The Mammy Essays

The Mammy Essays The Mammy Essay The Mammy Essay Mammies, Matriarchs and Other Controlling Images Patricia Hill Collins: Black Feminist Thought Chapter Main Concepts: As it relates to African-American women, the intersecting oppressions of race, class, gender and sexuality could not continue without powerful ideological justifications for their existence, which is perpetuated through controlling images. Controlling societal images is one of the many powers held by the dominant group (white males) in the U. S. to manipulate ideas about black womanhood. Through the perpetuation of these controlling images of the black woman as the mammy, matriarch, welfare queen, jezebel/hoochie and black lady, black women become objects instead of subjects ? i. e. domestic workers are often referred to as â€Å"work mules/animals† or â€Å"girl† Like other people of color and subordinate groups, black women are seen as the â€Å"other† in our society. By not belonging, black women emphasize the signifi cance of belonging. ? Black feminist thought derives from this kind of thinking, as a means to resist these controlling images. Black women insist on the right to establish and define their own reality Controlling Images and Black Women’s Oppression During this slavery era images of black women were socially constructed to maintain their subordination Unlike Black women, white women were encouraged to possess four cardinal virtues: piety, purity, submissiveness and domesticity ? Mammy: Asexual, faithful, obedient domestic servant; yardstick used to measure all black women behavior Image aims to influence maternal behavior; raises children to know place in society Matriarch: Spends too much time out the home working; overly the aggressive; emasculates husbands and lovers; unfeminine. Unlike mammy, she is the â€Å"bad† black mother Introduced in a government report on Black poverty in 1965 called the Negro Family: The Case for National Action (Moynihan report) ? The report blamed black mothers for their childrens failures; working lead to a lack of attention and care; delinquency; Further a sserts that slavery destroyed black families by reversing roles of men and women Black backlash- Diverts attention from the reality of political and economic inequalities that shape black children experiences ? Welfare Queen: Makes use of social welfare benefits to which they are entitled by law; Lazy; fails to pass on work ethic; alone; updated version of â€Å"breeder woman† during slavery This image provides justification for the efforts to control black women’s fertility to the needs of a changing economy ? i. e. during slavery children were valued as property the more slave children you have the more assets you have After WWII black women and their children seen as a economical liability During the 1980s, despite Reagan and the Republicans opposition, Black women and children could not be forced to work, and Black men dropped out of legitimate labor force ? Prison Industrial Complex ? Jezebel/ Hoochie: Represents a deviant black female sexuality; originated un der slavery to justify the many assaults against slave women by white men ? These women are seen as having a strong sexual appetite which leads to an expected outcome of increased fertility Hoochie unlike the Jezebel is an image accepted by the Black community ? Three types of hoochie: plain, gold digger, hoodrat Normal female heterosexuality is expressed in terms of true white womanhood unlike the black â€Å"hot momma† Because of black women sexual appetite is seen as inappropriate or worst, insatiable, black women are characterized as freaks and become stigmatized in society Black women sexuality and fertility is defined by the dominant group (white men) ? Black Lady: Combination of the mammy and matriarch Claire Huxtable, The Cosby Show Controlling Images and Social Institutions Schools, news media and government agencies constitute important sites for reproducing controlling images usually based on the idea of black women having some kind of deviant sexuality ? Social science research; AIDS and teen pregnancy ? Popular culture; Black hip hop music ? Accessibility to birth control measures Controlling images are also perpetuated in Black institutions ? Family, church and civic organizations are all sites where controlling images of black women are simultaneously resisted and reproduced. Color, Hair Texture and Standards of Beauty Despite the resistance of Black women to being objected as the â€Å"other†, controlling images still influence their lives, becoming even more visible. They impact how Black women interact with the world ? Speaking standard/proper English somehow makes you less black i. e. â€Å"I never think of you as black†; â€Å"I don’t see race when I’m with you† The binary thinking between Black and white beauty: ? Thin, white, blonde hair and blue eyes are not beautiful without the â€Å"other†, full lips, broad noses, dark skin and kinky hair White skin and straight hair privileges white women by being the standard of beauty; No matter what a Black woman subjective reality is, she’ll never meet the main stream standards of beauty All women in U. S. are objectified, and their value determined by how they look, but Black is the most â€Å"un-American† Black Women’s Reactions to Control ling Images Historically African American literature by women writer’s usually provide a comprehensive view of Black women struggles to form positive self-definitions in face inferior images Many fictional characters of Black women have themes of pain, violence and death that make up their lives; experiences of internalized oppression ? These characters use drugs, alcohol, excessive religion, and even retreat into madness to attempt to escape painful black female realities ? Denial is another response to controlling images; â€Å"I’m not like the rest† Black female writer’s also document the responses of positive self-definition by Black women ? The Color Purple (the conclusion) ? Waiting to Exhale ? How Stella Got Her Groove Back

