Even though both authors’ stories were completely different, the message they convey is the same. “Only the bravest of individuals obeys his or her conscience”. In a world of complete equality and sameness, a…
Klein, D. M. (2003). Family Theory. In International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family. Retrieved from http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3406900167.html…
A moral dilemma entails a choice between two highly conflicting values, where the decision made may result in guilt and remorse. As responders we are able to assess our own values in regards to the character’s actions. These characteristics are present in the texts Montana 1948 by Larry Watson 1993, The Returning by Daniel De Paola 1964 and Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby 2004. I personally have been influenced to assess my own values towards family ties, justice and the balance between right and wrong.…
As I shall show in the paper that follows, a quest for family stability and the ability of self-…
Waller, B. (2008). Consider Ethics: Theory, Readings, and Contemporary Issues. New York: Pearson Education, Inc.…
Which sociological perspective notes the ways in which the family gratifies the needs of its members and contributes to the stability of…
Daily Humans face the difficulty of choosing what's morally right, and morally wrong. Whether it be the simple everyday 'thank you' and 'please' or perhaps the wrong decision made under the carpet for personal gain, every action has a reaction. These choices seem simple when seen on paper, however the once simple decision becomes quite the opposite when an alternate motive poisons the minds of unsuspecting civilians. Freakonomics illustrates the harsh reality that once people are given a choice, no matter how wrong it may seem; when their neck is on the line, the majority of civilians will do what it takes to benefit themselves. Reffering to the rhetorical evidence of logos, Levitt and Dubner use examples from school systems to sumo wrestlers to explain to readers the motivation behind the so called cheating that plagues society. In “What Do School Teachers and Sumo Wrestlers Have in Common” Levitt and Dubner describes the situation for the teachers inside the Chicago Public Schools. It just so happens that the year the teachers proved to be fraudulent “high stakes testing” implemented itself into the school system (22). With bonuses and jobs on the line are the teachers really to blame? If it is true everyone has a price then it must be true that the Chicago Public Schools hit the teacher’s price dead on. In turn the question must be asked: who cheats? “Anyone, if the stakes are right” (22). As rhetorical elements, these descriptions convince the audience that everyone has a price to do what’s proven as morally wrong. Overall Levitt and Dubner sufficiently paint a picture in the minds of readers why someone would go against morality to benefit…
After the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001, the masculine role for men climbed in social position; creating a subordinate social position for women. Rising in hegemonic masculinity, males began to challenge the existence of social roles in America due to the contemporary crisis throughout the world. A contemporary crisis that influenced hegemonic masculinity was in the 2008 housing crash. This resulted in white masculinity and identities that began evolving and eroding as the family, home, and male psychology is interpreted at the micro logical levels of post-9/11 American…
Attempting to understand family life can be done through many different perspectives. The most central theory in the study of family sciences is the Family Systems Theory. The perspective of Family Systems Theory can be summarized through the phrase “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. Family Systems Theory attempts to understand the series of connections between the individual parts of a family and how these interactions and connections affect the family as a whole. A family system is made up of the connections between individuals in a family. Family systems interactions with outside systems determine the openness and permeability of the boundaries surrounding a family system. The goals of a family system affect the behaviors and patterns that become the family structure. Subsystems within the family interact with each other and affect the relationships between individuals. Of course family units are not static and therefore the rules, traditions, and day-to-day behavior of a family system must constantly be changing in order to keep the course of reaching their goals in equilibrium. Family systems are united in their desire to achieve goals formed from a [unified] family paradigm or ideal. In this paper I will use family systems theory to interpret how my own family goals motivate the structures and processes that make up our family system. Family Systems Theory allows me to understand my family’s processes as working towards the family goals to have fun, create togetherness, work together towards accomplishment, and be spiritually strong.…
As Lakoff and Johnson suggest in their article Metaphors We Live By, “Metaphors not only make our thoughts more vivid and interesting, but they actually structure our perceptions and understanding”. What I find most interesting throughout the duration of this article is that Metaphors We Live By gives us a source of examples that demonstrate our use of various metaphors used in everyday language and thoughts.…
Velasquez, Manuel, Claire Andre, Thomas Shanks, S.J., and Michael J. Meyer. "Conscience and Authority.” Santa Clara University. 12/03/2009 .…
Fairytales are believed to illustrate characters and events to teach an audience valuable morals or life lessons. However, Sheldon Cashdan, author of “The Witch Must Die: The Hidden Meaning of Fairy Tales”, explains this is a common misconception amongst readers, and in fact, the stories are to help us deal with internal conflicts and struggles we face throughout our lives (8). However there is much more to be taught when identifying a fairytales underlying meaning. For example, the classic Brothers Grimm tale, “Little Red Cap”, portrays the potential consequences lead by our inability to discern the nature of evil. Through its characters and events, “Little Red Cap” truthfully depicts the wolf’s evil…
Grauherholz and Lori Baker-Sperry, an assistant professor of women's studies at Western Illinois University and a former Purdue graduate student, examined 168 Brothers Grimm fairy tales to evaluate how beauty is portrayed in the storylines. (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger) ABSTRACT The Pervasiveness and Persistence of the Feminine Beauty Ideal in Children's Fairy Tales Lori Baker-Sperry and Liz Grauerholz This study advances understanding of how a normative feminine beauty ideal is maintained through cultural products such as fairy tales. Using Brothers Grimm's fairy tales, the authors explore the extent and ways in which "feminine beauty" is highlighted. Next, they compare those tales that have survived (e.g., Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty) with those that have not to determine whether tales that have been popularized place more emphasis on women's beauty. The findings suggest that feminine beauty is a dominant theme and that tales with heavy emphases on feminine beauty are much more likely to have survived. These findings are interpreted in light of changes in women's social status over the past…
Perhaps family itself was the value that we were missing the most—a sense of togetherness that would unify us much more than anything else could. Yet we never did make that connection. Instead we found it best to try and act as though we knew what a functional family was as though we were doing a bad game of Simon Says. As Gary Soto recalls from his childhood, “I tried to convince them that if we improved the way we looked we might get along better in life” (Soto, 29). That was the way my fake family was. We knew the meaning of values, but in reality we did not put them into practice, whether it be out of laziness or simple antagonism for those we may or may not have viewed as inferior to our bloodline. Seldom attention was given to the values…
This view of family relations provides an important framework for understanding the roots of familism—the factors that contribute to the maintenance and/or development of loyalty within families.…