Haikus

A rich green lawn lies

Sown to the earth, a heavy rug

Tickling my feet

A clear blue surface,

Dancing in trembling circles

The leaf strokes water

In the dry silence,

the willow firmly stands

Another ring richer.

poem

Suicide in the Trenches

I knew a simple soldier boy
Who grinned at life in empty joy,
Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,
And whistled early with the lark.

In winter trenches, cowed and glum,
With crumps and lice and lack of rum,
He put a bullet through his brain.
No one spoke of him again.

You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when soldier lads march by,
Sneak home and pray you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go.

S. Sassoon

This is an elegy!

Passage One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest

Analysis of pages 171-172

Context:

This is the scene on page 171-beginning 172 in which McMurphy breaks the glass of the Nurses station after the Nurse takes away the tub room in a meeting.

Themes:

Themes that are present in this passage are mainly Control and Oppression, but also Living vs. Apathy, Perspective vs. Perspective,and possibly Be a Man or Sanity vs. Insanity .

Motifs:

Motifs in the passage are big vs. small, gambling, machinery and also cigarettes.

Main Themes and Characters:

Control and Oppression is the driving/main theme in the passage, since:

• scene serves as the major confrontation of the Nurse and McMurphy
• The Nurse, playing a rigged game, wants to exert her power and show fully that she is in control by taking away the tube room, indirectly expecting to win over McMurphy
• She does this especially through the use of language: her tone is condescending and patronizing, and her diction is sophisticated (syntax simple to be understood by Acutes) to show her powerful position and control over the entire ward.

"We must take away a privilege. And after careful consideration of the circumstances of this rebellion, we've decided that there would be a certain justice in taking away the privilege of the tub room that you men have been using for your card games during the day. Does this seem unfair?"

• Through the use of this rhetoric question at the end, she addresses especially McMurphy but also all other Acutes, and makes it clear that she holds the power in the ward. The fact that she doesn’t look at McMurphy after saying this also emphasizes how sure she is of her being in control.

• McMurphy's reaction seems accepting, but through sensory imagery explained by the Chief, it is clear that he believes he is in control.
• calm tone "So, if there is no discussion on this ruling, I think the hour is almost over…"

Motif big vs. small

• McMurphy explained as "big" through figurative and sensory language ( imagery): "he's big as a house", "he said in his slowest, deepest drawl", "the iron on his boot heels cracked lightning out of the tile. He was the logger again, the swaggering gambler(motif of gambler), the big redheaded brawling Irishmen, the cowboy…"(simile, metaphor, description of McMurphy's action)
• Shows complete disregard for Nurses punishment through his behavior, as if he accepted it- won't loose his face "He stretched and yawned and scratched his nose and started strolling across the day room…"
• McMurphy breaks window for 'cigarettes'= freedom from oppression (and BIG PICTURE from Combine)

Structure:

• At first, Nurse talks, Nurses actions described, but slowly view turns on McMurphy and his behaviour and action (shift of view from Chief Nurse to McM)
• Scene shows through structure how Nurse seems in control at first, but slowly loses control to McMurphy, who breaks her window at the end

Theme Living vs. Apathy is a secondary theme, shown through observations of Chief

• Chief and Acutes are the 'apathetical': "I could see it was too late to keep him from doing whatever fool thing he had in mind, and I just watched like everybody else"
• Chief passive, only hears machinery/noises after Nurses punishment- serves motif of machinery (like warning, danger)
• McMurphy is the only one fighting oppression of the Nurse, which makes him the 'living': "But one by one everybody else looked at him sitting there in his corner." (everyone expects him to act -on behalf of them)
• "faces turned to him, full of naked, scared hope" (need McMurphy to resist, otherwise apathetical!)

Short Plan for Modest Proposal

Topic: Obesity (Food)

Big Idea: The Problem of obesity in the Western World will be solved by making everyone obese through large intakes of food.

Problem: The West, especially America, is struggling with the issue of obesity, that has become not only a life threatening health concern, but also a factor for limited living standards. Obese people, although many in number, stick out and are mobbed in the world. Obesity can lead to shorter life span and failure of heart at young age. In order to combat this Global Issue (Food), I propose that all of Americas and West Europe's citizens will be battened, in order to create equality and eradicate the problem of obesity. Sport institutions and exercise will be limited/ erased, and food production and intake should increase. Longer breaks at lunch for workers (to give them more time to eat), more fast food restaurants and food stores in general, as well as shorter walks and making more use of public transportation and cars will increase the obesity per person rapidly. Once everyone is obese, the problem will no longer exist. The economy will thrive through the increased food production, and the average life span will be much shorter, therefore no old people will live and the state will save all the money invested in pensions.

Audience:

Government of USA, Fast Food Industry,( World Health Organization?)