Best banking choices for students

Best banking choices for students Important facts for students to select a bank Nowadays it is so great that we have such diverse choice of banks. The banking system and variety of options offer students a lot of possibilities that provide financial freedom. But the questions of that sort should be treated very carefully, since only one wrong step can result in big debts or higher interests. While making choice, one should work out his/her own strategy and think over what bank and what exactly options required. Of course, there are a lot of bank institutions, but you should identify those, which have the most favorable offers for you as a student. They have different options for various targeted groups, filtrate carefully those, which can be of your concern. Short term overdrafts to pay for your custom essays or long term cooperation with setting up a deposit account: decide what you need. We provide for you some other factors you should take into account, before getting involved into financial cooperation. Consider suggestions and free options carefully Attracted by favorable free options of some banks? Of course, they know what they are doing. But do not get trapped! Free short lasting suggestions soon end and you can be faced with less profitable variants of financial service. Thus, having made certain sum of money, you can be looking for the suitable circumstances of saving account opening. Do not forget to monitor the interest rate you will earn within certain period at several banking houses and select that one, which will bring you the biggest profit. Do not fall for free MP3 downloads or few-days free Wi-Fi options if you lose in the interest rate. That is not worth it. Overdraft: amount, limit and interest. Most likely reason people partner with bank is for sure overdraft. Find out what is the maximally possible amount of overdraft, which you can receive as a student. Also ask about the necessity of exceeding limit and the interest it results in. Discover all details and consider all facts. Thus, there are a lot of banks, which offer interest-free overdrafts for students for couple of years and it is really great opportunity for you. One more thing you should bear in mind is that banks will not certainly provide you with the maximal announced sum of the overdraft. Most often it is available only for students of the final year, who have eligible credit rating. So if they say that the maximal possible overdraft is up to  £2,000, there is no guarantee that you will obtain this sum. The repayment procedure It is great if you manage to return the overdraft in time within the interest-free period. But the time spins away and one day you can discover that you are obliged to pay interest charges. That is why before taking overdraft consider all details of the repayment procedure. You should know the exact date when you should return the money and confirm if it should be during the university studies or is supposed to be after graduation. Find out all the details for all the possible scenarios of this financial situation, so that you can be sure that you will be in an advantageous position in any case. Gain the credit rating Starting with small overdrafts, step by step you develop and elaborate your relationships with bank. Such kinds of relationships and partnering result in credit rating. Credit rating is an estimate of your income, borrowed amount and spending history. It is a score, which you receive from bank from the point of view of risk and your financial eligibility. Having trustworthy credit rating you can receive the bigger overdraft amount or gain other favorable options. Think, learn and make your choice being very attentive or even pedantic. We know that this is not much likely for students to give much attention to such boring questions, but the financial concerns are those which definitely should not be neglected.

