Social Reproduction Theory And The American Education System

Social reproduction theory is important and relevant to society because it challenges an institution that we have been socialized to honor and protect. In America, we believe that we have equal opportunities to succeed by educating ourselves in the school system. However, our social class and identity dictate how much access we have to those very opportunities that can lead to success. By examining this theory of social reproduction, we can further understand the roles that culture and social class play in reproducing power structures in America. In order to further explore how social reproduction theory perpetuates inequality in the US education system, I will include books and scholarly journals that speak about the concepts and theories related to social reproduction theory. By examining existing theories of social class and reproduction, of different forms of capital, of dominant and non-dominant ideologies of identity, and by looking at how those findings are applied to the educ ation system, I will consolidate evidence that enhances the social reproduction theories of inequality in the American education system. Social and Reproduction Theories Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. Manifesto of the Communist Party,. New York: International, 1948. Print. In contemporary America, there is a dominant notion that we live in a classless society. Under capitalism, Karl Marx would argue that we are undoubtedly divided at the hands of the ruling class. In the politicalShow MoreRelated Improving the Educational System Essay1568 Words   |  7 PagesImproving the Educational System #65279;Teachers are committed to challenging all students to succeed, whatever their abilities, interests, social and cultural background, gender, prior attainment or aspirations. 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Analysis Of Richard Linklater s The Tempest - 896 Words

The nature of discovery, while complex, can lead to a transformative contemplation of new worlds and values concerning both one s self and one s world. It is the personal discoveries and rediscoveries made thorough the reflection of past actions or experiences that allows an individual to ponder their perception of world views and values in a new light. A diary is often used as a means of self-reflection and as a way to record your valued thoughts which overtime can become an expression of inner awareness. Sometimes if re-read, morals and views which had not yet been realised can become prominent in one s life. The play The Tempest written by William Shakespeare encompasses many personal discoveries, which lead to consideration of the authority the characters rightfully possess and the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation in their lives. Similarly the modern film Boyhood directed by Richard Linklater, also explores these ideas, however, they are depicted in relation to growin g from childhood to adulthood and developing an individual ethical compass. In The Tempest, Shakespeare uses Usurpation to critique the characters discoveries of rightful authority according to the hierarchy of Elizabethan society. The audience is positioned to question accepted lines of leadership when Prospero recalls his past and Miranda is manipulated by negative connotation â€Å"sucked my verdure out on t to believe revenge is required for his stolen throne. However, Shakespeare reveals,

Against Euthanasia Essay Example For Students

Against Euthanasia Essay OutlineThe argument comes down to whether a patient has the legal right to ask their doctor to help them die when the end of life is near and the suffering is severe. I believe that if a person is terminally ill, and is in immense amounts of pain, that it is their legal right, to end their life prematurely, with their doctors assistance. I.The different types of euthanasiaA.Passive euthanasia: acceleration of death by the removal of life supportB.Active euthanasia: a doctor directly assists in the death of a personC.Physician Assisted Suicide: physician supplies the resources for committing suicideII.An example of euthanasiaA. Article, Its Over DebbieIII.Legalization of euthanasiaA.Euthanasia is legal in Japan, the Netherlands, and OregonB.Bills to make euthanasia have been denied in the United StatesIV.Netherlands guidelines for euthanasiaA.It must be voluntaryB.Requests must not be made on impulse or based on depressionC.The pain must be considered unacceptable sufferingD.A second opinion must be hadE.A well documented report must be written by the doctorV.Religious aspects of euthanasiaA.Conservative group beliefs vs. liberal group beliefsB.What God says about euthanasiaVI.Survey of terminally ill cancer patients A.Cancer patients are the largest group to accept euthanasiaVII.When euthanasia is used A.Only with pe ople who are terminally ill and who are sufferingVIII.My opinion on euthanasiaA.A person