews will be recorded digitally. Data will be held in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. Their names and other identifying information would be anonymised in the presentation of finding. The young people taking part would be assured in writing and verbally that the narratives they shared would be treated in confidence and that confidentiality would be breached only in the event of disclosure or child protection concerns being revealed regarding issues not already known to the relevant agencies. A semi-structured interview will be used by the same researcher to ensure consistency; all interviews will be digitally recorded with consent and lasted between 20 and 60 minutes. Digital recording the interviews would enhance the reliability of the interview. Using semi-structured interviews in this study enables the interviewer to be guided by the participant who should be encouraged to talk freely, even though the interviewer may have certain points to cover. Participant will be recruited in the following way: Young fathers who have used organisations offering specialist (social services, connexions, parenting support, parentingUK, first housing, health agency, and employment support) support will be contacted via a list to be provided by the agencies and invited to join the study only after securing the young persons agreement and parental/guardian consent. For others who have not used specialist services, would be recruited through their childrens mothers or via local contacts and word of mouth. Young fathers will be encouraged to participate in the study, through awarding a  £10 ASDA voucher to all participants. Should sufficient participants be identified, selection through criteria including age, gender and ethnicity type will be made to ensure a broad representation of demographic groups. Case Study To explore in more depth the experiences of young fathers and to understand more fully the practice of those organisations offering activities to young fathers, three case studies were reviewed. These case studies are examples of projects or initiatives that provide practical support to young fathers. The aim of the review was to explore the range of approaches that have been developed to support the practical needs of young fathers, highlighting successes, challenges faced and lessons learned. The findings reported here centre mainly on the experiences of becoming and being a father from the viewpoints of the young men involved in the case studies. Additionally the report includes some young womens perspectives on the young men as fathers. Research design It is anticipated that in order to complement existing longitudinal survey data, the current study will employ primarily qualitative methods to explore the young fathers expectations and experiences in accessing support and the effectiveness of the support they receive. The aim of a qualitative researcher is to explore peoples experiences, feelings and beliefs so that statements about how people interpret and structure their lives can be made (Holloway Wheeler 1996). The Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach would be used for this study and will provide an insight and understanding of young fathers expectations and experiences in accessing support and the effectiveness of the support. IPA was chosen over the Grounded Theory approach (Glaser Strauss 1967), as we do not want to develop a theory but to understand and explore how the participants understood their personal and social environment and what experiences and events meant for them. It is envisage that a retrospective, life-history approach, including a range of groups (e.g. young fathers in care, young fathers in prison, non-resident fathers, young fathers from ethnic minority groups and practitioners) will give insights into young fathers expectations and experiences in accessing support and the effectiveness of the support they receive. I expect the sample to reflect a sufficient range of potentially significant variables such as gender, age, ethnicity and social background. The ethical committee within the London South Bank University (LSBU) would consider the study for approval. All participants would be given information sheets explaining the procedure. Before giving signed consent, participants would be advised that they were free to leave at any time. Pilot studies would be done of the questions being asked to check the clarity of the language. Beck Hungler (2001) suggest that four ethical principles must be considered when participating in research: (1) the right not to be harmed, (2) the right to be fully informed on all aspects of the study, (3) the right to decide to take part or not (and the right to withdraw at any time) and (4) the right to privacy, anonymity and confidentiality. Qualitative research commences during the process of data collection. While the researcher processes the information patterns are then looked for during the interview and then select a theme to follow. The data analysis continues throughout the interviews and also once data is collected. Two researchers will independently undertake the analysis and checked and re-checked with each other for emergent themes. Diversity within the sample would allow for the exploration of young fathers experiences across a range of circumstances relating to their age, locality, education and employment, living arrangements, relationships with their partner, support from family and friends, contact with formal services, etc. Social work and qualitative research share the mutual goals of dealing with subjectivity, describing the complexity of lived experience, and appreciating realities where intuition is valued. Qualitative methodology is, therefore, in my view a suitable method to be employed in researching the expectations and experiences of young fathers in accessing support. Researchers would take necessary steps not to introduce bias by accidentally reporting their interpretation of participants feelings. At the beginning of the study researchers would declare and record their feelings. The researchers would also ensure that the level of subjectivity remains at a relatively neutral level. Ethical issues are important and would be considered at every step of the research process. This is not just about obtaining ethical approval for a study but also ensuring the rights of participants are not violated. When reporting the findings of the research, participants anonymity and confidentiality would not be breached. The role of the interviewer is to