LIBRARY RESEARCH PROCESS Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

LIBRARY PROCESS - Research Paper Example A researcher should always start from the reference desk before starting researching on his topic. At the reference desk, the researcher should describe their research interests to the reference librarian based on the research questions a researcher had formulated as a guide in the project. A good researcher is always composed and sure of what they want to research on. This gives a reference librarian confidence to direct the person on the relevant steps and sources. The reference librarian will then direct the researcher to the library catalog where a researcher gathers several relevant materials on the research topic. With all that, the researcher now explores all the available materials that will assist in gathering relevant information on the research topic (Zemliansky, 2008). The exploration starts from browsing through the materials to see whether they contain information worth investigating on. Having gotten the materials, it is also part of best practice to ensure that the ma terials remain in good condition since another person may need them on a later date. Opportunity for consultation: When using brick-and-mortar library, a researcher is in a position to get first hand assistance on their research topic from experienced and trained reference librarians as compare to online research where one relies on the information gotten first (Peters, 2010). A researcher could be tempted to take the reference librarian’s direction as final without giving it further thoughts on exploration. This is risky since it might end up changing the researcher’s original idea of the project. They are inconveniencing especially when a given source is not available in the library. Usually it takes a lot of time for an interlibrary loan since protocols and procedures have to be followed before the material is availed to the researcher. Schultz, A. (2009). Digitalization and the Library: The End of Libraries as Physical Place? Redoable Lite Dean J Robinson. Retrieved

Higher education Essay Example for Free

Higher education Essay English 10/29/13 Education has become a tremendous topic over the past several years and many people have come up with different philosophies on how to improve it. In â€Å"The Vision of Education Reform in the United States Remarks to UNESCO† by Arne Duncan and â€Å"Changing Paradigms† by Ken Robinson both have similar and different philosophies on education. Arne Duncan compares America to other nations, and Ken Robinson talks about the problems with our current day educational system. In the â€Å"The Vision of Education Reform in the United States Remarks to UNESCO† Arne Duncan addresses America as a whole. America is behind other nations in terms of educational success. There is a gap because one quarter of high school students drop out or fail to graduate on time, also 1 million students leave for the streets every year this is socially and economically unacceptable, and with the opportunity to acquire a good job without a high school or college diploma diminishing it is getting harder and harder to live without a proper education. Duncan also states that America needs to increase economic and educational competitiveness. The demand for educated workers has skyrocketed over the last decade and the United States simply can’t keep up with other nations. Americans have been introduced with new difficulties, now that Americans not only have to compete with fellow Americans but now with citizens from other nations. The most significant theory that Duncan presents is the idea that America needs to collaborate more with other nations. Collaboration is a necessity if America wants to accomplish our major goals like curing cancer, stopping world hunger, and obtaining world peace. Unfortunately America is not currently at a level in which it can keep up with other nations. To achieve such a level of educational success it is extremely important, America needs to improve upon STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math) subjects. America has the tools to accomplish these goals. This was proven when a study showed that â€Å"foreign-born students were earning masters and doctorates in science and engineering fields, now nearly half of America’s PhD scientists and engineers are immigrants even though they only take up 12% of America’s workforce overall. Although† The foreign-born immigrants usually return back to their home country with the skills they learned in America. Strengthening Americas rank in educational attainment to its former position is presidents Obama’s goal by 2020. It is immensely important that America strengthens its educational system not only to its benefit but for the benefit of nations all-around the globe. Arne Duncan identifies what America must do to progress on, an international standpoint; While Ken Robinson focuses mostly on improving America at home. In Ken Robinson’s â€Å"Changing Paradigms† he discusses what the United States government should do to improve schools in various ways. Ken Robinson discusses the lack of use of technology in schools. While students are stimulated outside of school with smart phones, computers, TVs, and tablets, when they come to school they are bored because they do not have that stimulation. This lack of stimulation can cause problems for students. Ken Robinson addresses one of these problems as ADHD. Robinson thinks ADHD is a â€Å"false epidemic†. He justifies his statement by blaming the lack of technology in schools. He believes that the high use of technology outside of school and the lack of it in school are causing the students to become bored, so they will try to stimulate themselves which is being diagnosed as ADHD. Ken Robinson in away wants our educational system to be revamped, such as he wants the way children are grouped to be change from age to ability. He also desires more in class collaboration like in a real workplace. He also wishes for the added use of technology in schools. Ken Robinson has a very agreeable philosophy on how education should be, however he fails to elaborate on how these changes should take place. Arne Duncan and Ken Robinson have very interesting philosophies on education but each focus on different parts of it. Duncan focuses on international success and on higher level education, while Robinson has a more local standpoint and is more K-12 based. Arne Duncan believes that America’s main priority should be to lead the world in educational success. Ken Robinson believes that the government should work on advancing schools technologically and changing education to better fit the students. America needs step up and step up fast both internationally and locally. By 2020 the president of the United States goal is for America to lead the world in college attainment America also needs to increase technology in schools.

Essay --

Montanna Williams Mrs. Songer World Literature 12 October 2013 Death In the writings The Snows of Kilimanjaro and The Death of Ivan Ilyich both Ernest Hemmingway and Leo Tolstoy have a prominent theme of death. These two works do not only show strong images of death, but also a sense of death’s presence. Throughout the two writings it is presented that chasing money, how both Ivan and Harry treat the people around them, and their egotistical life style can lead to an unpleasant death. In The Snows of Kilimanjaro Harry’s fondness for money causes him to lose sight of what is critical in life. He gave up writing which is something he appreciated and was good at, for a wealthy woman that he truly did not love. Harry was more concerned with how he should act in his society instead of what he enjoys doing. He has a bad habit of falling in love with woman who were wealthy instead of looking for essential things like a woman’s beliefs and her values. â€Å"It was strange too wasn’t it? That when he fell in love with another woman, that woman should always have more money than the last one?† Harry knows what he missed out on and in the end he regrets that he stopped doing what he loved. On the other hand in The Death of Ivan Ilyich Tolstoy portrays almost every character in the book to be concerned with social class. Once Ivan’s colleges found out he died, after asking simple details, they immediately asked about if Ivan was wealthy or n ot. â€Å"Had he any property?† I think his wife had a little – but something quite trifling.† (1.12-13). Ivan and his family were not in the upper class of society, they were in the middle, and because they owned property it made them higher up in their social classe because that was very rare in Russia at that ... ... a person should look at their life and how they should face their death. In The Snows of Kilimanjaro Harry was not content with the life he had lived. He made sacrifices and in result he was just not happy, and because of his sacrifices he had many regrets as he was dying. On the other hand Ivan Ilyich was too engaged in his work life and ignored his family matters. He didn’t step up to the plate; instead he ran away from the issues and hid behind his work, therefore resulting in a very non-loving family life. Luckily Ivan found peace in himself as he was about to die, even becoming joyful. Both of these writings teach that going after materialistic things, the way a person treats the people around them, and being self-absorbed can cause a distasteful death. Living life to the fullest and making the most of it can enrich your life and cause a more pleasant passing.

Analysis of Tess of the DUrbervilles by Thomas Hardy Essay -- Thomas

Analysis of Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy The depth of artistic unity found in Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles pervades every chapter of the novel. No one chapter is less important than another because each is essential in order to tell the tragic tale of Tess Durbeyfield. There is never an instance in Hardy's prose that suggests frill or excess. Themes of the Industrial Revolution in England, the status of women during Victorian England, Christianity vs. Paganism, matters of nobility, and the role that fatalism plays in life weave together with various symbols to create an amazing flow to his novel. At the beginning of chapter thirty-one, Joan Durbeyfield has just sent a letter with her advice to Tess. She tells Tess to keep her past from Angel a secret. Tess' mother is a practical woman who knows that Angel will be like most men and will reject Tess once he discovers the truth. It is important that Joan makes an appearance in this chapter because Tess' parents' influence on their daughter is integral to the plot of the novel from the beginning. In fact, a line can be traced from Tess to her parents to the effect of the Industrial Revolution on the peasantry of England. At the beginning of the novel, Tess offers to go Casterbridge to deliver the beehives that her father was supposed to deliver. John Durbeyfield is unable to make this delivery because he has yet again inebriated after having made a visit to Rolliver's Inn. Tess' father is just one example of the many victims of the Industrial Revolution. He and Joan are "representatives of the disaffected and drunken villagers whose houses will soon fall to larger farms mass-producing crops for mass consumption."[1]The villagers... ...By Thomas Hardy. N.p.: Unversity of Michigan, n.d. 417-427. Shaw, Bernard. Man and Superman. Cambridge, Mass.: The University Press, 1903; Bartleby.com, 1999. www.bartleby.com/157/. Tess of the D'Urbervilles. 37th ed. New York : Penguin Group, 1980. Tess of the D'urbervilles/ HARDY. Masterplots. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Thomas Hardy." Critical Survey of Long Fiction. N.p.: n.p., n.d. --------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] Bishnupriya Ghosh, "Critical Evaluation" Tess of the D'Urbervilles/HARDY, Masterplots [2] Charles E. May, "Thomas Hardy," Critical Survey of Long Fiction [3] May 1509 [4] George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, August 1999, November 10, 2003, http://www.bartleby.com/157/100.html [5] Donald Hall, Afterword on Tess of the D'urbervilles, Tess of the D'urbervilles, Peguin 1980 ed.

