Interview Analysis Essay Example for Free

Interview Analysis Essay For the interview section of the group project, I decided to interview a twenty-five year old woman who resides in the San Francisco bay area in California. Choosing to have her personal identity remain anonymous, the interviewee has granted us permission to refer to her as the alias Mary. Mary is currently married to a thirty year old man and has one nine year old son. Surprisingly, Mary did not contract the disease by having heterosexual intercourse with her partner like so many other women have gotten HIV. She had obtained the disease through intravenous means. Mary’s husband and son are not HIV positive. Mary has been living with HIV for the past six years. Throughout the interview, Mary had a very wise and warm aurora about her. Her cheery and positive attitude and optimistic outlook on life was evident. I questioned Mary of her understanding of HIV/AIDS before and after her diagnosis six years ago. She had explained that since she was nineteen years of age, she has struggled with depression and turned to shooting heroin as a coping mechanism. Mary, like most adolescents, was completely unaware she could obtain the disease through sharing needles; she thought HIV was spread only through homosexual intercourse. When Mary had discovered she was in fact positive of having HIV, feelings of embarrassment and fear, and thoughts of suicide swam though her head. Questions such as â€Å"how can I tell my husband (boyfriend at the time)†, â€Å"what will my family think†, â€Å"will I be able to see my son graduate or get married†. However, after years of continued counseling, Mary has come to a brighter understanding of her diagnosis. â€Å"Having HIV is not a death sentence and I can still live a semi normal life. † By attending support groups, conversing with individuals living relatively normal lives after obtaining the disease, going to therapy and talking with doctors, Mary found solace. â€Å"Even my husband (boyfriend at the time) was very supportive. I thought he would have ran for the hills! † Mary said, chuckling. Mary’s family were also understanding. Her family sends money to help pay the medical bills and offers an aiding hand in raising her nine year old son. Stated earlier in the interview, after obtaining HIV, Mary has had a very warm and vibrant aurora about her. Since learning of her condition, Mary has learned that she is stronger than she had previously considered herself to be. â€Å"I felt that I (could) handle anything thrown at me. † I really commend and praise Mary for her courageous outlook on her life. That even after hitting this speed bump, she has taken on a positive attitude and confidence regarding life. When I inquired Mary about how she told her family, she said she told her husband first then her other relatives at Sunday dinner. Tears were shed but eventually her family initially stood by her side. What really stood out to me the most during this part of the interview was her son’s reaction to the news. â€Å"My husband and I told my son together and explained to him what mommy has. He asked if I was going to die and I told him not for a very long time. He then preceded to play with his Legos as if I had told him it was raining outside. After asking Mary if she had anything to say to the other women of the world living with HIV, she smiled and stated â€Å"For all those beautiful, strong women of the world living with this condition, do not pity yourself. Keep your immune system working by eating healthy and taking vitamins and taking your meds. I know sometimes life seems unfair but it’s worth living. You’re all strong and beautiful. Never believe otherwis e. † This was the most inspiring words and heartfelt words Mary has said throughout the entire interview. For the past four years, Mary has been completely clean of drugs and alcohol. For the past five years, Mary has been attending therapy twice a month and has recently stopped frequently going to the doctor because monetary issues and her insurance has dropped her from her coverage. Mary still receives standard antiretroviral therapy to suppress the HIV virus and to stop it from progressing to AIDS and practices safe sex by using a condom and dental dam. To wrap up the interview I questioned if Mary had anything she would like relatives or anyone else to know about HIV. â€Å"For the relatives, it takes a village to raise a child. Even though I was nineteen years old, a mother and living on my own, I was in fact still a child. After being diagnosed, I was especially vulnerable; it was like I was born again†¦For the others, don’t judge a book by its cover. You never know who is living with this disease and never know how hard the struggle is to live with this disease. † It was really a pleasure and a treat to talk to such a kind, strong, woman who has been through so much in her life yet achieved so much regardless the circumstances. Mary is a wonderful mother, an attentive wife and has earned her Associates degree and is now a receptionist.