encourage participants to discuss their experiences of the phenomenon. It is possible that in the cause of the interview participants could inadvertently discuss personal information that they had not planned to reveal, or that may rekindle tragic or uncomfortable experiences related to this study. Researchers would continue to negotiate with participants to ascertain whether they wish to continue with the interview or not. Psychological support would be in place to manage any emotional distress that may result from the interview. Everything would be done in the course of the study to protect the rights of vulnerable respondents. The researchers would not make any exaggerated claims as to the significance of the research and implications for practice, and further research would be located in the studys findings. Moreover, the researcher would relate the findings of the study back to the original research purpose, and illustrate whether or not it has been adequately addressed (Thorne et al., 2005). The researchers would conclude by placing the findings in a context that indicates how this new information is of interest, and its implications for social work. These conclusions would reflect the studys findings and ideally would offer recommendations as to how they may be developed. The most common criteria used to evaluate qualitative research studies are credibility, dependability, transferability and confirmability (Lincoln et al., 1985). It is therefore important that the readers are able to identify the criteria used and are able to clearly follow each step of the research process. To ensure the credibility of the study process, the study would address the issue of whether there is consistency between the participants views and the researchers representation of them. The participants would be consulted at every stage of the study and they would be allowed to read and discuss the study findings. The researcher would also describe and interpret his experience as a researcher. The study would provide evidence of a decision trail at each stage of the research process. Future researchers would clearly be able to follow the trail used by the researchers and potentially arrive at the same or comparable conclusions. The researchers would demonstrate how conclusions and interpretations have been derived from the data. Its hoped that the findings would be transferable to other context outside the study situation and people who were not involved in the research study would find the results meaningful. One of the shortcomings of a qualitative research based study of this nature is their lack of objectivity and generalisation of their findings. The study has been designed to seek answers to how persons or groups make sense of their experiences. In my view small qualitative studies can gain a more personal understanding of the phenomenon and the results can potentially contribute valuable knowledge to the community. Hamilton (1980) asserts that the value of a study is established by reference to the phenomena it seeks to comprehend and the understandings it aspires to develop. Stake (1980) suggests that using qualitative methodology in this type of study may be in conceptual harmony with the service users experience and thus be a natural basis for generalization. Liiicolii Y, Cuba E (1985) Nainrnlisik /nijiiir). Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA Koch T (2l)06 Establishing rigour in qualitative research: the decision trail. J Adv Nurs 53(1): 91-100 Tobin G, Begley C (2004) Methodological rigour within a qualitative Framework J Adv Nurs 48(4): 388-96 Thorne S, Darbyshire P (2005) Land mines in the field: a modest proposal for improving the craft of qualitative health research. Quality Health Research 15(8): 1105-13 Myers, M. (2000). Qualitative research and the generalizability question: Standing firm with Proteus. The Qualitative Report, 4(3/4).   http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR4-3/myers.html

New Orleans - Before The Civil War :: essays research papers

New Orleans is a city in southern Louisiana, located on the Mississippi River. Most of the city is situated on the east bank, between the river and Lake Pontchartrain to the north. Because it was built on a great turn of the river, it is known as the Crescent City. New Orleans, with a population of 496,938 (1990 census), is the largest city in Louisiana and one of the principal cities of the South. It was established on the high ground nearest the mouth of the Mississippi, which is 177 km (110 mi) downstream. Elevations range from 3.65 m (12 ft) above sea level to 2 m (6.5 ft) below; as a result, an ingenious system of water pumps, drainage canals, and levees has been built to protect the city from flooding. New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean Baptiste Le Moyne, sieur de Bienville, and named for the regent of France, Philippe II, duc d'Orleans. It remained a French colony until 1763, when it was transferred to the Spanish. In 1800, Spain ceded it back to France; in 1803, New Orleans, along with the entire Louisiana Purchase, was sold by Napoleon I to the United States. It was the site of the Battle of New Orleans (1815) in the War of 1812. During the Civil War the city was besieged by Union ships under Adm. David Farragut; it fell on Apr. 25, 1862. And that's what it say's in the books, a bit more, but nothing else of interest. This is too bad, New Orleans , as a city, has a wide and diverse history that reads as if it were a utopian society built to survive the troubles of the future. New Orleans is a place where Africans, Indians and European settlers shared their cultures and intermingled. Encouraged by the French government, this strategy for producing a durable culture in a difficult place marked New Orleans as different and special from its inception and continues to distinguish the city today. Like the early American settlements along Massachusetts Bay and Chesapeake Bay, New Orleans served as a distinctive cultural gateway to North America, where peoples from Europe and Africa initially intertwined their lives and customs with those of the native inhabitants of the New World. The resulting way of life differed dramatically from the culture than was spawned in the English colonies of North America. New Orleans Creole population (those with ancestry rooted in the city's colonial era) ensured not only that English was not the prevailing language but also that Protestantism was scorned, public education unheralded, and democratic government untried.