Legal Aid

â€Å"It is difficult to judge the success of reforms in legal aid provision as we lack agreement on the aims and objectives of a legal aid system†. Discuss. INTRODUCTION Legal aid helps with the costs of legal advice for people who can’t afford it. If anyone needs help with the costs of legal advice, he can apply for legal aid. Whether he   will receive it depends on: the type of legal problem he has; his income (how much he earn) and how much capital (money, property, belongings) he has; whether there is a reasonable chance of winning his case and whether it is worth the time and money needed to win.The legal aid scheme was set up after World War 2 by the  Legal Aid and Advice Act 1949[1]  in UK. The Legal Aid system was mainly introduced to help people who otherwise would not be able to afford it, to gain access the courts. It therefore enabled them to get a fair hearing and resolve legal problems. Legal Aid is central to a society based on social justice. It i s there to help everyone who really needs it. And by reducing discrimination based on a person’s financial standing, it enables fair access for all to the courts.We have to remember that before Legal Aid was introduced, many people could not afford to get the protection of our legal system due to the high costs involved. Thus, the aim of the Legal Services Commission[2]  is to make quality legal aid accessible to everyone thereby ensuring effective delivery of justice and legal advice. The aims and objectives of it are, * help people to resolve their legal problems as soon as possible * make it easier for people to get legal help especially if they belong to a disadvantaged group * help people find alternatives to going to court Provide a high quality legal service. HISTORY OF LEGAL AID SYSTEM Prior to  Access to Justice Act (AJA) – 1999[3]  in UK, legal aid service was based upon demand laid system. The system became increasingly expensive to run while catering for fewer and fewer people. In 1950, 80% of the community was covered by legal aid provision. In 1998, the provision of legal aid had fallen to less than 40%[4]. From the mid 1980s, various Lord Chancellor tried to reform the system. Their task was made acute by the fact that expenditure on legal aid doubled to ? 1. 4 billion over a four year period to 1995.A variety of reforms were attempted. Payment systems were changed, eligibility criteria revised and control shifted from the Law Society to the Legal Aid Board (Legal Aid Act 1998)[5]. In 1997, Labour government suggested that there might be a change in the direction of legal aid policy[6]. A number of the changes have been made by the  Children Act – 1989[7]  and the  Courts and Legal Services Act – 1990[8]. In 1993, two significant changes were made. Standard fees for criminal legal aid in the Magistrates Courts were introduced and the practice of franchising was initiated.However, over the past seven years, the cost of civil and family legal aid had tripled which meant; the taxpayers were paying more and getting less in return. The problem was not simply the rising costs. As fewer people were becoming eligible for legal aid, it would appear that expenditure was not accompanied by an increase in value for money. Therefore, in 1996, Lord Mackay capped the legal aid budget[9]. CHANGES AND ADVANTAGES IN LEGAL AID SYSTEM Following the  Access to Justice (AJA) Act – 1999, there had been many changes in legal aid system in UK.Access to Justice (AJA) Act – 1999  established a Legal Service Commission[10](LSC) to maintain and develop the Community Legal Service[11]  (CLS), replaced of civil legal aid and Criminal Defense Service, replaced of criminal legal aid. Section 5 of Access to Justice Act (AJA) – 1999[12]  provides the budget for the Legal Service Commission (LSC) to maintain the Community Legal Service (CLS) fund. The Legal service Commission (LSC) funds th ese services by entering into contracts with solicitors by way of a franchise. The main aim for introducing the franchise scheme was to secure value for money.Therefore, if solicitors feel that there are few chances of success in a case, they are deterred from expending money given to them by the Legal Service Commission (LSC). Thus, this leads to effective fund management on the part of the solicitors. Those who are ineligible for public funding, have to pay privately for legal services and this can be expensive. For this reason, the Lord Chancellor has developed the Conditional Fee Arrangement (CFA), which is a no win, no fee basis[13]. It was introduced by the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 and was extended recently by the  Access to Justice Act (AJA) – 1999.However, it does not apply in criminal case, family case etc. Under the  Access to Justice Act (AJA) – 1999, not only the court can order a losing party to pay the costs and success fee to the winning pa rty, but it is also possible, by virtue of  Section 29, Access to Justice Act (AJA) – 1999[14], to ensure against losing a case, which if won, the court may order the losing party to pay the cost of the insurance premiums. The Criminal Defense Service[15]  (CDS) was established under  Section 12 Access to Justice Act (AJA) – 1999[16]  for the purpose of securing those individuals who are involved in criminal investigations or criminal proceedings.They have access to ‘such advice, assistance and representation as the interests of justice require’. It is funded in a similar way as Community Legal Service (CLS), by the issue of franchise contracts, grants or loans or through the establishing and maintaining of advice and assistance bodies. Moreover, a duty solicitor scheme, which is free, is available to those people who are arrested and held in custody at a police station. LIMITATIONS OF ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT (AJA) – 1999 However, despite the above, the legal aid service is still not very effective. There are lack of commitment and poor communication from the lawyers.Community centers and Law centers are more effective in providing help and assistance. There are lack of advisers in areas like social security, housing, disability discrimination, employment and immigration. There is a distinct problem of ‘Access to Justice’ in certain where there are no solicitors who do publicly-funded work. Even, those solicitors who do publicly-funded work cut back on the number of cases they take on due to low rates of pay. Beside, the statutory charge may mean that a claimant may have nothing left even though he/she has won the case. CARTER REVIEWIn 2006, Lord Carter, in his review, drew attention to the need to continue reforming legal aid[17]. The review was concerned with the design of an efficient procurement system that also contained quality guarantees. Thus, it was based on the notion of an open and responsive mark et. The review argued that cost increases because of systematic weakness in the way legal aid services are procured and therefore, inefficiencies increases in the way the services are delivered. The Carter review recommended that fees should be paid on a fixed or graduated scale. However, fixed fees will impact negatively on advice, particularly in more complex cases.This will eventually result into work being done by para-legals and less qualified advice workers. Some research available to Carter Review suggested that whereas small firms could provide criminal legal aid in an efficient manner, larger firms were not able to do the same. This would suggest that further research would be required on the impact of reform as it might drive out of the market those very firms that were best suited to provide value for money in provision of legal service. CONCLUSION Implementation of legal aid act in both developed and underdeveloped countries indicates government’s willingness to s erve the poor.However, the government must also ensure that the act is regularly reviewed to address loopholes. The Government should follow a strategy of continuous improvement. In order to judge the success of reforms in legal aid provision, it is necessary to first establish a set of criteria against which it will be evaluated. These criteria should be set by the Government officials, Judges, and Legal Aid experts. Few criteria that could be used to evaluate the system are given below. * Administrative efficiency with focus on the procedural aspects of legal aid applications. Easy access to the courts irrespective of claimant’s or defendant’s financial means. * Initiative to create awareness in rural areas, especially in under-developed countries. * Effect of legal aid on tax payers. It is also essential to have accessible legal aid services beyond the government organizations. An active partnership between and NGO and a government agency can play a very significant role in social service delivery. They compensate for each other’s weaknesses and deficiencies. However, the government has to balance the needs for legal aid with the pressuring needs of other social services such as healthcare and education.

Developmental Theories Essays

Developmental Theories Essays Developmental Theories Essay Developmental Theories Essay â€Å"All developmental theories can be distilled into one powerful statement – if there is no development, there is no learning. † Do you agree? Use examples from some of the theories that you have encountered to justify your response. Over the years, many psychologists, scholars, mathematicians, teachers and counsellors have pondered this exact statement. I, at the risk of being predictable, agree with this statement but then also think that the idea can be reversed – saying that without learning, there will be limited development. This is not a hasty decision, the studies of Piaget and Vygotsky, along with numerous others cited in Educational Psychology (Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007) and academic journals all point to the conclusive outcome that development is essential to learning. Development, on a biological, social, emotional and cognitive level is defined in Educational Psychology as â€Å"certain changes that occur in human beings†¦between conception and death† (Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007) and â€Å"[these changes] are generally assumed to be for the better and result in behaviour that is more adaptive, more organised, more effective and more complex† (Mussen, Conger and Kagan, 1984). Development is therefore essentially PROGRESSION. Another source even says â€Å"the development of children unfolds along individual pathways whose trajectories are characterized by continuities and discontinuities, as well as by a series of significant transitions† (Shonkoff and Phillips 2000), showing that development is a process and a period of transition. Jean Piaget (1954) is explained in Educational Psychology to believe that â€Å"our thinking processes change radically, though slowly, from birth to maturity because we constantly strive to make sense of the world† (Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007). Piaget also â€Å"began to suspect that the key to human knowledge might be discovered by observing how the childs mind develops† (Papert, 1999). He then went on to discuss the term â€Å"social transmission† which means learning from others, and commented that â€Å"the amount people can learn from social transmission varies according to their stage of cognitive development† (Piaget in Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007). Piaget essentially believed that â€Å"cognitive development has to come before learning – the child has to be ‘ready’ to learn† (Piaget in Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007) and Diana Fox repeated this in her essay, Ages and Stages – â€Å"it is often said that the early childhood years are the getting ready phase of development and learning† (Fox, 2002). Jean Piaget pioneered the concept of the four major stages of cognitive development, the sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete-operational and formal-operation. All of these stages are very closely linked to the idea that development and learning go side by side, for instance, in the pre-operational stage, Educational Psychology states that you can â€Å"see the rapid development of that very important symbol system, language† (Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007). The child therefore needs to â€Å"develop† the capacity to learn the language and if they didn’t develop, they wouldn’t learn. So from Piaget’s teachings about the stages of operation and the way in which we learn, it is clear that learning can only come about with cognitive development. Lev Vygotsky (1978) recognised that â€Å"the child’s culture shapes cognitive development by determining what and how the child will learn about the world† (Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007), thus confirming the other statement being made in this essay – that the lack of learning will affect the development of the child. Vygotsky said that â€Å"interaction encourages development by creating cognitive conflict that motivated change† (Vygotsky in Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007). This shows that through social interactions between peers (learning), it fosters development to a higher learning level – hence moving into the territory of Piaget’s work. Vygotsky had the theory of â€Å"the zone of proximal development† which is â€Å"the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers†. He shows that â€Å"the key to hearty intellectual growth was for children to be supported in this zone. That way, learning could actually shape development† (Thurber, 2003). For the child to be assisted by a supportive and non-judgemental elder, the potential development is far greater then if the child was left to perform in his or her own capacity. For a child trying to learn un-assisted, cognitive development that is â€Å"more adaptive, more organised, ore effective and more complex† (Mussen, Conger and Kagan, 1984) would be lesser than learning with an experienced other because, according to Thurber, â€Å"physical and sensory exploration boost cognitive development† (Thurber, 2003). The statement, â€Å"children are active participants in their own development, reflecting the intrinsic human drive to explore and master ones environment† (Shonkoff and Phillips 2000), can also support the notion that development and learning go hand-in-hand. The drive to explore and master is obviously a means of learning about ones surroundings and the statement shows that through this learning, development occurs. Furthermore, Shonkoff and Phillips (2000) also go on to say that â€Å"human development is shaped by a dynamic and continuous interaction between biology and experience†. Therefore children require â€Å"continuous interaction† with wiser mentors (Vygotskyan theory) and their development occurs while they attempt to â€Å"master† their environments (Piaget). When commenting on Piaget’s work, another source commented that â€Å"as children grow older, they develop progressively better rules and strategies for solving problems and thinking logically† (Seigler in Woolfolk and Margetts, 2007). He then went on to say that teachers can help students develop their capacities for learning. This infers that students or children need to develop in order to learn. Without the development of these learning capacities, learning will not take place. But as we look at Vygotsky, we can see an extension of Piaget’s theories, detailing that without learning, development will be limited.