Contemporary Social Structures Essay Example for Free

Contemporary Social Structures Essay Define and explain the concept ‘Contemporary Social structures’ and the role of such structures and the role of such structures in regulating life and beliefs. Structures are both the medium and the outcome of the practices which constitutes social systems- Anthony Giddens (1938) in simpler terms people shape structure, but structure determines what people do. Contemporary Social structures are restraints that affect the lives all members of society. Whether we are aware of it or not, we live in societies that consist of social structures, every society has its own set of social structures such as religion, class, gender and ethnicity. We also have the social structures that interlink such as the educational political social structure as public schools, colleges and universities depend on the government for their funds. social structures are embodied in our everyday actions, thoughts and beliefs as human beings, there are effective in controlling as well as organizing the behaviour of an individual or individuals as the main purpose of a social structure is to maintain a co-operative regime for all members of society, however there are consequences for certain groups in society. Every society has its own set of contemporary social constructions for an example class; gender and ethnicity are all constraints that all societies experience. An example of a social structure is class, a class structure is found in most if not all societies, it is one of the main sources of economic inequality, certain individuals would identify there being to classes in society: the Bourgeoisie who own all the means of production and the Proletariat who are exploited by the Bourgeoisie. As mentioned above Gender is also a constraint when regarding social structures, the term ‘gender roles’ has been commonly used to describe the prescribed roles of a male and female in society. In the past females have struggled to be accepted in to the workforce, even though this has changed dramatically during recent years equal opportunities are not the same for men and women due to the social structures and the way they regulate our life and beliefs, for an example a man is given 6 weeks maternal leave as society believes it is the males role to the ‘breadwinner’ while the female receives a years maternal leave as she is seen as the ‘homemaker’ that stays home taking responsibility for the children and all the homely duties. Although this may not apply to all societies some would describe Ethnicity as playing a part on what we as individuals can achieve in life by affecting our positions in the labour market. A social structure is formed by the distribution of wealth, power and prestige. They consists of beliefs about the world and both compel and regulate our actions, as mentioned previously religion , gender and ethnicity are social structures, they are all created within society itself , each and every group share common attitudes , views, values, social norms, lifestyle and in some cases material goods. Individuals in society stay within the prescribed guidelines of the social structures they were born and socialised into, that refers to being rich or poor, male or female or being young middle aged and old. Class structure determines our life chances and is the basic structure for all modern societies. According to McGregor (1989) class is the main cause of inequality. He explains that different clas s groups begin their lives with unequal opportunities which effects the type of education an individual will receive , the social connections an individual will make and the way that individual will speak ad behave. He also argues that the class that an individual belongs to is determined by various factors such as power, family background, wealth, lifestyle, mannerisms, social interactions, and employment; he also describes class as being separated in to three different groups which are the upper class, middle class and lower class. Abercrombie (2000), states that the upper-class is distinguished from others, by their wealth and power. In contrast to the other classes the upper class only consists of a few people, the individuals included in this group are employers who own large amounts of land and others who are self-employed, have careers as managers or professionals. Wealth is distributed among the wealth in many ways such as inheritance, with wealth individuals are given the opportunity to live the life they will lead. The educational system reinforces many inequalities insuring that those of the highest class have access to better opportunities and better chances of reaching success. Memb ers of the upper class attend private school together. From sharing educational experiences the upper class learn how to interact with each other; form long lasting relationships with each other which gives them an advantage, a series of events are created meaning that when their children go to private school their lives will follow the same path. From these important contacts the upper class make simply by going to school they have formed very powerful contacts who have the potential to enhance their career prospects and greater opportunities of success in which ever career they wish to pursue. In most societies there is a clear division of labour between men and woman and in general women are always in the inferior position. Gender plays a role in the way we are treated by other members of society. We are also taught to behave in certain ways depending on whether we are male or female. Males are typically expected to feel, think and behave in a ‘masculine way’ and females in a ‘feminine’ way. Some examples of this are girls playing with dolls, preparing for when they will be mothers and boys playing with action figures, learning the male traits such as aggression and dominance. In some societies a woman is born into a certain social