has the freedom to choose what they do with their lifeB.Euthanasia is not suicideC.It is the patients free will to decide how their life is endedWhether to permit euthanasia is among the most argumentative legal and public policy questions in America today. The argument comes down to whether a patient has the legal right to ask their doctor to help them die when the end of life is near and the suffering is severe. I believe that if a person is terminally ill, and is in immense amounts of pain, that it is their legal right, to end their life prematurely, with their doctors assistance. The word euthanasia originated from the Greek language: eu means good and thanatos means death' (Article, Euthanasia). The meaning of the word is the intentional termination of life by another at the explicit request of the person who dies. (Article, Euthanasia). When people hear the word euthanasia they usually think its meaning is either the termination of life at the patients request, or as the Nazi extermination program of murder. Passive euthanasia is the acceleration of death for a person by removing some form of support and letting nature take its course. An example of passive euthanasia is the removal of life support, (a respirator) and therefore allowing a person to die. This procedure is performed on people with massive brain damage who are in a coma and cannot possibly regain consciousness. Active Euthanasia is where a person asks a doctor to directly assist them in dying. These patients are usually terminally ill, and suffering tremendously, and they want a quick, painless exit from life. A famous promoter of this is Dr. Jack Kevorkian, a Michigan physician. He claims to have assisted in more than 130 suicides. His method is to inject a controlled substance into a patient, therefore causing death. Physician Assisted Suicide, or voluntary passive euthanasia, is where a physician supplies the resources for committing suicide to a person, so that they can terminate their own life. The physician will usually give a prescription for a lethal dose of sleeping pills, or a supply of carbon monoxide gas. Dr. Kevorkian has also used this method, he provides a f In 1992, the Journal of the American Medical Association printed an anonymous article entitled Its Over Debbie. The article describes how the author administered a lethal injection to a terminally ill cancer patient, whom he had never met. Since it was anonymous, we dont know if it was a true story, or if it was fabricated to open the peoples eyes to what euthanasia is. e the first state in the United States to legalize euthanasia. Many states, including Arizona, California, Michigan, and Rhode Island, have introduced bills to legalize euthanasia, but so far none have passed. .u48c406784487a691b7febd8787b51eaf , .u48c406784487a691b7febd8787b51eaf .postImageUrl , .u48c406784487a691b7febd8787b51eaf .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u48c406784487a691b7febd8787b51eaf , .u48c406784487a691b7febd8787b51eaf:hover , .u48c406784487a691b7febd8787b51eaf:visited , .u48c406784487a691b7febd8787b51eaf:active { border:0!important; } .u48c406784487a691b7febd8787b51eaf .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u48c406784487a691b7febd8787b51eaf { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u48c406784487a691b7febd8787b51eaf:active , .u48c406784487a691b7febd8787b51eaf:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u48c406784487a691b7febd8787b51eaf .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u48c406784487a691b7febd8787b51eaf .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u48c406784487a691b7febd8787b51eaf .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u48c406784487a691b7febd8787b51eaf .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u48c406784487a691b7febd8787b51eaf:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u48c406784487a691b7febd8787b51eaf .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u48c406784487a691b7febd8787b51eaf .u48c406784487a691b7febd8787b51eaf-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u48c406784487a691b7febd8787b51eaf:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Brain Drain EssayThe Netherlands has the most liberal euthanasia guidelines of anywhere that it is legal. The following are the guidelines that must be followed: the patient must make the request voluntarily and not under the pressure from others. Requests will not be excepted if made on impulse or if based on depression. Also the patient must be experiencing a pain that is considered unbearable. There must also be a second opinion by another physician. And lastly a report must be written describing the patients history, and why the decision was made. A number of religious organizations have issued statements on euthanasia declaring where they stand on the issue. Official church policies usually oppose euthanasia. Conservative religious groups tend to be vocal in their opposition to euthanasia. The Roman Catholic Church is strongly against the legalization euthanasia. Liberal religious groups like, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Quakers, tend to lean in favor of the individuals right to choose. Conservative religious groups say that euthanasia violates a persons natural desire to live, and also that life is a gift from God, and only God should be allowed to end that life. They also say that God will not give a person anything that they cannot handle, and that suffering is a punishment for ones sins. Recently Keith G. Wilson, PhD, from The Rehabilitation Centre, Ottawa, Canada surveyed 70 terminally ill cancer patients. 