Japan country analysis- overview of Japan. geography, government, etc.

Japan country analysis- overview of Japan. geography, government, etc. I. ContextA. GeographyJapan consists of many mountainous islands with active and inactive volcanoes. About 75 percent of Japan's area is mountainous, and scattered plains cover the other 25 percent. Tokyo is set on the Kanto plain, which is only 13,000 square kilometer. The total land area of Japan is 374,744 square kilometers. Japan has four main islands. The islands include Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. All of these islands are prone to earthquakes. The highest point of Japan is Mount Fuji, which is 3,776 meters. The nearest point to Asia is Korea. The distance between Japan and the Korean Peninsula is about 200 kilometers. Japan has always been liked to Asia through trade routes. There are also numerous steep, rapid flowing rivers, which provide water for irrigation and power. However most of these rivers aren't navigable. Extensive coastal shipping compensates for the lack of navigable rivers. The pacific coastline south of Tokyo consists of generally long narrow rivers, which has created many natural harbors.English: The in TokyoHowever the north pacific coastline and the Sea of Japan weren't intended for harbors. Much land has been reclaimed from shorelines and building artificial islands to develop ports. A port was even built for the new Kansai International Airport in Osaka Bay. Hills and even mountains have been raised to provide flat areas for housing.The climate is generally rainy and humid. Since Japan runs from the north to south the weather is diverse. Climate also varies with altitude and with location on the Pacific Ocean or on the Sea of Japan. There are long cold winters in the north with snow and in the south there are long hot humid summers. The range can be compared to that of the east coast of North America. Five or six typhoons hit Japan every year...

Free Essays on John Of Guant

JOHN OF GAUNT (1340-1399) This prince, the fourth son of King Edward III and Queen Philippa, was born at Ghent (or Gaunt) in Flanders, in 1340. In his infancy, he was created Earl of Richmond and, by that title, admitted into the Order of the Garter upon the death of Thomas Holland, Earl of Kent, one of the original knights. In 1359, at Reading Abbey (Berks), he married Blanche, the younger of the two daughters and co-heirs of Henry, Duke of Lancaster, and upon the death of his father-in-law, in 1361; he was advanced to that Dukedom. He held also, in right of his wife, the Earldoms of Derby, Lincoln and Leicester, and the high office of Steward of England. Blanche, dying in 1369, the ambition of the Duke - who had taken an active part in the war carried on by the his brother, Black Prince, for the restoration of Peter, King of Castile and Leon - induced him to direct his views towards Constance, the elder of the two daughters of that monarch, then lately slain by his illegitimate brother, Henry of Transtamare, his successor under the title of Henry II. In 1372, the Duke married this princess and thus assumed the regal style of those kingdoms. These titular honours were ascribed to him in the writs of summons to Parliament from that year until 1386, when, by an arrangement with King John I of Castile and Leon, the son and successor of Henry, Catherine, the only daughter of the Duke of Lancaster by Constance, was betrothed to Henry, Prince of Asturias, his heir-apparent, and the crown settled upon the issue of that alliance. Although John of Gaunt had been engaged in warlike enterprises from his earliest years, yet his martial achievements did not increase the lustre of British glory or secure for himself the character of a great commander. In three expeditions into France, in 1369, 1370 and 1373, he gained no laurels and the peculiar misfortunes, which attended the last, when a considerable number of his ... Free Essays on John Of Guant Free Essays on John Of Guant JOHN OF GAUNT (1340-1399) This prince, the fourth son of King Edward III and Queen Philippa, was born at Ghent (or Gaunt) in Flanders, in 1340. In his infancy, he was created Earl of Richmond and, by that title, admitted into the Order of the Garter upon the death of Thomas Holland, Earl of Kent, one of the original knights. In 1359, at Reading Abbey (Berks), he married Blanche, the younger of the two daughters and co-heirs of Henry, Duke of Lancaster, and upon the death of his father-in-law, in 1361; he was advanced to that Dukedom. He held also, in right of his wife, the Earldoms of Derby, Lincoln and Leicester, and the high office of Steward of England. Blanche, dying in 1369, the ambition of the Duke - who had taken an active part in the war carried on by the his brother, Black Prince, for the restoration of Peter, King of Castile and Leon - induced him to direct his views towards Constance, the elder of the two daughters of that monarch, then lately slain by his illegitimate brother, Henry of Transtamare, his successor under the title of Henry II. In 1372, the Duke married this princess and thus assumed the regal style of those kingdoms. These titular honours were ascribed to him in the writs of summons to Parliament from that year until 1386, when, by an arrangement with King John I of Castile and Leon, the son and successor of Henry, Catherine, the only daughter of the Duke of Lancaster by Constance, was betrothed to Henry, Prince of Asturias, his heir-apparent, and the crown settled upon the issue of that alliance. Although John of Gaunt had been engaged in warlike enterprises from his earliest years, yet his martial achievements did not increase the lustre of British glory or secure for himself the character of a great commander. In three expeditions into France, in 1369, 1370 and 1373, he gained no laurels and the peculiar misfortunes, which attended the last, when a considerable number of his ...

HRM- Report - As HR Manager at Kenworth Hotels Essay

HRM- Report - As HR Manager at Kenworth Hotels - Essay Example The increase in expansion of businesses into multinational companies has led to great competition that has necessitated rise in demand for high tech and competitive managers. To become an effective manager, an individual needs to have broad knowledge about international affairs and different global cultures especially of the target market. This report is going to provide guidance on the appropriate selection process, training, remuneration, reward and promotion of manager to work for Kenworth Hotels in Spain. In so doing, the report will guide the audience into understanding various concepts of international labours, ethical practices; integration of businesses into international status. In the process, the report will highlight challenges and solutions for international companies. The report will also inform the executive of Kenworth Hotels about issues to give significant focus and concentration to ensure success of the intended foreign investment. However good, globalization came and has grown in magnitude and scope with particular problems and challenges that requires fixing or addressing for companies or businesses intending to expand internationally to achieve success. Some issues related to globalization tend to be serious to overwhelm the abilities of managers and individual companies to exercise control and regulation (Dewhirst 2012). The most common issues related to globalization or internationalization of companies include cultural incompatibilities, price wars, compliance to rules and regulations governing businesses operations and transfer of knowledge among others. To survive and emerge successful in the process of globalization, businesses need to identify and understand the challenges related to internationalization. International companies need to comply with the labour laws set and established by the governments of the parent and host countries. Usually, international companies especially those involved with

Motivation and its influence on employees satisfaction Dissertation

Motivation and its influence on employees satisfaction - Dissertation Example Human resource capital is the primordial asset of the organization. This shift in the valuation of the central role of employees in attaining the goals of the organisation is a result of dynamic changes that are happening in the current period. Globalisations, recognition of the notion that organisation have an obligation not only for the satisfaction of the shareholders’ interests but also of the satisfaction of the demands of identified stakeholders, shift in the consciousness of the people and rapid developments in computer and information technology have contributed to paradigm shift that has happened in terms of the importance of employees in organisations. As a result, the current condition and situation of employees today can be claimed to be the result of the long history of the conflict between employees and employers and the current factors that are influencing human interactions in the contemporary period. As the integral role of the employees in the organisation is recognised, the inherent importance of motivating employees to enhance their effectivity, job performance and productivity has been continually articulated by the scholars. Recently, an important development in the service sector has taken the industry by storm – the establishment of call centres. Call centres are more popularly known as the called contact centre or profit centre. It is the section of the organisation that handles and manages customer contacts through voice, e-mail or chat. Contact centres use a special type of software, which enables to route contact information to appropriate people, to track contacts and gather information or data (Baziotoupolus, 2006). The services provided by call centres include inbound sales, directory assistance, technical support and billing inquiries. In this context, the research will be dealing with notion of employee motivation of workers who are involved in call centres. The concept of employee motivation holds the same regardless of the nature of work. This means that motivation is a primordial factor that affects employee satisfaction, which influences not only the personal development and growth of the individual employee but also that of the organisation as the whole. Back Ground of the Study The development of call centres is driven by the rapid developments in computer and information technology and telecommunications. Through these developments, consumers as well as organisations have been given the option to transact via the Internet or over the phone. In this regard, call centres have created alternative means with which customers can be contacted, thus render services. as such, call centres offer the approach wherein the market of the company can be expanded while at the same time having the chance to offer the products to possible new clients with having to go through the rudiments of actual, physical contact. In this way, services are provided when needed, products are offered when requested and customer care is managed at anytime, anywhere. As call/contact centres create an advantage for the organisation due to expanded market coverage and effective customer care 24/7, the employees or call centre agents, on the other hand, are exposed to gruelling work conditions such as several hours of talking over the phone with faceless clients often irritated, discriminatory or inpatient. Another concern is the rendering extra hours of service if the client demands or requires it, and the monotony of the job, which increases job dissatisfaction. This situation is further compounded by other issues such as lack of time for leisure and managerial concerns. In the face of this rising concern, Mobily company, one of the leading telecommunications and internet service provider in