Review Assignment 5 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Review 5 - Assignment Example t’s check and analyze whether the bluefin Tuna is another tragedy of commons, as low degree of radioactive cesium has been traced in fish caught in California in 2011 after Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident. Latest research has revealed that the bluefin migrating from Japan’s coastal region to the Pacific Ocean after a relapse of five months of the tragedy of nuclear accident was tested for byproducts cesium-134 and cesium-137; radiation levels were nearly 3 percent higher than routine presence of the harmful matter, but still bluefin was fit for consumption (Smith par. 1-2). According to Madigan, the key author of a paper on Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, potassium-40 levels are found naturally with a near average 350 bq/kg. As per the Japanese government, the approximated cesium levels found in the fish off the Japanese coast was in the range of 61 and 168 bq/kg. The latest figures from the plant owner, the Tokyo Electric Power Company, have heightened the released quantity of harmful material during the initial weeks of the tragedy to 900,000 terabecquerels, which is two and a half times increased quantity than what was approximated in April 2011 (Smith par. 13-17). Milk is another major item of human consumption. Sample of milk gathered at Spokane, Washington and in San Luis Obispo County, California have revealed the presence of radioactive iodine, or iodine-131. The good and relieving part of the research is that the levels of radioactive iodine were 5,000 counts lesser relatively to the parameter fixed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (CNN Wire Staff par. 4). It needs to be focused that the sample findings are least critical while considering the day-to-day experiences of the people in the matter of eating highly polluted items of food (CNN Wire Staff par. 9). It creates an environment of unnecessary tension among the people that due to the tragedies of the commons happening recurrently in different parts of the

How would scholarship funds help you Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

How would scholarship funds help you - Essay Example But more than getting good grades, I will become a better nurse with a help with a scholarship fund because I have focused on my studies when I was still in school. Nursing is a very demanding career because the health and well-being of patients depends on us (in addition to the doctor). It requires a thorough preparation during school and this means studying full time to be able to absorb and grasp of the entire rudiments and lessons of nursing so that when patients will be entrusted to us, we would be able to take care of them well. Being able to take care of the patients’ well will also be good to my career as a nurse and this would entail progression in my career. But before having a career, I must do well with my studies first. A scholarship fund will be a huge help to make these aspirations a reality because it will ensure that I can enrol in my nursing

Current Events Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Current Events - Research Paper Example The two strongest European economies within the zone, namely that of Germany and France, do not agree on what actions to take to prevent the entire continent from falling into a recession. In this regard, recession is broadly defined as two (2) successive quarters of economic decline if it is based on the real gross domestic product or GDP. (My own definition of a recession is when a lot of working people lose their jobs and those seeking new employment, like the new graduates, cannot get hired). However, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) of the United States of America defines it more precisely, based on a number of other economic indicators such as the level of employment, industrial activity, real incomes, wholesale prices and retail sales. In other words, the NBER uses overall business activities as an indicator, the time when business reaches its peak and starts to decline. It is the business cycle dating committee or BCDC that is tasked to approximate the date whe n a recession has started (NBER, 2010, p. 1); a recession is usually accompanied by rising unemployment and a rise in excess capacity in the manufacturing sectors or other industries of the country due to weak consumer demand. The magazine article discussed in this paper had specifically mentioned this two prime economic indicators to portray the worsening conditions within the European economic zone. Discussion The news article which serves as the basis for the discussion of recession in Europe in this paper is entitled â€Å"The euro crisis: a real mess† that was written by R. A. and published in the on-line or digital version of the Economist last July 2, 2012. In the article, the author talked on a worsening crisis within the European zone because of the on-going recession that is expected to get worse within the next few months. The unemployment in Europe had inched up, with Euro-wide unemployment rate going up last May to 11.1% with the unemployment figures for Spain at much worse rates of 24.6% for adults and at over 52% for Spanish youths. Spain is one of those countries included in the PIIGS mentioned earlier (Dorfman, 2010, p. 1) which engaged in great spending even beyond its normal capacity to pay and is now suffering for its profligate ways. All the five countries included in the PIGGS classification had borrowed way too much and are now in real great danger of defaulting on their sovereign debts. The other countries in Europe which are now in recession are suffering from same twin problems of too much debts and high deficits which does not leave much room for economic recovery except through harsh cost-cutting acts but are not politically well-advised especially during an election year. The same article on the on-going euro crisis mentioned how manufacturing activity had declined by 1% in the second quarter this year, with the rate of decline expected to accelerate in the later part or the second half of this year. Manufacturing is one of broad economic indicators used to measure or approximate a recessionary climate, and this is shown by the decline in many European countries, such as not only in France and the Netherlands but also in Spain, Italy and even Germany, which is considered as the strongest European economy so far. Both Greece and Spain are now in depression, which is worse than a recession (a decline of above 10% in GDP). The