Love and Death :: Essays Papers

Love and Death Love and death are often associated with each other in artistic depictions of human existence. In movies ‘love’ is sometimes said to be the only thing worth living for. In Christian literature death has been prophesized as the release from this hard world and the gateway to a world of ultimate peace and love. Sherwood Anderson in his book Winesburg, Ohio, changes the expected metaphor or connection between death and love. In both stories Tom Willard plays a minimal part. He does however give an example of the connection between death and love in his own distorted manner. Tom prides himself, falsely, on the notion that he is an important man around town. He has always envisioned himself rising up in the political scene in Winesburg, or even becoming Governor. His wife, Elizabeth Willard is like death to him. In his mind, she looms over his dreams casting a shadow that he blames for his meager existence. In the story mother, he describes her presence to be â€Å"ghostly† and when he thinks of her he swears angrily (39). Sometimes when he is out in the street he turns to look behind him suddenly as if her ghost and the â€Å"spirit of the hotel† were their casting their shadow on him even in the streets. Tom connects Elizabeth and the hotel to his inability to find success. His life is dominated by the affairs of the shabby hotel. The hotel is a legacy of Elizabeth’s father’s; she walks around in the hotel like it’s her coffin. So for Tom their presence is a reminder of his uneventful life. They are represent the death of his hopes and dreams. He at one point says, â€Å"Damn such a life, damn it† (39), in a context that places blame on Elizabeth and the hotel. It is as if with the death of Elizabeth you might see Tom picturing himself selling the hotel, and going to Ohio’s capital to become serious statesman. In Mother, Elizabeth is looking for a different kind of liberation. Elizabeth’s dreams for her own life have long ago died. Yet she clings to life for the sake of one thought. She is trying to ensure that her son (George Willard) does not become a lifeless thing like herself.

Analysis Of Sir Gawain Essay -- essays research papers

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight contains many themes. Some of these themes are more obvious than others. Love, lust, loyalty, deceit, trust, courage, virtue, and righteousness are most of the themes within the poem. There are some more that are hidden within the concepts of the ideas that the poem presents. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, translated by John Gardner, many different themes are addressed throughout the story. The translation by John Gardner portrays these themes by using specific characters, medieval symbolism, and various settings within the story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a great work of medieval literature. The story is considered to be verse romance. There are not many solid facts on the story. The story was composed in the second half of the fourteenth century. It is likely that Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written around 1375. The author of the piece remains unknown, but we do know of the northwestern dialect of Middle English with which he wrote the poem. The unknown author also consciously wrote in an old-fashioned style. The author is usually referred to as the Gawain poet or the Pearl poet. Three poems were included with Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. â€Å"Pearl†, â€Å"Patience†, and â€Å"Purity† were all with Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in the same manuscript. This is the reason the author is named as the Pearl poet, in addition to the Gawain poet. All four poems were uniquely named Cotton Nero A.X. This is due to the manuscript’s previous owner , Sir Robert Cotton. Cotton supposedly acquired the manuscript from Yorkshire bibliophile Henry Savile (1568-1617), but its whereabouts before then are unknown (Grolier).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was first edited and published in 1839 by Madden, whose entire name in uncertain. He called the untitled poem Syr Gawayn and the Grene Knyyt. The poem did not receive much attention at all until the beginning of the twentieth century. In 1916, George Lyman Kittredge’s ongoing study of the poem contained extremely valuable research of the sources and analogues of the poem. Many other authors focused on the text, language, and possible authors of the work. In the 1930s and ‘40s there was a rise of mythic criticism of the poem, as many scholars sought to interpret Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with new knowledge of medie... ...ces, and the most complex in intention, exhibiting a subtlety of presentation and density of implication which we have only begun to appreciate.† In other words, we have only skimmed the thoughtful and meaningful intentions of the Gawain poet. We have only started to appreciate and understand the poem. All in all, there is so much more to find within the piece, more lessons to be learned, and morals to be taught. Gardner, John. â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.† Elements of Literature. Orlando,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Florida: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1997: 161-172. Gibbons, Frances Vargas. Sir Gawain’s Mentors. London, England: Landmark Press,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1998: articles 1-2. Samuels, Jonathan. The Gawain Poet: Criticism and Symbolism in SGGK. Ed. Harold   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Morgan. New York, New York: Johnston Press, 1987. â€Å"Gardner, John Champlin, Jr.† The New Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Dallas,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Texas: Grolier Inc. CD-ROM. Disc 1. â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.† Galenet. Gale research 1999   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Issues in the Correctional Systems of the United States Essay