The Presence of Racism is Shakespeare's Othello Essay

The Presence of Racism is Shakespeare's Othello - Essay Example Therefore, after the Reformation, it represented an antagonistic political and religious force against Protestantism in England. At that time, Italy was the site of classical Roman history and civilization which paved the way for the "Renaissance" of European culture from the fifteenth to the seventeenth century. (Nostbakken, 2000) Differences matter. Othello was not a Venetian by birth and therefore his status is ambivalent: he both belongs and does not belong to the city of Venice. He belongs because he is Venice's military general whose main role was to defend the city from possible invaders, and he is a Christian who shared a common religion with his fellow Venetian citizens. However, he is also a real stranger from a strange country, a foreigner and an outsider. The play manifests the inherent tension which exists between the differences that set him apart and the qualities that allow him to play a respected and vital role in the city's day-to-day life. Cassio, another key character of this play, is an outsider but he is less of a stranger compared to Othello for he is a European gentleman. Cassio comes from the beautiful Italian city of Florence. Othello, in contrast comes from the unknown and misunderstood world of Africa. (Nostbakken, 2000) The courtesans of Venice were prostitutes serving an upper-c... In this play, Shakespeare presents the strong positive and negative impact of identity by exploiting many degrees of difference between various characters of the play as distinguished by their rank and status, and by their places of origin, adoption, or conquest. Shakespeare wrote this play for English audiences in the early seventeenth century and this play reflected and responded to problems, situations, and problems of the period. Hence, the play showed identities defined by differences as well as similarities. In a sense, the responses of English audiences were also influenced by their own sense of identity as a nation.Iago's character speaks for the corruption and intrigue in Venice. In the first scene, he implies the practice of political prejudice, as opposed to impartiality, by explaining that friendship gained Cassio the title of lieutenancy while Iago's attempts had failed. Iago acts as a model of self-interest rather than duty. Iago's advice to Roderigo to "put money in th y purse" exemplified the naked greed that foreigners identified with Venice's highly prosperous merchant economy. Iago is inherently revengeful, scheming, and manipulative. His dominance in the play mirrors the dark side of humanity and also the dark side of Venice. Iago is a true native of Venice and he belongs there in a way that Othello, the outsider, does not. (Nostbakken, 2000) Venetian women were perceived to be very deceptive. Desdemona was shown as a "super-subtle Venetian" and suspects practically every man and woman as being unfaithful, adulterous, or promiscuous. However, Desdemona does not fit the Venetian stereotype of infidelity and deception. She was a faithful woman.

Take home exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Take home exam - Essay Example Greek mythologies can also create settings of imaginative entertainment. In these instances the ancient myths could become filled with an imaginative art and intellect not clearly obvious to an ordinary audience. Genre cinema, like war or western, which on the surface is totally remote or different from the classical period, could still use themes or plots known from the distant past, especially those about heroes, gods, and goddesses. Greek mythology has a lasting cinematic appeal. These myths continue to exist and attract filmmakers not because they really happened or merely creations of the imagination but because they are believed to be facts in popular culture. The cinema may not portray the traditional renditions of the mythologies but it depicts widely accepted ideas, the occurrences people usually resort to for simple, practical stories which relate to their actual experiences and can be used in their everyday endeavours. These myths explain life’s most important conce rns and provide tales to live by. We do not have to believe in the tales of Greek mythologies, but we may believe that there is power within us that we can draw upon to wrestle injustice. These Greek mythologies also express innate and religious principles of golden ages. There are obviously numerous similarities between religious experiences and movie watching. A film based on Greek mythology merges entertainment with religious intentions. Although cinema obliges the mythological characters to be portrayed as plain human beings and their behaviours and deeds have to be shown rationally, it is quite easy for a lot of moviegoers to appreciate things that are impossible or that challenge reason, like miracles. When cinema attempts to portray impossible things in a scientific way, it loses its marvel and fascination for the divine. A lot of audiences take pleasure in the wonder and awe of Greek mythologies portrayed through cinematic effects. The connection of the audiences to the cine matic gods and goddesses could be attributed to the typical devices of character attachment and the affinity that an audience could develop for cinematic characters. In fact, one of the strongest appeals of Greek mythologies is viewing one’s created heroes, gods, and goddesses on film. Cinema gives life to the mythological characters. Cinema also enables fascination and glamour in that the filmmakers can pick fine-looking, attractive actors; locations can be lavish or delicate; and the soundtrack is performed by the most talented artists. Silent cinema, in particular, expresses an insatiable enthusiasm for myths of ancient Greece. Greece offered special effects, the supernatural, desires, and fantasy. Film representation of Greece mythologies and heroes bear an intense physical power; their images are entertaining, their imagination unhindered by the pressures of history, and their language is simple. But it is essential to bear in mind that their main characters depict not o nly the sexual conventions of 1950s’ film than those of classical Greece. The myth of the Greek hero has clear similarities with western hero mythology, which partly explains Greek mythology’s cinematic appeal. Main themes like adventure, bloodshed, and immortality persistently reappear in

The Effectiveness Of UK Anti-Corruption Policy A Research Proposal

The Effectiveness Of UK Anti-Corruption Policy A - Research Proposal Example The article explains that there are several macro-level and cross-country studies, which have focused on the effectiveness of specific anti-corruption strategies (Cooper & Shour, 2012: p126) and on the particular characteristics of countries that have managed to reduce their corruption levels to notably low levels (Burrell et al, 2010: p28). However, it was also noted that most studies of this kind normally provide for correlations, instead of broader causal relationships, especially given the significant differences that occur between different countries and regions. Therefore, in this research study, an attempt will be made to only utilize those evaluations of anti-corruption, which have been carried out at micro-level. This research study will evaluate econometric or observational, quasi-experimental, and experimental studies that have evaluated anti-corruption interventions at the micro-level that had to do with incentives and monitoring, as well as changes to systemic rules in reducing corruption among employees in the public sector in the UK. In searching for relevant literature, the researcher will look for English-language literature that was authored between 2002 and 2013. To do this, a search of major databases like EBSCO, JSTOR, and EconLit, will be carried out, as well as gray sources of literature like ProQuest, Index of Theses, NBER, and IDEAS. In addition, databases and websites of relevant government institutions and organizations will be used, while expert opinions and reference searches will be solicited and conducted respectively.

Take home exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Take home exam - Essay Example Greek mythologies can also create settings of imaginative entertainment. In these instances the ancient myths could become filled with an imaginative art and intellect not clearly obvious to an ordinary audience. Genre cinema, like war or western, which on the surface is totally remote or different from the classical period, could still use themes or plots known from the distant past, especially those about heroes, gods, and goddesses. Greek mythology has a lasting cinematic appeal. These myths continue to exist and attract filmmakers not because they really happened or merely creations of the imagination but because they are believed to be facts in popular culture. The cinema may not portray the traditional renditions of the mythologies but it depicts widely accepted ideas, the occurrences people usually resort to for simple, practical stories which relate to their actual experiences and can be used in their everyday endeavours. These myths explain life’s most important conce rns and provide tales to live by. We do not have to believe in the tales of Greek mythologies, but we may believe that there is power within us that we can draw upon to wrestle injustice. These Greek mythologies also express innate and religious principles of golden ages. There are obviously numerous similarities between religious experiences and movie watching. A film based on Greek mythology merges entertainment with religious intentions. Although cinema obliges the mythological characters to be portrayed as plain human beings and their behaviours and deeds have to be shown rationally, it is quite easy for a lot of moviegoers to appreciate things that are impossible or that challenge reason, like miracles. When cinema attempts to portray impossible things in a scientific way, it loses its marvel and fascination for the divine. A lot of audiences take pleasure in the wonder and awe of Greek mythologies portrayed through cinematic effects. The connection of the audiences to the cine matic gods and goddesses could be attributed to the typical devices of character attachment and the affinity that an audience could develop for cinematic characters. In fact, one of the strongest appeals of Greek mythologies is viewing one’s created heroes, gods, and goddesses on film. Cinema gives life to the mythological characters. Cinema also enables fascination and glamour in that the filmmakers can pick fine-looking, attractive actors; locations can be lavish or delicate; and the soundtrack is performed by the most talented artists. Silent cinema, in particular, expresses an insatiable enthusiasm for myths of ancient Greece. Greece offered special effects, the supernatural, desires, and fantasy. Film representation of Greece mythologies and heroes bear an intense physical power; their images are entertaining, their imagination unhindered by the pressures of history, and their language is simple. But it is essential to bear in mind that their main characters depict not o nly the sexual conventions of 1950s’ film than those of classical Greece. The myth of the Greek hero has clear similarities with western hero mythology, which partly explains Greek mythology’s cinematic appeal. Main themes like adventure, bloodshed, and immortality persistently reappear in