73% of the patients said that euthanasia should be legalized because of the pain and their right to chose. 58% said that in the near future they would, most likely, want to make a request for an accelerated death. They felt more hopelessness and they had more desire to die. (Cancer Weekly)Euthanasia is only to be used with people that have no hope, and no desire to live anymore, it is both physical and mental. Euthanasia would be used for a person who just simply wants to die with dignity before they become very sick. The people that would fall into this group are people who have the diseases Multiple Sclerosis, AIDS, Alzheimers, etc. They dont want to prolong the inevitable, and be in pain for an unknown time period. I think that a person has the freedom to choose what they do with there life. And if that person is terminally ill, and is in so much pain that they cannot function as they did before the illness, they have the right to end their life in a dignified manor. I am not a supporter of suicide, but I do not think that euthanasia is a form of suicide. It is a way to die without suffering. Not just anyone is able to die by euthanasia, there are strict guidelines that must be followed, and only those that fit the description are allowed to follow through with it. Again it is by the patients free will to choose this way to end their life, and no one elses!

Ken Loachs articulation of social concerns in Kes Essay Example

Ken Loachs articulation of social concerns in Kes Essay Ken Loach’s 1969 masterpiece Kes is rich in social narratives. The 1960s was a decade of cultural and political upheaval in Europe and America. Some of these changes were captured in the film within the structures of narrative story telling. The late 1960s witnessed an end of an era in British economics, for it marked a turning point (arguably a turn for the worse) in British history. From that point onwards Britain, following suit American economic policy, had opened up its economy for global investiture. What is now called the global neo-liberal regime was adopted then and continues till date. It is undoubtedly a momentous occasion for not just the British economy but for British politics, culture and social life as well. In many ways the old bastion of solidarity and nationalism was coming to an end. The coal mining communities that are portrayed in Kes were perhaps that of the last generation of miners. In a span of a decade the complexion of British industry would change from manufacturing-based to that of finance. The heart-beat of British economy in 1969 was industrial towns of North in which the film is set. In a matter of a few years, London would become the nerve-centre of British economy with its transformation into a global financial hub. A central social theme in Kes is that of alienation. It is about how an individual feels cut off from emotional or moral support even when he has relatives and social institutions to call upon. Billy Casper signifies that individual, whose troubled life is a metaphor for a whole generation of the British working class. The film is successful because Loach manages to invoke a strong representation of this collective pathos through the character of Casper. The author of the novel upon which the movie is based, Barry Hines, was instrumental toward this end, for his very visual style helped Loach. Together the two artists were able to project the powerful central image of Kasper’s Kestrel – â€Å"that lowest of the hawks – its an eagle for an emperor and a kestrel for a knave – is a wonderful image for the boy’s life and prospects. This central image not only helps hold the whole piece together but stays in people’s minds†. (Macnab, 1999) To boot it is socially relevant and resonant even today. For example, Loach never allows us to forget â€Å"the social and economic circumstances which underpin Billy’s existence. He lives on a rough estate and looks destined to end up working in the mines. Billy’s prospects wouldn’t be any better today.