I have chosen to research the correctional system of the United States for many reasons. The first reason is that I believe this component of the legal system has the most problems facing it. Another reason is that this topic interests me and I would like to learn more about it. There are many important issues, challenges and problems within the United States correctional system that need to be addressed. I found it difficult to focus on just three issues. The first problem I will discuss in my paper will be the issue of the growing population in the prisons. Prisons are overcrowded and murderers who have served barely half of their sentence are being released because the state facility needs their beds for other inmates. The second issue that I will discuss is prisoners and drugs; including, drug addicted prisoners and drug treatment prisoners. The third issue that I will talk about also pertains to drugs and deals with the problem of drug trafficking in prisons. The first component of the United States correctional system that I have chose to discuss is the problem caused by overcrowded prisons. This is an important topic because overcrowded facilities are a huge problem in America and are very detrimental to society. Prisoners who have been convicted of murder, but have shown good behavior while in prison, are being released with not even serving half of their sentence. The parole board is releasing these prisoners because space is needed for other prisoners coming in. What if, that prisoner that was released early because of overcrowded prisons had killed a member of your family and might now go kill someone else? Wouldn’t that make you a little upset with our system? There are many reasons why prisons in the United States are so overcrowded. To understand overcrowdedness one must first understand how expensive it is to build and maintain these correctional facilities. In 1993 the average cost to keep just one inmate incarcerated for a year was over $14,000 (Gaines, 1999). State courts convicted 872,217 felons during 1995 and one-third of the convictions were for drug offenses. 26% of all convicted felons were sentenced to local jails, usually for less than a year, and 45% were sentenced to state prisons. The remaining 29% were sentenced to probation with no jail or prison time to serve (Currie, 1998). Felons sentenced to state prison in 1994 were sentenced to an average of about six years but were most likely to serve just two of those six years, under the current release policies (Bender, 1998). There are many reasons why prisons became so overcrowded between 1985 and 1998. These factors include a 12.3 average annual increase in the number of Hispanic inmates, a 91% rise in admissions, a decline in the annual release rates, and a sharp rise in violent offenders among white inmates therefore keeping them in prisons longer (Jacobs, 1995). A lot of the increases were due to drug convictions. From 1985 to 1992 there was a 33% increase in the number of blacks sent to state prisons for violent offenses compared to a 27% increase in the number of whites. A similar increase in both incarcerated blacks and whites occurred for property crimes. However, for drug crimes, 94% more blacks were sent to prison from 1988 to 1992, while only 35% more whites were incarcerated (Cose, 2000). The nations courts are sentencing and admitting more offenders into America’s prisons than the facilities can hold. At the beginning of 1995, 39 states were under court order to relieve overcrowding (Currie, 1998). The way to address overcrowding is to build more prisons and maybe try to rehabilitate these felons a bit more. The 1995 census found that state and federal officials built 213 new prisons – 168 state and federal facilities with more than 280,000 beds between 1990-1995 to keep up with the growing prison population (Jacobs, 1997). In 1995 18 correction agencies opened 70 new institutions, adding 69,921 beds at an average cost of $46,758 (Jacobs, 1997). Some states have trouble building prisons fast enough to meet court orders to correct conditions. Because building prisons and adding new beds is costly, states are looking for other ways to manage overcrowding, such as  early release programs, electronic monitoring, keeping prisoners in local jails, and having offenders pay restitution to their victims. Early release gives officials a way to allow prisoners to leave before their sentence is completed. In New York, â€Å"presumptive release† permits the parole board to release offenders on parole after they have served their minimum sentences if they have not caused any problems. Good time or merit time allows the reduction of the sentence time for everyday of good behavior or for participating in particular programs. Felons were sentenced to an average sentence of 71 months in state prisons in 1994 but actually served about 38 % of that sentence (Bender, 1998). The danger in releasing inmates to make more room for new admissions is that some prisoners are violent offenders and should not be let out yet. Another way to deal with overcrowded conditions is for the government to