Advantages:

• No longer problem of obesity
• Many obese already, so to achieve this, not much money has to be invested
• The food industry will benefit
• Short-term advantages: clothing, furniture industry will benefit (everyone has to buy bigger things)
• Health Care System-since obesity not a problem if everyone has it, health care system can focus on more important, pressing problems
• Life expectancy shorter--no money spent on old (pensions), and problem of overpopulation solved

Language/Rhetoric used to write Proposal:

• Tone (formal, ironic, dry)
• Listing
• Facts and economics!!!
• Understatement (intended)
• Irony
• Sophisticated language

Three Articles on Poverty in America-Precise

Three Articles Precise:

1) Jared Bernstein, writer for the Economic Policy Institute, wrote his article on the Census Bureau, and its faults. Since the Census Bureau’s definition for poverty and its measurement is over 40 years old, it isn’t accurate anymore. Bernstein argues that there are two main problems with the Census Bureau: for one, it fails to notice and incorporate consumption patterns that have occurred since the 60s. The Census Bureau measures poverty based on food expenditures, but the cost of food in relation to other goods and necessities has changed a lot in the past years. Secondly, the CB doesn’t incorporate low-income families and female-headed households in their survey, and this drastically increases the number of poor American citizens. Since the CB is a highly valued survey, lots of governmental decisions are based on its results, and Bernstein believes that it desperately needs to be revised in the near future. With adaptation, he argues that the Poverty Line will possibly open people’s eyes to reality, how bad the situation has become.

(Who’s Poor? Don't Ask the Census Bureau, By Jared Bernstein)

2) Paul Krugman, former Economics Professor at Princeton and now NYT journalist, focused his article on poverty, especially child poverty, in the USA. According to him, children who are born into poverty have little to no chance of escaping it. While Johnsons War on Poverty actually lowered the number of poor Americans, little was done afterwards to keep the Poverty Line low. Government does very little on the topic, and many excuses try to hide the large and growing number of the poor. One excuse that tries to reduce the problem is that the poor aren’t truly poor, and the so-called problem is therefore easily overlooked. According to Krugman, the American Dream that most Americans truly believe in hinders actions done for the poor, since the idea incorporates that anyone can become wealthy and happy in America if the will and effort is present.

(Poverty Is Poison, By Paul Krugman)

3) This article by Walter E. Williams, Economics professor at George Mason University, deals with the issue of poverty (especially in America), and blames the individual for being poor. Poverty, according to him, is a decision brought upon oneself due to wrong or foolish choices. According to the Census Bureau, the majority of the poor are female- headed households. Williams argues that pregnancy is a conscious act that could be prevented. Also, not marrying the father of one’s child is another mistake brought upon oneself, and could have easily been prevented. Another main reason for poverty is drug abuse, according to NPR/Kaiser/Kennedy School toll. Again, taking drugs is optional, and therefore the individual can only blame himself if he lives in poverty, Lastly, Williams argues that individuals, regardless of race or gender, have the option of going to college and learning a job. People who do not take this option have only themselves to blame, since they will probably be counted as one of the 11.7% (2001 Census Bureau) who live below the Poverty Line.

(Poverty in America, by Dr. Walter E. Williams)

Precise- “Let Them Eat Ketchup! The Politics of Poverty and Inequality”

Let Them Eat Ketchup is the book by Sheila Collins, written in 1996 about poverty in the United States. In her book, she deals with poverty in many different ways. For one, the book introduces a middle class, which is the generalization for all those in society that aren’t extremely rich or poor. This middle class is defined by Collins as “having the promise of continuous upward mobility”. This middle class, which was supported by Presidents such as Reagan and Nixon, is a part of the American Dream, a dream of a classless society. This middle class or “classless society” is a myth, according to Collins, told to Americans in order to stir productivity, and lead us away from the real differences in our world: income, wealth, power.

Sheila Collins suggests in her book that the USA is a “deeply divided society”, in which factors such as race, gender, education or sexual orientation determine what class we are categorized in. Class is described as “differences between people that are based on economic position-income, wealth, occupation group etc.” Much of this division within society also relates to power, and although the government could act upon these differences, they (differences) have been widely ignored. The class of an individual ultimately represents the degrade of poverty; surveys such as the Census Bureau take place on a regular basis to examine the income measure and inequality of over 60,000 households. The results from this survey show a lopsided income distribution, and according to Collins, blacks, females and indigenous people are of worst in facing inequality. Therefore, the idea of equality in America is a myth, told to society to enable harder workers and maintain social control.

Additionally, the biggest topic expressed in this book is poverty. In order to combat poverty however, the term “poor” must first be defined. This is difficult since different countries or communities have different viewpoints on poverty. The Native Americans for example had none of the “luxuries” the Western World enjoys today (such as TV, Radio, etc.) but they had more than enough to survive and didn’t consider themselves poor. Therefore there are different definitions for poverty 1) “the absolute deprivation of the resources needed to sustain life” 2) “a deprivation in relation to some culturally defined standard of need (status, self-esteem, education, jobs, political power, income, etc)”. Poverty is a national problem, but in order to combat it the question arises “who is considered poor?” The measurement for poverty is taken from the Poverty Line, and anyone falling under it is poor according to the State. This Poverty Line is not always accurate since it doesn’t consider families, farmers in rural areas, older people or single mothers. As a result, the Poverty Index was created as an adjustment to the Poverty Line. The formula for the Poverty Index was drawn up by Mollie Orshansky, who tried to adjust the poverty measurement to also fit family size and type. Now that poverty is defined and measurable, it canh theoretically be fought.

