Society And Homelessness - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 853 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2019/03/26 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Homelessness Essay Did you like this example? Homelessness is the state of having no home or permanent residency. According to The Data Face, there were roughly 554,000 homeless people living somewhere in the United States on a given night [in 2017]. A total of 193,000 of those people were unsheltered, meaning that they were living on the streets and had no access to emergency shelters, transitional housing, or Safe Havens (Benedict 2018:1). In this paper, homelessness will be discussed through the viewpoints of the three different sociological perspectives; conflict theory, symbolic interactionism, and functionalism. Conflict theory was born due to the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century and was created Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Conflict theory emphasizes social inequality and suggests that far-reaching social change is needed to achieve a just society (Barkan 2010). A conflict theorist sees social life as a competition for a limited amount of resources that creates conflict. Homelessness is viewed by a conflict theorist as the result of limited resources that have been used up. In their academic journal, Main causes of homelessness and adaptation of homeless to environmental factors, Marta Sarnowska and Sonia Gach interviewed ten people living in homelessness and found that the three most common causes of their homelessness are loss of permanent work, subsequent threats of evictions, and the inability to deal with the new economic situation that came in the 1980s when the economy marketized and collapsed (2018). The authors suggest that when the economy collapsed in the 80s, it left many people homeless due to the new lack of resources available for the working class. This matches up perfectly with conflict theory because there was a subsequent amount of resources available, but once the resources became scarce and more expensive, people were no longer able to afford them: therefore, they became homeless. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Society And Homelessness" essay for you Create order Symbolic interactionism came about in the early 20th century due to the theory of Herbert Blumer. Symbolic interactionism is how people construct their roles as they interact. As this interaction occurs, individuals negotiate their definitions of the situations in which they find themselves and socially construct the reality of these situations. In so doing, they rely heavily on symbols such as words and gestures to reach a shared understanding of their interaction (Barkan 2018). A symbolic interactionist can determine their role using symbols and their interaction with others. People who are experiencing homelessness tend to fall under the symbolic interactionist theory. This is demonstrated in Reuben Addos academic journal, Homeless individuals social construction of a park: a symbolic interactionist perspective, he conducted interviews in a public park with ten people experiencing homelessness. He asked them to describe the park, and words that they used include, a homeless safety hub, homeless resource hub, and a homeless network hub (2018). Addo infers that his study suggested that homeless individuals constructed meanings of public parks may be motivated by their interactions with their peers and housed residents (2018). Through this study, Addo found that people living in homelessness view the public park as a place of safety where they can interact with others in their same situation. Addos study is an example of symbolic interactionism because it highlights that people living in homelessness view themselves and other items, places, or people depending on their interactions with that item, place, or person. The idea of functionalism arose out of the French Revolution in the 18th century and the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century (Barkan 2018). Both revolutions resulted in major societal change, so the intellectuals of the society began writing about a strong society with strong social bonds and socialization; thus, functionalism was born (Barkan 2018). Functionalism emphasizes the importance of social institutions (family, religion, and education) for social stability and implies that far-reaching social change will be socially harmful (Barkan 2018). Functionalism aims for family, religion, education, and social stability to prevail in society. When someone is experiencing homelessness, it is often hard to keep their family together. In Alex Trillo, Giovani Burgos, and Michael Schwartzs academic journal, Institutional ties and homeless family trajectories: how homeless mothers engage with policy to create opportunities for mobility focuses on how homeless mothers try to better th e lives of their family members through actively navigating property and seeking a better place to raise their family (2016). Through actively seeking a better place to raise their family, the homeless mothers are contributing to social stability. They are keeping their family in the center of their lives; therefore, they are maintaining social institutions as well. By maintaining social institutions and social stability, homeless mothers are mirroring functionalism. Society is based on the three main sociological perspectives; conflict theory, symbolic interactionism, and functionalism. These sociological perspectives can be used to analyze small and large groups. Through conflict theory, one can see a cause of homelessness being the lack of resources for a large group. Through symbolic interactionalism, one can gain insight to the homeless community based on how they view a public park. Through functionalism, one can see the workings of social institutions and social stability through a hardworking homeless mother trying to make the best for her family. With these sociological perspectives, people can gain an explanation for their day to day behaviors and interactions.