save money by allowing private businesses to perform some government functions (privatization). This policy has largely affected the corrections system, especially as state and federal government face an increasing number of prisoners and , as a result, a growing need to build more prisons. People that are for the privatization of prisons believe that private firms would both improve the quality of services and reduce the costs. A National Institute of Corrections survey in the mid 1980’s found that more than 30 types of services were provided by the private sector (Gaines, 1999). The services most frequently supplied by private enterprise are health services, community treatment centers, facility constructions, educational programs, drug treatment, staff training and counseling. Much of the growth in the prison population can be attributed to the increase in the number of people sent to prison for drugs. In an effort to control overcrowding petty drug offenders should be given treatment or lighter sentences. When I say petty drug offenders I mean drug users and not drug dealers that are a greater threat to society. Maybe if they get treatment they don’t become repeat offenders. Loading our prisons with non violent drug offenders means that today we are committing more non violent offenders to hard time than we are violent criminals, and there is less room left for  violent offenders who should be put away to make society safer. There is a major question whether prison actually helps these drug users. They can usually find drugs in prison and if not they obtain drugs when they get out. It would be better if drug users were put into mandatory treatment programs on top of doing community services. This would help the situation of prison overcrowding while at the same time help those people who are involved in these treatment programs. There is a major problem when drug addicted people are put into prison and cannot get help they help. Prisoners sentenced for drug offenses made up the single largest group of federal inmates, 60% (Currie, 1998). This is a problem and inmates who are convicted of drug offenses should be made to participate in these programs. Most of these drug treatment programs at federal institutions have been ineffective and poorly run. In 1995, according to the Criminal Institute, about 13.2% of inmates participated in drug programs (Jacobs, 1995). The New York Times reported that, although 1 in 6 inmates receive some kind of treatment, only about 2 % have the kind of service rehabilitation that changes the inmates behaviors for a lifetime (Jacobs, 1995). Most of the participants end up recidivists. The most effective programs take many months but reduce the re-arrest rate greatly. Drug treatment advocates say that drug treatment programs could be provided for much less than the amount spent to build more prisons. A lot of average Americans think people in prisons are all hardened criminals. In reality, the prisons are filled wall to wall with drug abusers and mentally ill that need treatment instead of incarceration. They can change with the right help. In stead of building new prisons, the government should spend half that money on treatment programs. These programs would benefit society more than new prisons would. The third major issue that I would like to talk about deals with the problem of drug trafficking in prisons. It is a major problem when inmates can easily obtain drugs in prison. Many inmates who are constantly in and out of prison, see prison as a vacation from the rough streets. (Cose, 2000). This is because prisoners get three meals a day, free room and board, and are  able to purchase drugs. Prisons should be drug free and inmates should not be able to get high. It is hard to regulate drugs in prisons because in order to do so you would have to search everyone going in, keep all packages out, and lock inmates in their cells for 24 hours a day. With more and more inmates in prison for possessing and dealing drugs there is already a market and it is hard to keep drugs out. There are also too many corrections officers that go to work everyday and do all the drug pushing, making it hard to find the dealers. To address this problem of drugs availability in prisons more states are staging surprise lock downs and raids to stem the amount of drugs. This has proved to work but it is hard to do all the time because it involves a lot of man power. Another way in which in authorities try to keep drugs out of prisons is to use undercover officers. By using undercover officers in prisons you have an opportunity to get to the main source of the drugs coming in. The only problem with working on the inside to uncover drug trafficking is that it is very dangerous. Both the undercover officers, and surprise raids and lock downs are good way to regulate the amount of drugs in prisons. These issues that I have discussed are the major problems in the correctional system of the United States. These issues have to be addressed rapidly to better our society as a whole. These problems are not going to go away overnight and we, as voters in a democratic society must elect people that are going to take action and deal with these problems. Bibliography Bender, David. Does Capital Punishment Deter Crime Greenhaven press, CA 1998. Cose, Ellis. Newsweek-â€Å"America’s Prison Generations†. November 13, 2000 Currie, Elliot. Crime and Punishment in America. Henry Holt and Company, NY 1998 Gaines, Ann. Prisons. Chelsea House, Philadelphia 1999. Jacobs, Nancy. Prisons and Jails: A Deterrent to Crime? Information Plus, Texas 1995.