The Culture of Poverty Thesis, drawn up in the 1960s by anthropologist Oscar Lewis, sociologist Patrick Moynihan, and political scientist Edward Banfield, was an early attempt to eradicate poverty. Although all three believe that “persistently poor people are culturally different in their behavior, values and attitudes”, their origin or solution to the poverty problem differ. Lewis believes that the origin for poverty is the ‘subculture’ the really poor have created for themselves, which hinders them to change their condition. He sees the solution in class-consciousness, in which the poor become aware of their situation and struggle for their rights (through Unions for example). Moynihan relies on a totally different way of combating poverty. The reason for poverty, in his eyes, is the female-headed family in the USA. According to him, the way to solve the problem is “the promotion of stable, male dominant family structures”. The third contributor, Banfield, refused the existence of poverty in the US altogether. According to his research, the different social classes within society all profit the country, and therefore no changes will have to be made to the “issue of poverty”.

With the publication of the Culture of Poverty Thesis, liberals started to draw up the “dysfunctional welfare state” thesis, in which different people argue about ‘who to blame for poverty’. While most liberals blame the New Deal or President Johnson’s War on Poverty, certain writers found the blame somewhere else. George Gilder, for instance, sees the capitalist system as a “promise of endless opportunity for those willing to work hard”. According to him, poverty is attributed to failure to work hard, failure of appropriate family modeling, and lack of faith. Charles Murray on the other hand believed that poverty is a state that individuals get themselves into due to their lazy and amoral nature. People, as he states, do not work hard to improve their living condition unless coerced. The writer Lawrence Mead thought the “liberal welfare state is not necessarily too big, it is simply too permissive”. Another study called The Bell Curve, suggest that inheritance also influences the ‘state of poverty’ for the individual.

Still not enough has been fully done against the issue of poverty. The US has the highest poverty rate in the world, maybe since the American ideologies hinder reality. Other reasons might be the free-market or the limited government. Collins believes that the American history in slavery and class bias are aspects that have hindered the elimination of poverty in the past. Although Roosevelt’s New Deal or Johnsons War on Poverty were steps in the right direction, others have stopped or hindered further developments in the area. Collins believes that the problem of poverty isn’t unbeatable; there are lots of weak points. An immediate solution will sadly not be found, since abolishing poverty will take a long time.

Words: 985

Falling States and Weak Governments

Misuse can lead to violence, violence to disruption, disruption to corruption, corruption to forced migration, and forced migration to poverty! All over the world, developed countries see the approaching threat of poverty and problems in less-developed countries. While the UN worries about countries were terrorism thrives due to weak or non-existent governments, the EU sees that bordering countries that are engaged in violent conflict pose a threat. Regardless of individual worries, the overall opinion is the same; the need for immediate action.

While the main problems in these unstable countries are suffering, poverty and lack of security, the causes of these problems, such as unstable economies/governments or terrorism, are the ones to really deal with. Other questions to ask oneself are 'where are the problems?' and 'who is affected?' Robert Cooper explains the world in his book "The Breaking of Nations". In this he divides the world into three zones: pre-modern regions of chaos, areas successfully ruled by modern nation-states, and 'postmodern' co-operation (this is where national sovereignty is voluntarily dissolved). Other strategists see the 'falling states' as a particular threat, for the people living there, but since 9/11 also to the entire world. Examples of such collapsing states are Somalia, or Afghanistan.

Another issue is the weak governments within certain counties. Where a weak government doesn’t take action to issues such as smuggling of arms or drugs, more drastic problems and conflicts arise that the government is incapable of solving or dealing with. Weak civil-institutions in Sierra Leone or Liberia have helped fuel the outbreak of civil wars, alongside with the problems of 'blood diamonds'. But these countries aren't the only ones in trouble.

According to the Brooklyn Institution, which drew up a plan of weak countries, there are three 'failed states' in our world so far. These states, Somalia, DR Congo and Afghanistan, are accompanied by 20 other critically weak states that desperately need foreign help. The origins of these falling states can be drawn back to colonizers, who simply divided the country, split tribes or ethnic groups, drew up problematic borders-and then left. With no one to govern or solve the conflicts, civil wars break out. A second big origin is the end of the Cold War, which turned out quite negative for certain countries.

In our lives today, the arising issue is that the problems in these 'falling states' do not stay within the country’s borders, but also affect developed countries. Groups such as Al Qaeda might train within its countries borders, but its actions dominantly affect the USA or Europe. Certainly help from developed countries would better the situation. Not enough action has been taken, but maybe the effects of these falling states on the West will open some eyes, and lead to more action.

Failed states

Fixing a broken world

Jan 29th 2009
From The Economist print edition