structure that includes a life of housework, cooking and child rearing. Women are less likely to be offered positions in the labour market in comparison to men and are unable to attain positions of power with a high income such as men do. Women are employment but in some cases will still earn a lower income than the male dominated position. Conclusion: As explained in the essay, social structures are restraints that affect that will affect all members of society. Class is a basic contributing factor of all social structures to the unequal economy and affects the life of all members of society. Those who are at the top of the economy ladder come from wealthy family backgrounds. These people benefit in many ways such as promotional opportunities and job security. Migrants with non-English speaking backgrounds have difficulty in finding quality employment however its far more difficult for the women in this group, As gender is a factor in employment opportunities, women who are from an ethnic group of the minority have the least opportunity in the labour market, the limited education and training, poor health and nutrition, lack of freedom and denied access to resources are all factors that reduce the quality of life and hinder economic efficiency and growth for women, people of diverse ethnic groups and people with poor family backgrounds. Social structures unquestionably have an impact on our lives and depending on the circumstances the impact for some is usually one that is undesirable. Society cannot be blamed for the social structures that it has created, it is a gradual process, it has taken many years to create these constraints and it will take many more to break them down. References /Bibliography Fulcher,C . J.,Scott, 2007, Sociology,3RD ed, Oxford Abercrombie, N., 2000, The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology, 4TH ed, Penguin Books, London McGregor, C., 1989, `Class, in Four Dimensional Social Space, Jatenburg P.DAlton, Harper Row, Sydney Webb,W. Westergaard,H. Trobe.K Steele.L ,2008,AS SOCIOLOGY,2ND ed,Napier Press,Brentwood

The real food company

The real food company The real food company 1.0 Background of EAT the real food company: Eat was founded in 1996 with ambition of providing the best food, soup and coffee in London at reasonable prices. The first shop was opened at Villers street, WC2, London. At present EAT with 100 shops continue to strive for highest possible quality of food, service and shop standards in the same way they used to do since from the beginning. EATs secret of success is in their kitchen, they make all food products on their own i.e. they dont buy a single mass produced sandwich, soup or salad from any supplier. They offer variety of foods like sandwiches, soups, pies, salads, wraps, sushi, desserts, baked goods, breakfast, cold drinks juices and great coffees. 2.0 Planning process and its importance: Planning is a formalised procedure to produce an articulated result, in the form of an integrated system of decisions. The importance of planning to organisations will help in co-ordinating their activities; to make sure that their business is accounted for future and to have control on the business. Chernev (2009) describes marketing management consists of three step process and they are analysing the situation, developing an action plan and implementing the plan. Situation analysis will help in providing the overview of the company and environment in which it operates and also it helps in identifying potential markets to compete. It begins with analysing five key factors which are as follows as identified by Chernev (2009). Potential customers- Most of the EAT shops are located near offices, tourist places and transit places. So their major customers are tourists, workers and tourists visiting to London. Companys goals- EAT goal is to provide best food, soup and coffee in London at reasonable prices. Collaborators- Competitors- EAT companys potential competitors are Pret a Manger, Starbucks, McDonald and KFC. All these companies are also in the same market targeting same customers. Economic, social-cultural, technological, regulatory and physical factors- The current economic situation of the UK is under recession. Many people are unemployed and still losing their jobs. Recession has had an impact on tourist coming from different parts of the UK, as well as from other parts of the world. Social-cultural effect on EAT has had a very little impact on its business, because the type of food EAT produces suits the eat habits of most of the Londoners. Except the fact that London is multi cultural ethnicity, and among them most of the Muslim community and they do not eat non-veg food other than halal ones. According to official research collated for The Times as cited in Kerbaj (2009) Muslim population in Britain has grown by more than 500,000 to 2.4 million in just four years. Technology has had a significant effect on the EAT business, the introduction of readymade coffee machines reduced the customer waiting time and increased the productivity of the business. 3.0 Internal analysis of EAT 3.1 Mc Kinsey 7-S frame work: Mc Kinseys 7-S recognises seven important factors for internal effectiveness and efficiency of an organisation. The key elements of 7-S are as follows and is depicted in the below figure. Strategy: EAT prepares all food products in their own kitchen, and do not buy any single mass produced sandwich from any supplier. One day is the shelf life of all products for maximum freshness and quality Structure: Each EAT shop has shop manager, assistant shop manager followed by team leader, lead barista and team member. Skills: Employees of EAT are skilled in preparing delicious sandwiches, soups, pies, salads, desserts, and drinks. Moreover they are also skilled at delivering great customer services. Staff: EAT staff get training in their academy, and recognised for doing a great job. They are further encouraged to improve on personal development. All these factors motivate the employees and increases their productivity and loyalty to organisation. Style: EAT is adopting team management style in Blake and Mouton managerial grid as cited in Mullins (2005) which gives equally high concern to productivity as well as to the staff. This type of management style is the best in the business. Systems: EAT follows the system of delivering best quality food, along with it providing friendly and fun experience to every customers. Shared values: EAT believes in honest, simple and natural work space environment providing quality food and great customer service. 