The Case Of Chronic Gastritis Health And Social Care Essay

IntroductionIn the fast-paced, acute attention scenes, the nursing program should reflect on a client ‘s state of affairs and supply appropriate and thoughtful nursing intercessions. Therefore, it is of import that the nurses are decently trained and develop real-life, real-time scenarios for a fake clinical scene. Throughout the history of medical scenes, the functions and maps of nurses are capable for alterations with an purpose to command the client or patients ‘ wellness results. And based on the nursing intercessions applied, the intervention or medicine that is involved in the nursing program should match to the program of attention which may affect the coaction of wellness attention squad and the household of the client. The alterations in nursing functions has been discussed by many research workers and concluded that the chief aim is to develop their consciousness of peculiar functions. In add-on, the client ‘s position may alter, asking a new program of a ttention. With these alterations, the nurses may meet troubles within the infirmary scenes.BackgroundThe client is enduring in n abdominal hurting and is declared to be gastritis which is characterized with java land purging and HB beads. â€Å" Coffee land † puke reveals that the blood has been in the tummy for some clip and has been changed by stomachic secernments. Gastritis is redness of the stomachic mucous membrane caused by any of several conditions, including infection, E-coli, drugs ( NSAIDs, intoxicant ) , emphasis, and autoimmune phenomena ( atrophic gastritis ) . Gastritis consequences of a dislocation in stomachic mucosal barrier wherein the tummy tissue unprotected from auto-digestion by Hydrochloric Acid ( HCl acid ) and pepsin. There is a possibility for the internal bleeding because of the break in the capillary walls in the blood vass. In the medical appraisal on the client, it is discovered that he/she is enduring in Chronic Gastritis ( Type B ) because of the Helicobacter Pylori infection. This means that the client has a obscure ailment of epigastric hurting that is relieved by nutrient, marks of anorexia, nausea/vomiting, intolerance of fatso and spicy nutrients, baneful anaemia, and has a high hazard for stomachic malignant neoplastic disease. There are many hazard factors involved in the Gastritis such as the usage of drugs, the life style and diet like the ingestion of intoxicant and spicy nutrients, the environment ( radiation and smoke ) , pathophysiologic conditions ( Burnss, nephritic failure, sepsis ) and others like emphasis. However, the Chronic Gastritis is different from the Acute Gastritis because of the presence of micro-organisms Helicobacter pylori which may play an of import function in Chronic Gastritis because it promotes the dislocation of stomachic mucosal barrier.Literature ReviewAs portion of the action of some infirmary scenes, the development of clinical experiences of nurses can be used as portion of the evidence-based pattern in such countries as cardiac catheterisation labs, endoscopy units, and exigency sections, which offer few benefits for scholars or nurses. Clinical observations provide limited chances to larn job resolution, and they are used often as a manner to diminish student-faculty Nu mberss in the clinical sphere ( Smith, 2009 ) . To analyze the status of the client, it is advised to use the procedure of Esophagogastroduodenoscopy ( EGD ) which is the best method for analyzing upper GI conditions. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy may be abbreviated EGD or OGD if one uses the British spelling ‘oesophago- ‘ . In medical scenes, the nursing practicians are trained in such plans including the EGD process with an purpose to larn the proficient accomplishments as use of EGD and cognitive accomplishments like reading of stomachic findings. It is of import that the nurses have the proficient competence to find the appropriate methods in intervention and medicine ( Park, et al. , 2010 ) . Within the Endoscopic Nursing, endoscopic processs are performed by nurses under supervising of an experient supervisor or medical professional of the endoscopy unit. During OGD, the relationship between the gastroesophageal junction ( GEJ ) and the squamocolumnar junction ( SCJ ) was carefully noted. The tummy and duodenum were carefully inspected for the presence of peptic ulcer disease. The process enables the medical pracititioner to analyze the liner of the GI piece of land by get downing a tubing utilizing a thin flexible tubing with its ain lens and light beginning or picture endoscope ( NHS, 2003 ; Unal, et al. , 2006 ) . The processs are performed to measure symptoms of relentless upper abdominal hurting, sickness, emesis, and trouble in get downing or shed blooding from the upper GI piece of land. The OGD is more accurate than x-ray movies for observing redness, ulcers, or tumors