† (Macnab, 1999) We will write a custom essay sample on Ken Loachs articulation of social concerns in Kes specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Ken Loachs articulation of social concerns in Kes specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Ken Loachs articulation of social concerns in Kes specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer To fully comprehend the director’s choice of social themes, we have to look at the original novel from which the film is adapted. In Barry Hines’ A Kestrel For A Knave, the coal mining communities in and around Yorkshire were documented very well. Hines details how poverty and desperation force people of the region to take up jobs as miners. But coal mining is a very risky enterprise with high rates of mortality and disability among the workers. Though the medium of film or the narrative constraints of Kes do not allow for showing these social contexts, Loach tries to throw light on â€Å"class militancy against the brutal new conditions of low pay contingent service work, but characteristically as much on the personal costs and pain of that struggle.† (Forsyth, 2003) When we look at Ken Loach’s films since Kes, we find direct and pronounced engagement with the neo-liberal theme. In this sense, Kes can be grouped together with these later films although it preceded the actual implementation of neoliberal policies. Loach’s films since the 1990s contain bold pronouncements against the evils of such economic policies. The films of this period have â€Å"repeatedly come back to the ravages of and struggles against the ruling class offensive known as neo-liberalism. The attack on working people’s living standards, wages and unions, the relentless erosion of the social, health and educational provisions of the so-called welfare state, the polarization of rich and poor, the familiar mantras of privatization, deregulation, free market magic are all too well known†¦ it is now generalized as blatantly imperialist globalization, borne by the World Bank, the IMF and American military might.† (Forsyth, 2003) Seen in this light, Kes is a precursor, an eerie harbinger, for some of these negative consequences of globalization. For, Kes deals with issues of increasing poverty, delinquency, public schooling standards, individual alienation, decline of the institution of family, rampant commercialization, etc. For its treatment of these neoliberal themes, Kes is a critique of this economic system, even if it is attributed retrospectively. In terms of technique one could see refreshing cinematography in Kes. Considering that the 60’s gave birth to the Nouvelle Vague (of the French New Wave) of cinema, one could see its influence in Loach’s approach and style. In a marked deviation from films of an early era, the visual capabilities of the medium are explored to the full. Dialogue is used minimally, while ambient sound is used as a signifier of feeling, emotion or an event. Despite the visual beauty of the film, that was not how Ken Loach conceived it to be. Consistent with the dark social themes in the film Loach wanted it picturized in black and white. But citing commercial appeal of black and white in the late 1960s Loach had to abandon this plan. It might have been a blessing in disguise, for the beautiful country landscapes of the film’s setting add irony to the personal outcomes in the plot. The final tragedy of the death of the Kestrel is made more poignant by all the beautiful visualization of the bird and its habitat that had preceded it. Finally, the social concerns raised by Kes are relevant even today. This is learnt from the fact that the film’s echoes are evident in numerous subsequent British films, including Lynne Ramsay’s Ratcatcher, Shane Meadows’ A Room For Romeo Brass and Robert Bangura’s The Girl With Brains In Her Feet. All these works evoke â€Å"working-class childhoods in a lyrical but unsentimental way which would have been unthinkable without Loach’s example.† (â€Å"Touching Take on a,† 2009) Loach’s films in general and Kes in particular have powerfully addressed â€Å"the politics and betrayals of unions, strikes and revolutions, the painful daily struggles with family, sexuality, race, housing, poverty, drugs and alcohol, the contradictions and inhumanity of the welfare state, the solidarity and oppression of the workplace; every aspect of working class life interests his humane realism. Loach’s is a cinema of emotion and analysis, sometimes didactic, always partisan. But victories are few and far between, triumphs often solely of working class spirit against overwhelming odds.† (Vallely, 2002) References Forsyth, S. (2003). Making and Remaking Class in Ken Loach’s Recent Films. CineAction, (61), 66+. Shail, R. (2007). British Film Directors: A Critical Guide. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Touching Take on a Classic; Review. (2009, November 4). The Birmingham Post (England). Vallely, P. (2002, February 16). Kes the Real-Life Sequel ; `What Happened to Billy at the End of Kes?’ Is One of the Commonest Questions Asked by Readers of Barry Hines’s Classic Novel. the True Story of Ed Seager Provides an Answer Stranger Than Any Fiction. by Paul Vallely. The Independent (London, England).