Culture of Australia Essay Example for Free

Culture of Australia Essay The question of identity is always a difficult one for those living in a culture or group, yet belonging to another. This difficulty frequently remains in the mind of most immigrants, especially the second generations who were born in a country other than their parents. Younger generations feel as if they are forced to change to fit the social standards despite previous culture or group. Furthermore those who wish to adopt a new identity of a group or culture havent yet been fully accepted by original members due to their former identity. Living with a different culture to our roots can lead to changes in our lives. Migrating to Australia has affected a lot of authors from Alice Pungs vignettes of Growing up Asian in Australia. Michelle Law displays her exclusion from the Australian culture by preparing exotic lunches with her mother, as well as her hairless Chinese body compared to the school girls. Being seen as a distinct outsider to the Australian culture can influence one to change their way of life to fit in and form friendships. Sunil an Indian schoolboy was faced with the choice of constantly being bullied over his differences or adapting to the community by altering his name to Neil. Changing for others an lose your place in your original identity and culture. After visiting Hong Kong, Michelle momentarily feels identical to her surroundings with her Chinese ethnicity. After mispronouncing words when ordering at a Cantonese Mc Donalds, Michelle comes to realise that she feels just as excluded in Hong Kong as she did in Australia. This sense of displacement caused by multiple cultures can question Michelles judgement, Am I more Asian or more Australian? The feeling of not fitting in can lead us to changes in our life to fit social standards despite our previous culture or way of life. Alice Pung addresses the idea of multiculturalism in her novel Unpolished Gem. Two of the themes in this novel where she portrays her culture are through personal identity and the impact of the past. A major influence on Alices identity was when she was a young child and her grandmother would tell her stories about events that occurred in Cambodia. In Alices teenage years, her beloved grandmother has a stroke, developed disabilities and eventually had passed away. It is around this time where serious psychological problems occur for Alice. This almost forces her into a mental state in which she knows she does not fit in with the Australian culture. She believed she had to do everything she could to change that otherwise Alice knew she would break down mentally. Alice was forced to attempt to fit the social standards of Australia. The actions of adopting a new identity by putting yourself into a different group can lead to not only the new group not fully accepting you but also your original group will see you as a totally different person. At the age of 13 I played basketball for the under 14s side. We were all very close and had formed great friendships throughout the season. The following season I was asked to play above my age group. Without thinking twice I accepted what I thought was a great opportunity. A few days pasted and it was the day of my first training session with the older group. Throughout the 2 hours of training I did not enjoy myself at all. No one would pass me the ball and it was as if they didnt want me there. To be honest I didnt want to be there neither. I decided to return to my own age group and play with my old friend. At the next training session with my original team I realized the same thing was happening, no one would pass me the ball or even acknowledge that I was on the court. It turns out I had changed as a person and found myself caught between the two teams. The moral of that experience was by trying to fit in with a new group I found that I had lost my original identity and forgot where I belong. There are a variety of scenarios that result in us trying to change. Whether it is a result of a different culture or even past experiences. People also feel as if they are forced upon change, and even if you find yourself with a new identity or culture, you may not be fully accepted by original members of that group or culture. The power of a group however is often the cause of losing our individual identity. In conclusion the question remains of whether Change of an identity is right or wrong?

brady bill :: essays research papers

Brady Law Falsehoods The Brady law has received much credit for the country's rapidly dropping crime rate. Yet with the Supreme Court striking down the laws background check requirements, it faces its ultimate test. If gun control advocates are correct, the court's decision will unleash a new crime wave. The Justice Department continually releases "new" studies crediting the law with reducing crime. Actually, the downward crime trend started in 1991, well before the Brady law became effective in March 1994. My research shows that this decline is in great measure because of higher arrest rates and more states allowing law-abiding citizens to carry concealed handguns. Others estimate that the Brady bill had a much smaller effect on gun sales than the 100,000 rejections its proponents claim. Last year the General Accounting Office reported that initial rejections numbered about 60,000, and more than half were for purely technical reasons, mostly paperwork errors that eventually were corrected. A much smaller number of rejections, 3,000, were due to violent crime convictions--and presumably many of these people just proceeded to buy a gun on the street. Brady law backers have focused almost exclusively on the value of background checks, the one part of the law that the Supreme Court specifically struck down. Yet there never was much controversy over this issue: When Congress debated the law, no one, not even the National Rifle Assn., opposed background checks. The dispute was over a five-day waiting period versus an "instant check." Ultimately, the success of background checks and waiting periods must be judged by their impact on crime. To seriously evaluate their impacts, however, one must recognize that other legal changes also occurred. For example, during 1995 and 1996, 10 more states adopted nondiscretionary concealed handgun laws. In the belief that concealed handguns deter crime, 31 states now grant permits automatically to citizens who have no significant criminal records or histories of major mental illness. In all 31 states, more people now carry legally concealed handguns. Considerable evidence supports the notion that permitted handguns deter criminals. Polls show that there are at least 760,000 and possibly as many as 3.6 million defensive uses of guns per year. In 98% of the cases, people simply brandish weapons to stop attacks. This is further reflected in the different rates of "hot burglaries," where a resident is at home when a criminal strikes. In Canada and Britain, both with tough gun control laws, almost half of all burglaries are "hot.