The First World War Essay Example for Free

The First World War Essay All of the sources give different impressions as to wether Germanys leaders are responsibe for the outbreak of the First World War. Source 1 seems to strongly suggest that German leaders and the German Government did in fact push for the war with Hewitson blaming the Army and suggesting that Germany was looking for an opportunity to start war however he does not fully support the view that German leaders were responsible.Porter and Armour (Source 2) strongly supports this view by again pointing to the millitary and prime minister Bethmann Hollweg looking for an opportunity to wage war but again not fully placing the blame on Germany but looking at the threating actions of Russia and Britain. In contrast to both Source 1 and 2 Norman Stone ( Source 3) does not blame Germany, instead he suggest that the tension in Europe for the last decade finally reached an ultimatum in the July crisis and the war was the fault of all Great powers. Mark Hewitson argument that German army and the government pushed for war before 1914 is reasonable and puts the blame on the German leaders, this view is also supported by ficher who said that Germany was making plans for annexation before the July crisis which suggest that Germany hoped to quickly win the war. It is also supported by the Council meeting in 1912 which held that it was Germanys consious decision to wage war for its own gain. This view is supported by Porter and Armour ( source 2), they say Bethmann Hollweg government deliberatly provoked a diplomatic crisis which it knew might lead to war. This strongly suggest that German leaders were actually responsible for the outbreak and the statement might be true, because if Hollweg knew that the war would be a certain victory, he would certainly be very pro-war, this due to him carrying about German wellfare which can be seen through certain reforms he passed, such as the 1911 imperial insurence code. Norman ( Source 3) d oes not fully accept the argument that the German army pushed for war, he instead says that the war was collectivly the fault of Great powers and increasing hysteria since 1890 . Mark ( Source 1) argues that Germany was trying to make themselves seen as the ones that need to defend themselves, to undercut public opposition to war by casting Russia as the agressor, this would give Germany an  opportunity to wage war on Russia without other European powers being hostile to Germany. Reich government was able to undercut public opposition, with Russia being the agressor the German government hoped that nationalism would stop the public from opposing the war. Porter and Armour (soure 2) agrees with Mark Anglo-Russian naval talks, this would mean encirclement for Germany and in fact might show Germany as the country that only wants to defend itself. This could suggest that German leaders were not as responsible but the other countries such as Russia , France and Britain being aggressive and therefore Germany naturally being worried. Norman ( source 3) also agrees on the fact that it was the tension in Europe that led to war instead of German leaders decisions. Mark ( Source 1) does come into a conclusion that not neccesserly German leaders planned war, but rather continued a policy of brinkmanship. The contination of this policy however might be the decision that has caused some tension amongst majour European countries, the expansion of Germany might of have been seen as a threat towards other countries such as France which could suggest that German leaders were in fact responsible. Porter ( source 2) does suggest that Gernan leaders were responsible, civilian and millitary leaders were much influenced by a deep pessimism as to Germanys survival if it did not act before it was too late. This is of course talking about the Schlieffen Plan which is an agressive plan of sieging france to not fight a war on two fronts during the war. This contrasts with Mark ( source 1 ) who says that German leaders did not neccessary plan the war, Schlieffen Plan was created 1905, which suggest that German millitary leaders were thinking about planning the war way back before the tension in Europe was high. Norman ( source 3) does seem to disagree with source 1 as it says the situation in which the First World War did break out was forseen for five years beforehand this suggest that the politicians and leaders would of known about the possibilty of war, and therefore some planning would need to be done in case of the war. In conclusion the German Leaders alone cant be responsible for the outbreak of war due to tense situation in Europe, triple entente being put in place which would encircle and therfore endanger Germany. However the sources  suggest that to a large extent German leaders were contributing towards creating the tension in Europe by their dangerous policy, their army leaders who wanted to quickly start a war and go through Belgium to gain France which would cause Britain to enter the War with the hopes of Germany not having to fight on two fronts and also the contribution to making the relationship between Britain and Germany thorugh policies such as Weltpolitik or Flottenpolitik. Finally the situation in Germany nationalism and hysteria and also SDP meant that to bring the country together a war would be the only reasonable choice.