of the gorge, tummy and duodenum. Upper endoscopy can observe early malignant neoplastic disease and can separate between benign and malignant ( cancerous ) conditions when biopsies ( little tissue samples ) of leery countries are obtained. Biopsies, nevertheless, are taken for many grounds and do non needfully intend that malignant neoplastic disease is suspected. A assortment of instruments can besides be passed through the endoscope that allow many abnormalcies to be treated straight with small or no uncomfortableness, for illustration, stretching narrowed countries, taking polyps ( normally benign growings ) or handling upper GI hemorrhage. Safe and effectual control of hemorrhage has reduced the demand for transfusions and surgery in many patients.PreparationThe client ‘s tummy must be wholly empty and must compel non to eat or imbibe, which include H2O for about 4 hours before the scrutiny . The doctor will be more specific about the clip to get down fasting, depending on the clip of twenty-four hours that your trial is arranged. It is of import that the patient should supply the information sing the current medicines. In instance that there are needed medicines, accommodations should be made before the trial most specifically, if the client has major jobs in bosom or lung status that might necessitate particular attending during the process. Part of the readying for endoscopy is to set up the duties within the circle of the household. Here, the support of the household members is needed. The client, if necessary, will be given depressants that may impact the client ‘s judgement and physiological reactions for the undermentioned 24 hours. There are bounds in the normal activities, although the client will non experience tired, it is non advised to make heavy undertakings without the company of other household member. The client can restart normal activities after 24h following endoscopy.During the OGD ProcedureThe doctor will reexamine the client ‘s state of affairs and the nurse is expected to be at that place to steer the client and support him every bit good during the process. The nursing program starts in the admittance of the client in the infirmary and to instantly response on the demands of the patient. Therefore, it is of import that the nurses will showcase the competent nursing attention that can me rely happen when client beliefs and values are thoughtfully and skilfully incorporated into nursing attention programs. Since lovingness is the nucleus of nursing, a competent nurse can administrate the nursing program and execution for the patient to accomplish the positive result. Other alternate trials may be given if the medical professionals assessed that the process might bespeak possible complications. The nurse will explicate the beginning of the process and make an option available for the client such as spraying the client ‘s pharynx with a local anesthetic before the trial begins and/or may be given medicine through a vena that can assist the client relax during the trial. Throat spray has the advantage of enabling the client to remain awake and in full control during the trial. In add-on it may be safer in patients with cardiac or respiratory jobs. However, the client may happen the trial more uncomfortable if they are to the full awake, hence, sedation has the adv antage of doing you more relaxed, and may even fall asleep during the trial and therefore you will hold small remembrance of the trial itself. Sedation nevertheless, may somewhat increase the hazard of cardiac or respiratory complications in susceptible patients. Occasionally the doctor may urge a combination of pharynx spray and sedation if the process is likely to last longer that norm. The nursing practician is expected to explicate the pros and cons of sedation versus pharynx spray to client which makes the determination sagely. Following sedation or pharynx spray the endoscope is passed through the oral cavity and so in bend through the gorge, tummy and duodenum. The OGD does non interfere with the client ‘s external respiration during the trial but most patients consider the trial to be merely somewhat uncomfortable. However, at the terminal of the process, the nurse, who is the closest individual to the clients, can help the client and supervise the endoscopy country until most of the effects of the medicine have worn off. The nurse will assist the client to get by with the alterations and pointing the effects of OGD. Partss of the alterations that may look are the feeling of sore pharynx and bloated feeling because of the air introduced into the tummy during the trial. The client, under the nursing attention program is advised to decelerate restart the a ctivities until eventually reached the recovery and restart the diet after the client leave the infirmary unless the client is instructed otherwise. Therefore, the nurse ‘s action for attention extends by educating the