Art and Function in a T-Shirt Essay

Defining and evaluating artistic and aesthetic value has often been a problematic task. This is because aesthetic judgements are subjective and are influenced by prevailing cultural, economic, political, and social norms. Hence, the definition of art remains a contested domain between those who believe in â€Å"high art† and the advocates of artistic and cultural relativism. (Danto 35) The difficulty in ascribing aesthetic value to objects is evident in the fact that relativism, with its focus on the individual subjective experience, would render anything and everything as artforms since humans ultimately attach meanings to objects they possess. Changes in culture and socio-economic conditions also alter and influence the very standards by which the aesthetic value of art forms and other objects are judged. For instance, in judging a t-shirt with Bob Marley’s face printed on it on the front through the use of the silkscreen method, one easily dismisses it as a non-art when judged according to the traditional notions of fine art. This is because the t-shirt and the print on it do not express artistic creativity, which is a prerequisite for objects to be considered art forms. The t-shirt and the print, which can be replicated many times over by any one with knowledge on silk screen printing, do not possess relevant canonic properties of art such as unity, complexity, and intensity which could evoke intense human experiences and therefore, aesthetic appreciation (Goldman 185). The sight of the t-shirt does not stir up feelings of beauty nor does its fabric hold anything extraordinary for the senses. The print on the t-shirt does not convey a particular style to capture attention or cause pain or pleasure, at least not in the way that beholding Picasso’s paintings evoke wonder, mystery, and other psychological sentiments arising purely from the painter’s use of style, colors, and the imagination. Likewise, the t-shirt with the print on it was created not for the purpose of being admired as an art. As such, the t-shirt is not valuable in itself but gains value for its function to humans, contrary to traditional visual and other forms of art. Art forms are valued for their artistic worth or for their ability to command a definite blending of particular perceptual and sensory elements from the audience (Goldman 188). On the other hand, subjecting the t-shirt to evaluation based on the principles of aesthetic value leads to interesting results. The t-shirt with Bob Marley’s face printed on it clearly fulfills two aesthetic principles. First, the t-shirt becomes a medium for the image of Bob Marley, a cultural icon in reggae music and in the historical struggle of Jamaicans. In this case, the t-shirt with Bob Marley’s image transcends its status as an object worn by humans to cover themselves and becomes an expression of the values of reggae and Jamaican culture in a manner similar to cultural artifacts. Second, the t-shirt itself may be valued by an individual for the sentiments attached to the shirt. It could have been given as a gift for an occasion or has been worn to events associated with feelings of happiness which make the t-shirt valuable to the individual because of the memories of joyous times spent while wearing it. Thus, other people might consider the same t-shirt aesthetically valuable. Fenner observes that objects do not have intrinsic aesthetic value; rather it is the subjective experience of humans that create aesthetic value for objects, particularly the expectation of pleasure from an object (122). Those who appreciate and know Bob Marley may value his image on the t-shirt and subsequently feel pleasure or the elevation of other feelings associated with Bob Marley’s musical contribution and historical roots. As such, the t-shirt may be appreciated by people who share a cultural affinity with Jamaica or of the counterculture that Bob Marley represents. The value of Bob Marley’s silkscreened image extends to the t-shirt which carries it and reinforces the value of the shirt for its owner. The t-shirt, donned by the owner, can therefore be considered the medium for the expression of individuality and creativity of the wearer. Wearing Bob Marley may be a political or cultural statement for a particular culture, particularly as a representation of the struggle against apartheid or against conventional popular music and the culture it represents. Hence, the appreciation of Jamaican culture or reggae music becomes another definitive aspect of the aesthetic experience that may be separate from the experiences attached to the t-shirt as an object. Likewise, neither the fact that the t-shirt was not created for the sake of art nor its low economic worth prevents it from being categorized as an art form. Fenner notes that the presence of traditional aesthetic properties do not necessarily lead to an aesthetic experience or to the creation of an aesthetic value (121). Hence, the audience can view a pricey painting without feeling any connection with it which would make the painting worthless in terms of evoking a subjective experience of appreciation for creativity or imagination. On the other hand, the same audience may behold the image on a shirt and feel an instant connection, a feeling of intense emotions from memories or meanings attached to the object of attention. It is clear that the traditional definitions of art and the accompanying distinction and stratification between â€Å"high art† and â€Å"lowbrow art† has slowly been eroded with the rise of cultural relativism and postmodern theory. Doubtless, the rigid formality of art has come under attack even within various artists’ circles itself that ascribe to the fluidity and less structured styles of postmodern culture. Thus, even an ordinary t-shirt can now be considered an art form when, after critical analysis, it is able to fulfill the principles of aesthetic value. Works Cited: Fenner, David E.W. The Aesthetic Attitude. Atlantic Highlands, N.J.: Humanities Press, 1996. Goldman, Alan. â€Å"Beardsley’s Legacy: The Theory of Aesthetic Value.† The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 63.2 (2005): 185-190.