Article Rebuttal - Does the Use of Cell Phones Cause Brain...

Article Rebuttal BCOM/275 March 19, 2012 Tania Say Article Rebuttal Does the Use of Cell Phones Cause Brain Cancer? The Opponent’s Argument In this paper valid points will be presented to refute the statement made by Dr. Ronald Herberman, Director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, to his faculty and staff on July 21, 2008. â€Å"Limit cell phone use because of the potential risk of cancer† (Reyes, 2009). Herberman based his claim on unpublished data and stated â€Å"it takes too long to get answers from science and I think people should take action now† (Reyes, 2009). Herberman quoted one study that was published in a paper by the Royal Society in London, which found that â€Å"pre-teen and teenagers who†¦show more content†¦The cell phone industry, of course, says that there is products are safe. â€Å"The significant weight of the evidence demonstrates that radiofrequency energy in mobile phones poses no credible health risks,† says Motorola spokeswoman Paula Thornton Greer. â⠂¬Å"Although there have been reports of negative health effects from low levels of radio frequency energy, these reports have not been replicated or confirmed† (Childs, 2009). However, â€Å"research and anecdotes have suggested a number of other means by which cell phones may adversely affect health – and possibly not in the way we might think† (Childs, 2009). These health issues can be bacteria caused by not cleaning their cell phones that can be treated with antibiotics. It was also found that cell phone showed a significant deterioration in the quality of driving a vehicle. When walking and talking on a cell phone their attention to traffic is lowered and they stand the chance of getting hit by a car. Another health issue is to the thumb from texting, causing sores and blisters. Those users with allergies to certain metal can have additional side-effect in the form of contact dermatitis. The noise-related side effect to the ear from using an earpiece with a h igh volume, this is easily remedied by just by turning down the volume. Conclusion Almost in every case, the beliefs that cell phone usage can lead to or cause a higher risk of brain cancer have been proven to be false byShow MoreRelatedLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pagesattribute the work in the manner specified by the author, namely by citing his name, the book title, and the relevant page numbers (but not in any way that suggests that the book Logical Reasoning or its author endorse you or your use of the work). 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Edna Ponteiller Essay Example For Students

Edna Ponteiller Essay Edna Ponteiller, the protagonist in The Awakening, is perhaps one of most controversial feminist characters in English Fiction. The ideals and values of individuality and freedom to defy conventions of society, which she exemplifies was pugnacious and censorious in eyes of the then Creole Society. Kate Chopin has achieved in portraying Edna in favorable light by supporting Edna in her endeavors. It is by making us sympathize with Ednas conditions that Chopin succeeds in communicating the significance of respecting the principles for which Edna epitomizes. The metaphysical connection that is established between the caged parrot which introduces us to the novel and Edna imbues in our senses a pity for Ednas prognosticated predicaments. By using this symbol of a caged and misunderstood parrot to mirror Ednas life the tone of despondency and miscomprehension is established. This tone infiltrates in our senses, captivating us in an anticipation of distress, and dread that influence our sympathies for Edna. Conflicts and sufferings are key tools in arousing our sympathies. Hardly has the plot of The Awakening developed when we are thrust into what is the defining altercation between Edna and Leonce regarding the moralistic issue of the children. Leonce is portrayed to be repetitive and vexatious (He talked in a monotonous, insistent way) which seeks to enlist our sympathies for Edna as we realize that his concerns are in essence of a lower order of significance. This short dispute is followed by the first of many to come, intense inner contemplations that envision Edna as a thoroughly forlorn woman. (The tears came so fast to Mrs. Pontelliers eyes..)