Experiment of Hookes Law

Experiment of Hookes Law Investigating Hooke’s Law Aim This experiment is aimed to investigate the relationship between the mass that is being slotted at the end of spring and the time taken for the spring to make a 20 complete oscillations. Hypothesis As the mass of the end of the spring increases, the time period for the spring to complete 20 oscillation will also increase. This is because in newton’s second law which is F = ma, if the acceleration is being derived with the presence of time in its formula, it will be F = m(v-u)/t. Which proves that, mass is directly proportional to time. As the mass increases, the time will also increase. Variables Independent variable: Mass that is being slotted at the end of the spring (kg) Dependent variable: Time period taken by the spring to make 20 complete oscillations (s) Controlled variable: i) Spring constant ii) Gravitational acceleration iii) Length of spring iv) Amount of spring oscillations v) Air resistance vi) Amplitude of oscillations Controlling the variables Mass that is being slotted at the end of the spring: The mass that is being slotted at the end of the spring is manipulated from 0.1kg, 0.2kg, 0.3kg, 0.4kg and 0.5kg. Time period taken by the spring to make 20 complete oscillations: With the aid of digital stopwatch, the time period is taken when the spring had completed in making 20 oscillations. This procedure is repeated 3 times and an average reading is taken. Spring constant: The spring constant is kept constant so that the results are relative to each other. It will be controlled by using the same spring throughout the whole experiment. Gravitational acceleration: The gravitational acceleration is kept constant by conducting the experiment in the same place until the end. Amount of spring oscillations: The amount of oscillations is controlled to 20 so that the results are more accurate. The exact results will be divided by 20 afterwards. Air resistance: Due to the place that the experiment is being conducted in a room, the fan and the air conditioner are switched off to reduce the air resistance. The experiment is conducted in the same place until the end to fix the air resistance. Amplitude of oscillations: The amplitude will be controlled each time the mass is increased by using the same length in extending the spring to make is oscillate. For each trial, the spring is extended 5cm downwards. This procedure will be aided by a meter ruler. Materials list Retort stand Clamp and stand Meter ruler Mass holder Slotted mass Digital stopwatch Spring Diagram Method Set up the apparatus as shown in the diagram, with one end of the spring attached to the horizontal support on the clamp stand. Attach the slotted mass of 0.1kg at the end of the spring. Put the meter ruler next to spring and measure the extension. Pull the slotted mass holder down to 5cm and then release it. Let it oscillates for 20 times. Take the time taken for the spring to oscillate completely for 20 times using digital stopwatch. Repeat step 4 to 6 two more times. Record the data each time and take an average reading. Repeat step 2 to 7 by using different slotted mass, from 0.2kg, 0.3kg, 0.4kg, and 0.5kg. Results Data presentation A graph to show the relationship between the mass that is being slotted at the end of the spring, M, and the time taken for one oscillation, T. Data analysis The relationship between mass that is being slotted at the end of the spring and the time taken for spring to oscillate one cycle appears to be non-linear. The data therefore will be processed in order to find a relationship between this two variables either it is directly proportional or not. The graph is parabolic. Hence the T can be manipulated to become T2 so that the graph can be plotted with a variable of mass against T2. Data processing Table 2 – Mass that is being slotted at the end of spring, M, and squared of time taken for one oscillation, T2 Presentation and analysis of the processed data A graph shows the relationship between the mass that is being slotted at the end of the spring, M, and the squared of time taken for one oscillation,T2. Analysis of the graph Gradient of best fit line = 0.50/0.32 = 1.56 kgs-2 Gradient of steepest line = 0.50/0.30 = 1.67 kgs-2 Gradient of shallowest line = 0.42/0.34 = 1.24 kgs-2 For the second graph, it was proved that mass that is being slotted at the end of spring is direclty proportional to the squared of time period. Mathematically, m ÃŽ ± T2 After the investigation and the experiment that had been done, it was found that the formula relating the mass that is being slotted at the end of spring and time period of an oscillating spring is : We know that ; T = 2Ï€/Æœ Where Æœ = k(constant) in this investigation. Therefore, T = 2Ï€ T2 = Which is of the form, y = mx + c (equation of straight line) From the investigation, y is m, m is 4Ï€2/k and x is T2. The gradient of the line is therefore equal to 4Ï€2/k , we can now find the spring constant: Therefore, k on the best fit line ; 1.56 = 1/ = 1/1.56 k = 61.59 Nm-1 The range of uncertainty in this value can be calculated using both the maximum and the minimum lines on the graph. Maximum gradient ; 1.67 = 1/ = 1/1.67 k = 65.93 Nm-1 Minimum gradient ; 1.24 = 1/ = 1/1.24 k = 48.96 Nm-1 Therefore the spring constant, k is in the range of 48.96 Nm-1 to 65.59 Nm-1. Conclusion The aim of this experiment is to investigate the relationship between the mass that is being slotted at the end of spring and time period of oscillation. As the hypothesis being made earlier that mass would be directly proportional to time period of oscillation, it is clearly was wrong as the graph of mass against time period is obviously non-linear. The second graph of mass against squared of time period is however turned out to be linear and therefore it can be concluded that mass is directly proportional to the squared of time period. After the investigation, this conclusion is supported as the equation for time period of an oscillating spring is T = 2Ï€ T2 = So, T2 ÃŽ ± m The gradient of straight line was then used to calculate the spring constant, k, for the spring used in this experiment. This is because the gradient is equal to 1/ The value can be compared to the theoretical value by using Hooke’s so as to verify the result whether it is plausible or not. When the spring is acted a force of 1N, the extension was seen to be 1.6cm. The spring constant can be determine by using the formula of Hooke’s law; F = kx k = 1/0.016 k = 62.5 Nm-1 Calculating percentage deviation: x 100% = 1.5% The actual value and the theoretical value is not that far and only 1.5% in the percentage deviation. In conclusion, it can be said that this experiment is successful and the results are accurate. Evaluation The method and apparatus used worked well throughout the whole experiment. The results obtained are differ from the actual results. This is because they are maybe some mistakes were made during taking the reading or making the experiment works. There are some improvements that were made when collecting the data that were not stated in the original plan. Parallax error occurs when reading the ruler which the recorder’s eye level is not perfectly perpendicular to the ruler. The slotted mass were considered to be the same. Just one of the slotted mass was weighted and for one slotted mass the mass is 0.1kg. Without hesitation, the other slotted mass were all considered to be 0.1kg in mass too. This may have produced a systematic error, depending on how accurate the masses were and consistency of their inaccuracy. When lighter slotted mass were used, the oscillations was so fast. Random errors can occur. Suggested that, the spring should be let to oscillation more so that the results will be more precise. Suggested improvements The investigation could has been more accurate and precise if the following modifications were to be taken: Make sure that the eye is perpendicular to the ruler when taking the reading when doing the extension of spring. This will avoid parallax error. Use another ruler to point at the ruler when taking the reading. This will aid to read the meter ruler easier and more precise. This will avoid parallax error. To make the time taken more accurate, use ultra-sonic motion detector that is placed below the oscillating spring. The ultra-sonic motion detector will collect data more precisely because it does not involve the human interaction which is affected by human reaction. Take more reading and take the average as the lesser the reading are taken, it will create more random errors.