Comparing Characters In Macbeth And The Social Network

Comparing Characters in Macbeth and The Social Network Similarities and differences are present between nearly anything. For instance, two books can be compared in regards to their themes. Likewise, multiple people can be contrasted in regards to their personality. Similarities and differences can be good and bad and they can also help one to clearly see which of the subjects that are being compared are better than the other. Another example of where two subjects can be compared is in Macbeth and The Social Network, in regards to the characters. One may wonder how such different pieces of work could possibly be compared and contrasted, but after analyzing both pieces, it is clear that such similarities and differences exist. Characters†¦show more content†¦This shows how their idea, if successful, would make them rich and potential billionaires, given their past work and their intelligence. Through both of these examples, it is clear that both the twins and Malcolm are very close to being on top. However, it is evident that the situation in Macbeth is worse than in The Social Network, because for Malcolm and Donalbain, this power has put them at risk. Since Duncan has been murdered, they must flee to keep themselves safe. Unlike for the twins, the only thing that they had at stake was their idea for HarvardConnection being stolen. In this situation, Shakespeare makes the reader more sympathetic for Donalbain and Malcolm than Sorkin does for the Winklevoss twins. This shows how although both characters are similar, their situations are very different and the characters in Macbeth have it worse. Secondly, Lady Macbeth and Sean Parker are two characters that are similar in the sense that they are the real people in control behind the scenes. Although everyone may think that Macbeth is strong and a good leader, Lady Macbeth controls him and convinces him to commit terrible crimes. One of Lady Macbeth’s way of controlling Macbeth is to question his manhood. Lady Macbeth expressed her thoughts of Macbet h as: †¦ do I fear thy nature; It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness To catch theShow MoreRelatedComparing Macbeth And The Social Network1921 Words   |  8 PagesComparing Macbeth and The Social Network About four hundred years have passed since William Shakespeare composed his last play. However his writing, plots and characters are as alive today as they were when the plays were initially produced throughout the late sixteenth and mid seventeenth centuries. Despite the fact that Shakespearian plays are over centuries old, the themes and morals portrayed are still relevant in our society, as they are used in media today, betrayal being the main focusRead MoreJames Earl Jones: a Voice in the Crowd2904 Words   |  12 PagesCrowd March 19, 1996 People all around the world know the voice of James Earl Jones. From Star Wars fans listening to the voice of Darth Vader to news junkies who hear a voice that dramatically intones AThis is CNN@ just before all the cable network= s station breaks to children who hear the stately voice of the majestic Mufasa, the king of the jungle in Walt Disney Pictures= animated The Lion King - people know this deep harmonious voice belongs to this consummate actor of stage and screen.Read MoreProject Managment Case Studies214937 Words   |  860 Pagesleadership may be necessary such that the barriers to change can be overcome quickly. These barriers can exist at all levels of management as well as at the worker level. The changes may require that workers give up their comfort zones and seek out new social groups. tive Lakes Automotive is a Detroit-based tier-one supplier to the auto industry. Between 1995 and 1999, Lakes Automotive installed a project management methodology based on nine life-cycle phases. All 60,000 employees worldwide accepted