(An indescribable oppression, which seemed to generate in some unfamiliar part of her consciousness filled her whole being with a vague anguish; Pg 8) This cogitation marks the commencement of Ednas awakening as she indulges in a path of self-discovery. The sufferings though not explained do enrapture our sentiments for Ednas situation and w e feel some form of innate sympathy for Ednas pains. As the narrative continues we are also exposed to the external happiness that enshrouds Ednas life. She has married to a gentleman whose devotion and love for her is incessant. He is prefigured by society to be the best husband in the world. She has also befriended a vivant man : Robert; and is with intimate terms with a charming lady Adele Ratignole. This is the opposing force against the sympathy that we were encroached to feel, as we realize that Ednas life is in perfect harmony. Soon we are enlightened to what the narrator deems to be fountain of her dolefulness: a certain form of realization and awakening to the realities of her life. As this is conveyed we notice a sympathetic and pitiful tone employed by the author (ponderous weight of wisdom to descend upon a young soul)(How few of us emerge from such beginning! How many souls perish in its tumult!) to induce in us sentiments of commiseration and compassion as we apprehend her predestined fate. Ednas infatuations characterize failures in her life and failures are another key tool to captivating our sympathy. All her earlier unfulfilled passions also portent her unsuccessful future thereby capturing our sympathy for her Fate. Ednas first swim into the ocean which scripts her first step towards freedom, self-discovery, and individuality is embellished with a prominent symbol of an infant advancing in its first walking steps. This insinuation teases and provokes what can only be characterized as an exploitation of the universality of sympathy felt for a fragile, innocent, and vulnerable infant. (But that night she was like the little tottering, stumbling, clutching child, who of a sudden realizes its powers)(A quick vision of death smote her soul, and for a second of time appalled and enfeebled her senses). This effective image burns in our consciousness and captures our sympathy. Also it attenuates Ednas physical and spiritual form, and indicatively makes her a being of lesser abilities which makes it easier for us to forgive her amoral attitudes. By indirectly supporting Ednas process of awakening, Chopin proposes her acceptance and belief in the desire to defy conventions. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Argumentative EssayDoctor Mandelet, an intelligent and discerning character too offers his sympathies to Edna, and this unlike our natural pity is one of an intellectual cognizing. The final climax aided with the small anti-climax of Ednas witnessing of the birth of Adeles child is the ultimate facet for drawing on our sympathy. The poignancy and piteous manner of her suicide grapples our emotions, compassions, and pity while at the same time enhancing our comprehension of the underlying reasons beneath her calculated and premeditated death. The anti-climax involving an appalling, and tormenting parturition of Adeles fourth child, of which Edna was a forced witness has detrimental effect on her psyche, as Adele has as she intended succeeded planting in Ednas mind a horrifying and oppressing impression of her responsibilities.(she was stunned and speechless with emotion) However as we reach towards the last pages of this epiphany, Ednas vicarious character imposes upon on us and when she states (The children appeared before her like antagonists who had overcome her ; who had overcome and sought to drag her into the souls slavery for the rest of her days) we strangely feel justifying her assertions. For us as readers to cast aside our sympathies for harmless and impeccable children who require care-taking in favor of a seemingly selfish lady and her independent desire is truly an enchanting work of art by Kate Chopin. Why do we support Edna in spite of her moralistic discrepancies? I think we must admit that we have never seen these children in any way discontented with life, while on the other hand Edna through Kates artistic weaving is a pitiful (new born creature opening its eyes in a familiar world that it has never known). Therefore with the death of Edna ends this novel, and in retrospect we must note that through out the entire book the narrator had intensively focused on Edna, and this technique following up till her death is efficacious in imbuing in us an engaging sense of sympathy for her plenary character. One impacting symbolism that ends, and crucially procures our sympathies is that of a (A bird with a broken wing was beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water). Fulfilling Mme Reizs apocalyptical prophecies Edna is a wounded bird whose death is ominous, and therefore we are to respect and mourn for her death realizing just how convincing her ideals were but alas there was no one in the society to support and enliven her fascinated imaginations and aspirations.