Smoking Cessation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Smoking Cessation - Essay Example It is a significant factor in three out of the five leading death causes in the US – cancer, heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Berndt et al., 2011). Nicotine is the addictive drug in tobacco. To curb these negative effects of smoking, cessation programs have to be promoted. Rice, Hartmann-Boyce and Stead (2013) define smoking cessation as the discontinuation of use of cigars, pipes and cigarettes. Smoking cessation reduces the risk of suffering from lung cancer and smokers who quit cause a reduction in their mortality ratio to 1.20 in a span of 10 years of non-smoking. The nursing process provides a systematic framework in provision of professional and quality nursing care in smoking cessation (Maurer & Smith, 2013). It directs activities on smoking cessation towards health promotion and protection and prevention of associated diseases. After assessing the collected data on smoking problems from a community, it would be important for nurses to diagnose t he data. According to Maurer and Smith (2013), this involves the analysis and synthesis of the assessed data in response to potential or actual health problems associated with smoking. Rice et al. (2013) observe that this stage involves the determination of ineffective health management resulting from smoking. It also encompasses the determination of lack of information on smoking and its effects in the community. Having identified the smoking problem, nurses plan how to execute the smoking cessation plan so as to achieve the intended goals (Maurer & Smith, 2013). Planning involves setting of goals. It encompasses aiming at the patient demonstrating maintenance of more effective health patterns. The patient should openly discuss the problems faced due to smoking and the benefits that cessation would offer. Nurses should also aim at keeping the patient free from being injured during the smoking cessation treatment. The intervention phase involves the nurse’s role of care for p atients manifesting smoking related problems. This should meet the needs of the patient and develop a cessation relationship that teaches on smoking and the effect on an individual, family and community as a whole. Nurses should organize for seminars, trainings and community education on smoking and the related lifestyle and assist in the development of a comprehensive care plan (Maurer & Smith, 2013). Health promotion partnerships would be used for strengthening social networks and developing smoking cessation support and influence policies. Thus, intervention generally involves maximization of therapeutic plans and minimization of factors that encourage smoking habits. The third phase would encompass executing the appropriate intervention. With nursing focusing on the public, community level intervention would be appropriate for smoking cessation. The issue of smoking cessation could be approached from a community level where nurses devise approaches that would promote the communi ty norm as noted by Berndt et al. (2011), where the benefits of smoking cessation is advocated for. It would be important to also plan for preventive approaches. According to Maurer and Smith (2013), this reduces known risk factors and enhances protective factors. This nursing process should promote non-smoking habits in the community. As such, during detoxification, Rice et al. (2013) advocate for frequent assessments as the

Medicine Men of Oglala Sioux Indians of Nebraska Essay Example for Free

Medicine Men of Oglala Sioux Indians of Nebraska Essay The  Oglala medicine men belong to the Sioux Indian Community in Manderson, Potato Creek, Kyle, Oglala, No. 4, Red Shirt Table, Wanblee. This Indian Tribe in Nebraska is watched over by a branch of the Office of Indian Affairs located within its territory. Civilizations have used different ways of curing their sick. The bible states that Jesus cured the sick by using miracles. The Chinese cure their sick using reflexology, acupuncture as well as the taking of the root of the plant ginseng. The American doctors use manufactured drugs like Tylenol or Aspirins to cure the pains of their patients. Admittedly, the different ways of curing the sick has been handed down from generation to generation. In fact, in some countries, the faith healers believe that they have the inner power to heal the sick if their patients will have faith in the doctors. Currently, many born again fellowships are centered on a pastor who cures the cancers (Aldredge-Clanton 11), diabetes, high blood and lets the invalid throw away his crutches because he can now walk. This type of healing is called miracle healing where the pastor impresses on the minds of their church members that Jesus and around and will remove their affliction. The following paragraphs explains the uniqueness of the Oglala Sioux Indians of Nebraska as they go about their daily festive activity of maintaining the community’s health by curing the ailments and the sufferings of their Indian neighbors. BODY His role in the community The role of the medical doctors or so called healers is to cure the sick and alleviate the pain of the dying Indian person. The healer brings hope the suffering and pain of their Indian neighbors. And the healers include in their medical armory the Sun Dance. The Sun Dance is the ritual part of the Indian doctors’ healing procedure. This dance is performed during the midsummer and indeed that most intricately complex part of the Indian healers curative process. Thus, their role in the community is to heal the patients using many processes. One such process is the ritual method. For, ritual and reciprocal communication between the patient and the medicine men and women is designed to start a biological and social rhythm motion through by influencing the neurophysiologial structures of the patients’ ailed body parts. Likewise, the Indian medicine man’s way of curing their patient is blanketed with myth which includes the use of the environment in the healing process (Lewis 169). To reiterate, the medicine men’s role is to keep as many of their Indian neighbors as healthy as possible. Evidently, a healthy people would spur the community’s economy to a more frantic pace. However, a population with many sick neighbors would eat away the community’s money because the government has lesser people to spice up the community’s economy. The medicine men and women here also help the community by influencing the policy makers in their community to craft laws, ordinances and statutes that focus on maintaining the health of the Oglala Indian community of Nebraska, USA (Lewis, 41). Thus, the role that these Oglala Indian medicine men play is very important. His status The status of the Oglala American Indian of Nebraska, USA’s medicine men and women here is such that they are being trusted and asked for advices in terms of health. In fact, many politicians in their community approve of the teachings and activities of the medicine. This is their way of enticing the medicine men and women to recommend to their patients, friends and every day contacts to vote for the politician and to support him or her plans and programs for the Oglala Indian community. Unquestionably, their major role is to keep the people healthy. (Lewis 71). For, these medicine men of Oglala, Nebraska exude an air of authority for what they tell their patients to do will often be done in most cases because the patients want to live longer. His knowledge The Oglala medicine men and medicine women are mostly comprised of senior citizens who started their medicine practice late or after the prime of their life. For, they had to gather enough experiences in life as well as theoretical knowledge that will give them necessary medical knowledge as they take up administrative positions in their Indian tribe. Many of the older women and men of the Oglala Sioux Indian settlement absorbed all they could to gain expertise in the field of medical practice that included the use of herbs as medicines. Specifically, many of the medical practitioners of this small United States tribe specialized in the study of the symptoms, causes and the herbal cures for various diseases. Also, some of the medicine men and women generally studied how to cure the physical and mind -related sickness (Lewis, 10). The Oglala medicine men are generally well versed in terms of which herbal plants will be very effective in alleviating many of the health risks of their constituents. Beliefs, and similar type of information that relates to the Medicine men. The people of the Oglala Indian settlement believe that some ritual songs can hasten the healing process. One such popular song is the Oglala’s Indian song. This magical song is believed to sprinkle the patients with the powder of cure. The Indian medicine men believe that this song is embodied with syncretistic and revivalist. For, this song brings out the embodiment of syncreustic and revivalistic elements of the Sioux faith and Pan –Indian movements. The Indian medicine men and women believe that the current ailments afflicting their constituents were caused by their intermingling with the White Americans. For, they believed that the normal Indian was healthy before these whites visited them and imprisoned them in Indian settlements. Thus, the present Indian sickness have been brought about by their change in lifestyles. For, The Indians freely roamed the prairie and other lands as they followed where the roaming animals would go during the pre –white days. This lifestyle had been cut because the whites placed them inside their Indian settlements for fear they Indians would endanger the lives of the Whites. The Indian healers believed that the Whites had forced them to live in log cabins. This is what caused their health to deteriorate to the level of the white’s health conditions. Also, the Indian lifestyles of free roaming of the desserts to search for their main dish of buffalo meat to their new log cabins resulted to a crowded home and school (Carter 103). Thus, their physical power to repel viruses and bacteria that is the root cause of many of the unhealthiness continues to this day. For, the Indians believed that living in their teepees ( Indian tent houses) brought them good health (Fletcher 81). Reference ceremonies or events the medicine men conducts or participates in. The medicine men and the medicine women of the Oglala Sioux Indian settlement studied how some of the herbs cropping up around their community could alleviate or even eradicate some or all their community members’ ailments. This also includes other mundane treatments of many of the diseases plaguing the Indian Territory. Also, the Oglala medicine men conducted their normal Sun Dance in their community to usher in health into their community. In addition, the medicine men and women of the Oglala United States Indian reservation included in some of their jobs to cure their fellow Indian tribesmen and tribeswomen several repertoire of what they identified as Sacred Indian songs. In fact, some of the tribe men and tribe women native doctors use a unique Indian method described as calling the healing process to start immediately. Normally, the healing process is a two way succeed. Meaning, the tribesmen and tribeswomen and their Indian patients must literally put their trust and fate in the medicine men and women to pluck them out of their pain or injustice. This trust is influenced by the strength and intensity of the medicine men, medicine women and their patients to have an unwavering conviction that their local community doctors here would cure them of their pain and suffering. Further, this only shows that the entire healing process of their local healers falls beyond man’s control and ambition. In short, the Indian healing process is classified by something clearly outside the normal realm of human control and ambitiousness. The medical training here is uniquely their own. Meaning, their medical procedures clearly run one hundred eighty degrees around the normal medical procedures that non –Indian medical practitioners use to cure or just alleviate their sick patients. Thus the long and energy sapping training that the Indians studying medicine in their local community willingly undergo in order to reach the prestigious status in their locality as a medicine man. In fact, only a few of the fresh graduates of formal schools are willing to continue their education in the new field of local Indian medicine. In contrast, many of the people studying medicine in this local United States Indian tribe in Lakotas (Faller 64) have also been introduced of the United States’ white men’s medical school among the Navajo Indians. However, this Navajo idea is not part of the wishes of the Oglala Indians because they do not aim to set up their own medicine schools. Here, the local Indians can sell their medical materials like the medicinal herbs as well as the ceremony programs. Usually, these Indian health programs allow the selling or giving of medicine materials and ceremonial disease -curing processes to be sold or given to another person needing them. The medical training of Indians aspiring to be medical practitioners includes starting out as assistant singer or drummer in a real live medical hearing process for several years. The Indian medical student must blend into the environment with their participation of much needed Sun Dance and other medicine rights so that the medicine trainees so they could increase their powers as well as reputation with their patients handled. For, the medicine men and women believe that they have reached that pinnacle in life where they could qualify as a representative of the spirit world. For the medicine men and women in this tribe normally also use the power of conjuring spirits to help them in their day to day medical practices (Lewis 39). A healing process includes consulting the parents and relatives of the sick patient in order to get a historical background the patient from the patients’ health issues as well as the sickness that the patients parents, grandparents and the like normally have. Also, the medicine men and women ask additional information from their patients’ advisers as well as intermediaries. Also, the Indian healers show the same techniques and processes as they go about curing sick patients with the same illnesses. A formal healing session always starts with the patient visiting the Indian healer several times in a casual way in order to entice the Indian healers to accept this person as a new patient. Accepting this patient is a new contract. The medicine men and women normally command the patients to first fast, to seek visions, to abstain on some things, to pray for divine healing from God, and to prepare food for inns. Accepting the new patient is then followed by the Indian healers’ full concentration of healing powers and time to a full implementation of the proper medical healing procedures to be imposed. In turn, the patient can now sit back, relax and wait for their medicine man or medicine woman to help him or her cure his or her medical condition. The medicine men and women recognize some of the medical practices of white doctors. One such belief shared by both types of doctors is that time is an ally in many medical cases. For, these Indian healers believe that time helps in their patients’ recovery process. Also, time heals some fears or phobias like what the white psychologists and psychiatrists adhere to. Naturally, the arrival of the medicine man or woman ushers in the patient a sign of relief because finally something and something will step into the painful world to extricate them from their miseries (Lewis 40). Normally, the Indian medicine man or woman’s healing repertoire includes a drama –like presentation. Meaning, the curing process includes a stage, actors as well as music. For, the patient is now transported into a world where the patient is not placed in darkness, immobility and a world of healing songs which sometimes includes dances. Consequently, the patient is healed because of the trance they enter into where the medical songs bring healing into their afflicted body part or parts (Lewis 42). This picturesque orchestra –like description of the medicine man’s or medicine woman’s work shows that he or she plays a pivotal part in the Oglala Nebraska, USA Indian community. On the other side of the United States, the Navajo Indians also use their kind of traditional healing. The medicine men here use the medical technique of gazing. The medicine men just gazes in their patients to feel the aura of the patient. For, the Navajo Indian medicine men will feel the vibrations that tell him what caused the patient to fall victim to a virus, bacteria, to succumb to high blood, diabetes, cancer, epilepsy and the like. The Navajo Indian doctor then moves some of the patients’ parts like the hands and feet to confirm his first impression of what the patients’ ailment is (Davies 83). The medicine doctors of Oglala Sioux Indians of Nebraska, USA’s main role is to maintain the health of their small Indian community. The medicine men use primitive ways of curing the sick. One such way is to use the Sun Dance. The Sun dance brings health to the community because this festive dance is believed to absorb the vital elements of the environment and funnel it to the people in the community. Also, the medicine man uses the communication process as part of his healing procedures. Here, he gathers much needed information from the patient, his family and his relatives in order to come up with the cause or causes of his unhealthiness.