household members sing the status of the client and giving appropriate nursing intercessions.Possible ComplicationsOGD is by and large safe and complications can happen but are rare when doctors, sawboness or nurse endoscopists with specialized preparation and experience perform the trial. Bleeding may happen from a biopsy site or where a polyp has been removed. It is normally minimum and seldom requires blood transfusions or surgery. Localised annoyance of the vena where the medicine was injected may seldom do a stamp ball enduring for a few yearss, but this will finally travel off. Other possible hazards include a reaction to the depressants used and complications from bosom or lung diseases. Major complications, e.g. , perforation ( a tear that might necessit ate surgery for fix ) and aspiration pneumonia are really uncommon, Upper GI endoscopies may affect a little hazard to coronate dentitions or dental bridgework. It is of import that the client can recognize early marks of any possible complication such as holding a febrility after the trial, have problem swallowing, or have increasing pharynx, thorax, or abdominal hurting. In any instance, the client should allow the doctors know about it quickly ( NHS, 2003 ) .The Case of Chronic GastritisHelicobacter PyloriIn the finding of Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) , the infection is recognized to be the most of import acquired factor in the etiology of ulcers of the tummy and duodenum. However, the infection does non look to predispose to gastro-esophageal reflux disease ( GERD ) and some grounds indicates a possible protective consequence. The hypothesis is that the presence of H. pylori may protect against the development of GERD by stamp downing stomachic sourness via the neutralizing consequence of bacterial ammonium hydroxide production and principal gastritis induced by relentless H. pylori infection ( Unal, et al. , 2006 ) . Helicobacter Pylori is a spiral-shaped Gram-negative bacteria found in colonised stomachic mucous membrane or disciple to the epithelial liner of the tummy. The surplus of the bacterium causes uninterrupted stomachic redness in virtually all septic individuals. The infection is acquired via consumption orally and can be transmitted during childhood in most instances. H. pylori are the cause of most instances of Peptic Ulcer Disease ( PUD ) and chronic gastritis. If the client ignored the marks of either PUD or gastritis, there is a hazard that the status might take to stomachic malignant neoplastic disease ( Suzawa, 2008 ) . There are several surveies show H pylori obliteration may better gastritis and superficial epithelial harm but grade of enteric metaplasia ( alteration in signifiers ) and wasting did non happened. Treating H pylori has been associated with decrease in cell proliferation, declaration of redness, disappearing of hyperplastic polyps, standardization of apoptotic ra tes, and arrested development of glandular wasting enteric metaplasia ( Lee, 2007 ) .Medicine and Treatment ManagementPart of the nursing program is to use the appropriate medicine. Since the client demonstrated the Chronic Gastritis, with the presence of H pylori, there are two types of intervention which are the nonsurgical direction and surgical positions, that are available and the determination of medicine is based on the judgement of the doctor. Under the nonsurgical direction, the primary intervention is based on the designation and riddance of causative factors, and can be applied by drug therapy ( Vitamin B12, Triple therapy for H. pylori infection, etc ) or other therapies like the diet therapy, emphasis decrease and avoiding alcoholic drinks. On the other manus, the surgery is identified to be advisable and referred as the frequent solution for peptic ulcer disease. Although the surgery minimizes the complications of the disease, there are medical research workers detailing that the impact of H pylori has led to a tendency towards minimal art in surgical therapy. In add-on to the alterations in patient attention, these developments have had an impact on the preparation of sawboness and nurses. Gastritis literally means redness of the tummy. Chronic gastritis is most normally due to H pylori infection and in most of the instances is symptomless and there is hapless correlativity between symptoms and chronic H pylori infections with chronic redness. But surgery plays no function in this instance. However, if the chronic gastritis is assessed to be duodenal reflux or gall reflux gastritis, the instance may be self-generated or secondary to prior stomachic surgery. On OGD, the clients have bile in the tummy, erythematous chev rons or spots and sometimes mucosal hydrops. Treatment with mucosal protective agents, prokinetic agents, and binders of gall salts has been let downing. Surgical therapy consists of recreation of bile off from the tummy ( Lipo, Shapiro, & A ; Kozol, 2006 ) .