Black Female Identity In Black Female Rap Hits Cultural Studies Essay

Black Female Identity In Black Female Rap Hits Cultural Studies Essay Rap is considered a type of music which serves as a means of expression for those who feel alienated and outraged in American society for certain reasons. According to Tricia Rose, (or you need to provide the names of the many scholars that you have in mind in the footnote) hip hop in America originated from disadvantaged neighborhoods and served as a voice for people who lacked post secondary education and had difficulties in finding a job in the new post-industrial service sector economy. In the early beginning rap artists rapped about poverty, racism and injustice. As the genre was developing, rappers would look for inspiration in other aspects of their every life. Male/female relationships would appear as a common motif in their songs. As discussed in the first chapter, misogynistic messages could be found in a great share of male rap hits. Although rap has been associated mainly as domain of men, female contribution to this genre is also significant. Hence it is worth examining how their legacy contributed to the black female image in the United States. It is also important to note how the messages in their songs differed from those of male rap artists. In this chapter I am going to focus on the motifs of black female identity which permeated the lyrics of female rap hits starting from the late eighties through the beginning of the twenty first century. I will support my analysis by referring to the works of literary black hip hop culture critics such as Tricia Rose, bell hooks, Gwendolyn D. Pough or Cheryl L. Keyes. The findings presented in this study will be based on the existing researches on the subject as well as my lyric interpretation of Billboards Hot Rap Year End Charts. One of the recognized social theorists, Patricia Hill Collins, claims that much of the contemporary social phenomena is understood and analyzed from the European, white male standpoint. Moreover, by this approach black women in particular have been perceived as non-human, commodified and objectified. Needless to say, it is important to counterbalance this approach by interpreting black womens lives from their perspective. I find artistic works of female rappers, as well as their interviews to a be a great source for such a counter analysis. Female rap artists would oftentimes identify themselves as belonging to a certain crew or would use the words as fly, attitude, queen, diva while describing or referring to one another. Based on those self imposed labels, Cheryl L. Keyes distinguishes four prevailing types of female rappers: Queen Mother, Fly Girl, Sista with Attitude and Lesbian. These categories reflect certain images, voices and ages of African American women. Interestingly eno ugh, rappers assigned to these groups marked their presence on the hip hop scene in this particular order but, as Keyes noted, they can swing between these teams or belong to a few concurrently. According to Keyes, the first group Queen Mothers consists mainly of early female rap pioneers of the 1980s such as: Queen Latifah, Roxanne Shante or MC Lyte. They express strong connection to their African heritage by calling themselves Nubian queens, and wearing ethnic clothes and jewelry. The symbol of queen mother may be supposedly rooted in African court tradition. Mothers of kings in many African kingdoms used to be cult objects and granted special privileges. Queen Mothers in hip hop culture also consider themselves as strong, intelligent black women responsible of spreading the word among the community. They discuss issues similar to their male counterparts marginalization, subjugation, and hardship of an urban life. A theme of their concern would be also heterosexual advances of men toward women, as well as domestic violence, and male sexism. These female rappers tended to present black women in their songs as self assured and independent . Similarly to male rappers, they would aim to challenge racist white supremacy by their music. Whilst black males in order to empower themselves oftentimes resort to sexist notions addressed towards their female counterparts, Queen Mothers do not apply the same strategy of subordination. As the excerpts from the songs presented in the first chapter show, many male hip hop artists depict women merely as sexual objects and generally cast derogatory light on them. Some black culture critics, as bell hooks, claim that male gangsta rappers engage in this behavior because women supposedly emasculate black men, negating their manhood and reducing the respect received from others. The critic also states that most black males lack strong male (father) models to look up to. They are being convinced throughout their childhood that they are not destined to grow up as successful, strong, virtuous males. Instead they receive education how to become emotionless thugs. hooks blames the mass media for perpetuating the image of a strong, angry black woman as opposed to black castrated male who is not able to provide for his family. Other reason for that may be the fear of female sexuality, thus women must be controlled. Queen Mothers demand respect not only for black community in general but for black women in particular. This causes a huge inner identity conflict among black women, whether to be loyal to their ethnicity and race or gender. Extending the theory of black feminism to rap, black female rappers provide back lashing voices against male sexism and misogyny. However, being a black feminist should not mean rejection of the African heritage. The African legacy may be utilized as an additional source of strength and power in this struggle. Tricia Rose in the her book Black Noise argues that in the late 1980s and early 1990s pioneer female rappers although refraining from calling themselves feminist, expressed three feminist standpoints: female empowerment, agency, and independence. They would rather call themselves womanists as they did not feel much connection with the predominantly white second wave feminism movement. Moreover, they felt as having been overlooked or even purposely excluded by white feminists in their struggle for female empowerment. These artists rejected and challenged representations of women as simply sexual objects. Rose states that they use rap music as a platform of dispute between other female and male artists, and their audience in general. The most noticeable Queen Mother on the hip hop scene is Dana Queen Latifah Owens. Although latifah in Arabic means feminine, delicate and kind she proved to be also a strong and influential rap artist. At the young age of twenty one, she became well acclaimed artist. Despite her young age, her maternal behavior and mature approach to life made her to be perceived as a Queen Mother. Although she would find such comparison flattering, she tried to distance herself from being labeled. She would call herself a queen because every black female is a queen to her. The reason why Queen Latifah and other rappers have been allocated to the group of Queen Mothers may be linked to the othermothers phenomenon in black African community. Patricia Hill Collins elaborates on this notion in Black Feminist Thought. She claims that black women take a significant part in fostering of the black society in the United States. They have developed an image of a strong black woman who contributes to the whol e black community well-being. The notion of motherhood in general, whether invoked by bloodmothers or othermothers, has powerful connotation. It seems that African American community seeks for strong mother figures not only in real life but also on the hip hop scene. Queen Latifah reflects the image of othermother by taking up serious political-economic issues of the black community in her lyrics, as in The Evil that Men Do where she raps about struggle of women on welfare. Another example of a strong political commentary is Queen Latifahs song Ladies First. She focuses here on promoting womens importance and clamors for their equal treatment. She raps about the need for sisterhood which prompts women to support each other. The notion of sisterhood is emphasized here by the fact that the artist collaborates with another black European female rapper, Monie Love. They feel connected with each other by the bonds of the same gender and race. This is a typical approach of women of color engaged in the Third Wave Feminist Movement in America. The concept of global sisterhood coined by the Second Wave feminists is questioned and challenged here. Black feminists manifest more connection with other women of color from different countries or countries of their origin than with white middle class women from the United States. The video to Ladies First is also a tribute to African American womens history featuring images of activists and abolitionists as Rosa Parks , Angela Davis, Harriet Tubman, or entrepreneurs as Madame C.J. Walker. The video also features the image of Winnie Mandela which may serve as a commemoration of the struggle against segregation in South Africa as well as emphasis on the concept of global black sisterhood. The rappers bring back these images into the light in order to re-inspire all women of color and prove they are capable of achieving the highest goals as breaking the racism and sexism. Queen Latifah in her Grammy Award-winning song U.N.I.T.Y, as one of the first female artists does not only prove her rapping skills but also takes up the issues which divide black community. She focuses here on perpetuated hatred directed by black males toward black females. She answers back to males who use the insult bitch in reference to women. She does so by using similar forms that are used by many of their male counterparts to denigrate women. By the use of vulgar language she reclaims those forms for women. Another pioneer rapper, MC Lyte in her song Paper Thin also makes a black female a subject. She brings her to the center of discussion by rapping about the constrains of her (own?) intimacy and setting the rules by which she will date a man. According to Rose, the above mentioned artists messages are both emancipating and liberating for women. They rebel against the restrain of black female voices, offering counter hegemonic perspectives. Female gangsta rappers in particula r, have created and imposed their own definitions of womanhood through their use of vulgarity, voice intonations, and sexuality. Although most female rappers identify themselves by belonging to specific rap crews, some of them would fall from one category to another or exist in many simultaneously. As an example of such a swinging artist may serve Yo Yo. The rapper and activist when perceived through the prism of her artistic and social work would be allocated to the group of Queen Mothers. Her songs are devoted to her view on the political issues and black feminism. She is the founder of the group Intelligent Black Women Coalition (I.BW.C.) which aimed to fight against racism and sexism. Yet, Keyes claims that her style and attire would suggest she also fits the category of so called Fly Girls who gained recognition on hip hop scene mainly in the nineties. The origin of the new meaning of the word fly dates back to the sixties and seventies and describes someone wearing fancy clothes. The style has been presented in the blaxploitation movies like The Superfly (1972), Shaft (1971), The Mack (1973) or Foxy Bro wn (1974) and then adopted by the black youth in the eighties and nineties. Indeed, what distinguished Fly Girls from Queen Mothers at first sight was their sense of fashion. Queen Mothers tried to affirm their eroticism that refrains from the nakedness and exposure of Western styles by rejection of miniskirts or high heels. Fly Girls did not fear to wear tight clothes which accentuated their sexuality. They tried to counterbalance Western European beauty canon by showing the beauty of black female body, accompanied by eye catching hairstyles, shiny jewelry and suggestive dancing. By doing so they made a statement against the white supremacist stereotype of the black round female body being undesirable. It was their fashion style that made them not only heard but also visible. The male hip hop group the Boogie Boys describe a fly girl as: [Woman] who wants to see her name, her game or her ability. . . she sports a lot of gold, wears tight jeans, leather miniskirts, a made up face, h as voluptuous curves, but speaks her mind. The most prolific and well pronounced Fly Girls of hip hop scene is undoubtedly the trio Salt- N- Pepa. They aspired to be acknowledged as models of real independent and successful black women of the nineties. They reached the peak of their popularity in the early nineties by releasing controversial hits like Lets Talk About Sex (1991), What a Man (1993), or Shoop(1993). While the first mentioned hit raised awareness about safe sex, the other songs can be interpreted as manifestation on female sexuality and appraisal of men in terms of friendship, love and intimate heterosexual relations. Lyrics from their popular song Aint Nuthin But a She Thing, again typify messages of their powerful womanhood: Im a female, and I got it goin on /Dont be fooled by my s-e-x/It aint that simple, Im more complex/Lets keep moving forward, girls, never look back. In this song artists are exchanging ideas with women and men in general, warning men not to rely on clichà ©d notions of gender roles when in teracting with women. They refuse to be considered as a weaker sex. They prove of their ability to work as hard as men, yet their intention is not to empower, or emasculate men. Similarly, they are passing on the same message to women while concurrently urging these women to progress, not regress, in their thinking and behavior. Such messages permeate most of the Salt N- Pepa top hits. Many examples of the Fly Girls songs take focus on female agency in male/female relationships perceived from the womens point of view. In the chorus of her song, Whats Up Star, Suga initiates the interaction with males: Whats up star, Id like to get to know who you are/Lets have drinks at the bar/And if I like what I see then the drinks is on me. While men are usually considered to be the initiators in heterosexual relationships, here the artist takes it over and demonstrates her empowerment on this field. By doing so she violates an unwritten procedure of male-female courtship. She breaches the gendered norm of conduct. Instead of waiting for a man to approach her with an offer to buy her a drink, she would rather sit in judgment and contemplate over possible suitors. Upon positive evaluation of a potential mate she offers to buy him a drink. Another example of assuming power comes from a rapper and bass dancer, MC Luscious, who in her song Boom! I Got Your Boyfriend seizes another hypothetical womens partner: Ill take him, shake him, ring him out/ Ill show your man what its all about./ So when he tells you its the end./Thats when you know I got your boyfriend. Her use of the verbs take, shake, and ring in reference to her male lover illustrates the control that she maintains over him. She outdoes her female competitor by articulating her ability to sexually expose what the girlfriend cannot to the boyfriend, leading to the termination of the relationship. Thus, she demonstrates her control and manipulation of the lover and eventually her supremacy over the female opponent by stealing her boyfriend. Although deceitful and potentially unethical, MC Lusciouss desires, and behaviors are at the core of attention in her song. Another significant group of Fly Girls worth noticing is TLC ( Tione T-Boze Watkins, Lisa Left-Eye Lopez and Rozonda Chilli Thomas). Their popularity had been quickly developing since their debut in 1991 and reached its maximum in the second half of the nineties. They spread similar messages to the other Fly Girls like rising awareness about safe sex (Waterfalls) or fighting with women insecurity (Unpretty). They also introduced more diverse fashion sense. Instead of accentuating their fit bodies with tight clothes, they would wear baggy pants as a symbol of solidarity with women of less flattering shapes. Similar approach was taken by another Fly Girl Missy Misdemeanor Elliot. Being a successful writer and producer paved her way to the enormous success in the music industry. In no time she was offered a possibility to launch her clothing line and appeared in GAP and Adidas commercials. The fact that full-figured Missy became a model of the established clothing brand could be perceiv ed as groundbreaking in the sphere of perception of black female bodies. She serves as a role model to many black women who doubt in their attractiveness. As during the late nineties rap became commercialized, gained greater audience and shifted to mainstream it is worth examining what were the messages conveyed by the female rappers. During this time some female artists were as popular and selling as many records as men; for example, Lil Kim and Foxy Brown both had albums that sold one million copies. Contemporary female rappers of the late nineties and the beginning of the twenty first century also endeavor in empowering and subversive mission against male domination, but the lyrical content of their songs show surprising and alarming similarities between them and male rappers. This may be one of the reasons why these female rappers gained more commercial recognition than the pioneers. As means of empowerment they apply the strategy of giving the attitude and answering back in a rude manner to their male counterparts. This group of female rappers fall into the category of Sistas with Attitude which includes such popular rappers as Fo xy Brown, Lil Kim, and Da Brat, or Sis, or Eve. The characteristic of their style is the employment of the same symbolic speech and behaviors as their male fellow rappers. It may seem that by doing so they show (try? unclear) to be equal to men on every level. The lyrics of their songs included motives of indulging in hedonistic activities as partying and smoking marijuana with their men, seducing, harassing, and sexually emasculating male characters; as well as disrespecting (dissin) their male and female counterparts. Although so called dissing in female rappers songs is mainly directed at male sexism, an analysis of contemporary female rap songs reveals that there are instances the same strategy is aimed at women. It is well visible here that Sistas with Attitude seek for their self empowerment by all means. The content of songs with attitude is abundant in vulgarity. The use of derogatory terms may be interpreted in a positive way. I trace some similarities between Sistas with Attitude and some of the Third Wave of feminism representatives. Similarly to them, female rappers reversed the pejorative meaning of vulgar words addressed to women.Sistas may be considered a coarser, clad version of Third Wave of feminism Girlies or Riot Grrls. These were usually members of underground punk bands who addressed issues as rape, female sexuality, domestic abuse, and female empowerment. Same as Sistas they also adopted derogatory, insulting words as cunt bitch slut in their vernacular. By writing these words on their skins or t-shirts they ridiculed and nullified their derogatory meaning. On the one hand, reclamation of the frequently used word bitch may be perceived as a positive way of self empowerment or as providing healing liberation. Other critics claim that this may bring worse returns as the message of female empowerment seem to be diminished and eradicated by female self-objectification. One of the most reoccurring motives found in female rap lyrics is their swaggering feminine self assurance. This characteristic of rap has its roots in part of African-American oral tradition of toasting , where the toast-teller employs in verbal self- enhancement, and presents himself or herself as the dreams of his [or her] Black audience and symbolize for them triumph and accomplishment against the odds. For instance, in Sittin on Top of the World, Da Brat writes: Im on top of the worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦/Girlfriend offender cuz they mans think Im all that/ One of the baddest bitches on the planet. She highlights how she is so bad, meaning great to such extent that she aggravates other women because their men find her beautiful. Another fitting example of braggadocio can be found in Eves song What Ya Want, writing Popular since I started my lifeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦/ Every thugs dream wife, see the love in they eyes/My time to shine, whole package make her a dime. In these lyrics, the rappe r is presenting herself as popular, and good-looking to every male and a perfectly shaped physically ( a dime in hip hop vernacular). Many rappers enhance their sense of attractiveness by emphasizing their possession of precious objects that others cannot afford. Foxy Brown, who adopted her moniker from the seventies blaxploitation movie protagonist of the same title, in Ill Na Na raps: Uhh, rollin for Lana, dripped in Gabbanaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦/And yall gon see by these mils I possess/Never settle for less, Im in excess. Foxy highlights here the fact that she wears expensive womens designer clothing that working class and middle-class individuals could not afford. Furthermore, the audience gets the message that Foxy earns millions of dollars from her rapping. She also admits she is not willing to settle down and start a family but would rather live in abundance of material goods on her own. A vast majority of the female artists mentioned owning luxurious products of mass consumption. Obviously, possession of extravagant material goods are crucial for many contemporary female artists. Material success, fame, and sexual satisfaction is their achieved American Dream. Similarly to male rap artists who glamorize life a of a pimp, these female artists present themselves as physically attractive to possible mates as well as in possession of goods that regular people do not and cannot acquire. This type and degree of overconfidence permeates throughout rap music and is common to both sexes of rappers. It illustrates artists abilities, or their dreams, to overcome obstacles (unattractiveness, lack of money) and eventually achieve (sexual and material) success. The partying, alcohol and drugs abuse is a frequent theme also in Sistas with Attitude rap music. In the overall sample of a sociologist and anthropologist Matthew Owares study of 44 female hip hop songs of the nineties, in each song there was an average of one-and a-half references made to alcohol or drugs. For instance, in her song Deeper, rapper called Boss refers to both alcohol and drug use. In these lyrics, Boss is indulging in a popular malt liquor, and also smokes chronic, a strong form of marijuana mixed cocaine. Another song by Queen Pen, Party Aint a Party, presents: Im tipsy from the cab, down the whole bottle of Henney/ Is you dealing with the cat thats blunted. Queen Pens alcohol is Seagrams Hennessy and blunted means being under the influence of marijuana. These female rappers refute the stereotype that women refrain from hard alcoholic drinks and illegal drugs. These women depict themselves as being equal to men by engaging in similar potentially harmful behaviors. Another feature of rap music that is often taken up by female rappers is disrespecting or dissin, which is the act of verbally insulting an opponent. Dissin allegedly has its origins in West Africa, among tribes such as the Efik in Nigeria and later could be found in early African-American oral traditions. Geneva Smitherman writes women rule when it comes to signifyingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦female rappers use this age-old rhetorical strategy to launch critical offensivesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Traces of such style can be found in the verse rapped by Heather B.: Fuck how much you sell cause, I read your album cover/You couldnt write a jam if your last name was Smucker. As jam may also mean a hit song she ridicules here the amount of records sold by her opponent while dissing his writing skills contrasting them with a popular food product brand Smuckers Jam. Most disrespecting attitudes were pointed at males who attempted to pursue women with pretentious tales of sexual gratification. While some rappers resorted to warning of the potential suitor who must approach them in a courteous manner or gets rejected, other rappers would openly ridicule males sex skills and their fear of womens sexuality. Considered to be one of the most overt and explicit rappers, Lil Kim in Hardcore rhymes: The sex was wack, a four stroke creepà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦/(later he asked) Could he come over right fast and fuck my pretty ass?/Ill pass, nigga dick was trash. The rapper sets here her own conditions for a sexual intercourse. She keeps men under control and reserves the right to choose her partner by assessing his sex skills. She also implies what is surely feared by most of the heterosexual males to be ridiculed by a woman for poor sex performance. Black males, in particular the ones who have been trying to conceal the image of an emasculated black man, may fee l highly sensitive about it. As many instances of male rap hits presented in the first chapter show that they tried to apply many strategies to regain their control over women. Boasting about their sexual hyper skills was a frequent topic. Gangsta Boo, a successful Sista with Attitude of the late nineties and early twenty first century, touches upon similar themes in her lyrics: Ha-ha, hey, Ladies check this out/ Well, let me tell this story about this nigga/ With a little dick but when its hard, hes swearin it (is) bigger/ Im not to be the one guess you aint got much to offer. Here, Gangsta Boo speaks directly to women about false male machismo. Boo, similarly to her counterpart Lil Kim sets the norms here and evaluates whether her possible mate lives up to her expectations. When finds out that the man is poorly endowed, she ridicules him in front of other women. Hence, as Tricia Rose writes we have women speaking to men, engaging in critiques of supposed male sexual prowess; in addition, they are speaking to other women about the failed attempts of these men to satisfy them sexually. These disses provide a female response to male rappers chauvinism, misogyny and bragging about their sexual potency. Similarly empowering themes also permeate throughout the songs and lyrics that present female sexuality. Several popular female rap artists depicted themselves as explicitly sexualized. Lil Kim in one of her songs vulgarly demonstrates her acting upon a partner and presents herself as not submissive in sexual relationship. She clearly rejects here the romantic archetype of a pure virgin who is overtaken by more experienced lover. Yet, Kim is not a ho, in hip hop vernacular, because her sexuality is not being exploited by her mate, she does not submit to his wants or desires for his satisfaction; rather she gains sexual gratification from this encounter. In hegemonic discourses surrounding womens sexuality, women are silenced or are not allowed to derive pleasure from sexual intercourse with males. Kim articulates her pleasure. Oware in his study notes also another explicitly sexual song of Lil Kims fellow sista Trina, where she raps: G-string make his dick stand/Make it quick then slow head by the night stand/See I fuck him in the living room/I make him eat it while my period on. Similarly to Lil Kim, Trina controls the sexual relationship with her male partners. Also, in her narrative, she makes her male partners perform oral sex while she is menstruating, a level of vulgarity that many heterosexual males would find mortifying. Although this new level of vulgarity was introduced mainly by Sistas with Attitude, similar motifs can be seen in the songs of before mentioned Fly Girls such as Salt-N-Pepa. Even though they characteristically had lyrics that empowered women, they also had lyrics where they sexualized themselves: I throw it like a pitcher, let my sex appeal hit ya/ Game so sharp that it split ya. The quoted single Gitty Up was released in 1998 which may imply that some Fly Girls opted to adjust to the common explicit, raunchy style of the late nineties and first decade of the twentieth century. Similar path was chosen by some representatives of Queen Mothers who also shared similar coarse style in some of their late nineties songs. MC Lyte in one of her Grammy-awarded songs raps about a ruffneck but she does not condemn his involvement in criminal activities there. Instead she assures her listeners what is her main interest: But he dont gotta be large to be in charge/Pumpin in and out and out and in and here we go/Hes got smack it, lick it, swallow it up style. As we can see in aforementioned examples, sexually explicit lyrics exist in second wave 1990s female rappers songs. Furthermore, some female pioneers who are known for songs espousing the positives of womanhood also employ overtly sexual lyrics in some of their songs during this time. They risked their well established, positive image by collaboration with the controversial, coarse style of rap which gained prominence recently. This contradiction potentially undermines any empowering messages that these rappers used to convey. Sistas With Attitude did not only present themselves in overly sexualized ways, but as stated before they also used language that would be considered derogatory and demeaning to women. The majority of the female artists in my sample referred to themselves or other women as bitches. Reclamation of bitch by female rappers may be perceived not only as a tool for self empowerment as Queen Mothers and Fly Girls would argue. The word metaphorically translates as a de meaning and derogatory word usually targeted towards women. However, the word holds multiple meanings in rap music, particularly in songs by female rappers. Whilst Fly Girls would explain the word denotes a positive and strong woman, Sistas with Attitude extend the definition to an assertive female who subverts patriarchal supremacy. In her song She is a Bitch, Missy Elliott uses the word bitch to describe a person with lyrical skills, who can motivate and excite an audience. Self-evident from the title, Da Baddest Bitch rapper, Trina, metaphorically speaking, expresses how she is the best at rhyming and sexual activities. Following in the tradition of the bad nigger tales of the late nineteenth century, these bad girls of hip hop present themselves as the best at their craft, although employing non-normative and masculine language. According to Rose in cases where females music departs from males there are more instances of empowering lyrics about women. Although these female rappers lyrics consist a lot of references to indulging in low entertainment as consumption of alcohol and drug, as well as engaging in disrespecting acts of verbal abuse, several songs found in the Billboard charts deal with more serious issues. There are songs that take into consideration domestic violence, female self-determination and power, and sexuality from the perspective of women. For instance, in her song, Eve casts a bright light on the matter that is seldom discussed in rap music and in the African American community domestic violence: How would you feel if she held you down and raped you?/What kind of love from a nigga would black your eye?/Smacked you down cause he said you was too tall for him, huh? Female rappers while talking about various issues also shared other similarities with male rappers, such as excessive use of v iolent lyrics. How could you beat the mother of your kids? In this song Eve argues from the standpoint of the victim. Her female friend is beaten, raped, and eventually killed by her abuser. In the song she asks the victim about why she stays with the oppressor and later she confronts him about his actions. In the end, Eve kills the abuser. Her song reverberates as a warning, alarming all women against becoming