3.2 Advantages and disadvantages of Mckinsey 7-S Advantages: This tool covers the almost every aspect of the business and all major parts of the firm. This tool helps in analysing the internal situation of the organisation. This tool helps in implementing the organisational changes once the organisation has understood its internal situation. Disadvantages: A detailed case study on the firm is required to analyse it using this tool. This tool does not consider about the external factors influencing the organisation and presents only of the internal situation of firm. All the 7-S of Mckinsey are interrelated and if any one element is changed it affects others as well. 4.0 External analysis of EAT 4.1 PEST analysis 4.1.1 Political factors: Elections will be held before May 2010 and new government may alter the environmental rules which will have low impact on the organisation. Labour government might win the upcoming elections, and increase the basic pay rise of an employee which will have high impact on the firm. Customer protection law has a great impact on the firm especially for service and hospitality organisation. EAT has to ensure that it provides sufficient information about the food they produce and its ingredient. 4.1.2 Economical factors: Current market is struggling with recession; many people have lost the jobs and still losing it. It has negative impact on the firm. The firm has to pay tax for the government. 4.1.3 Social factors: London is a multi ethnic city, so eating habits of the people differs from person to person. This factor has a medium impact on the firm. Lifestyle of the people has a great impact on the firm. Now a days people like to carry their food along with them, rather than sitting and eating in the restaurant. Considering the fact that Muslim population in Britain has grown by more than 500,000 to 2.4 million in just four years, according to official research collated for The Times as cited in Kerbaj (2009). This factor has a medium impact on the firm. 4.1.4 Technological factors: Technology has been evolving and there is no end for it, introduction of readymade coffee machine have had a great impact on sales reducing the customer waiting time. Internet has a strong impact on the business helping customers to know about the locations of EAT braches near to place where they live or work. Also they get to know about the variety of products they make. 4.2 Advantages and disadvantages of PEST analysis: Advantages: This tool helps in determining the external factors which have positive and negative impact on the firms growth. This tool helps in identifying its business survival according to the surroundings. This tool is simple and only costs time to do. Disadvantages: This tool tells focuses only on the external environmental analysis based on assumptions. But in reality assumptions may go wrong and strategy is not of worth. This tool covers only external environment, but the results to need to be considered along with other factors for example firm itself, competitors and type of industry in which it is operating. Changes in the environment make this tool difficult to implement developments and it will affect the firm in the future. 4.2 Porters five forces Industry rivalry: EAT is in food industry sector where in, there are lot of other big competitors like Pret a manger, Star bucks coffee, McDonalds and KFC. These companies are also well settled in the business and have good market share. So industry rivalry among the competitors is high because of too many competitors in the same market. Supplier power: The supplier has a low bargaining power with firm because, because there are lot of suppliers producing the same raw materials for the food industry sector. Buyer power: Since EAT business is retail one the buyer power has less influence on its business. On the contrary, care should be taken to deliver quality food and great customer service if not it brings bad reputation to the business. The effect of it will be losing customers in large proportion. New entrants: It is very difficult for a new entrant to start business in the same industry as EAT is doing. Because since EAT is in hospitality sector, it takes years to get recognised with quality food and great customer service. Threat of substitutes: Now a days people are turning to readymade packed foods which are convenient to carry to their work places or homes. Because of recession as the prices of packed foods are cheap they are attracted to them. Advantages of porters five forces: This tool helps in identifying the profitability of a new product or business. It helps in identifying who has better power buyer or supplier. Disadvantages of porters five forces: It does not account the rapid changes that are happening in present world, so even a new entrant can come with some new methods and straight away make profits. 5.0 SWOT analysis Strengths Skills of employees. Strategy of firm. Trained employees in cooking delicious foods and delivering great customer service. Wide range of food products in menu. Brand reputation doesnt allow new entrants to succeed immediately. Opportunities Joint ventures with supermarkets to increase the market share. Introduction of online order and delivery systems. Introduction of low priced food products consisting of only basic ingredients. Weakness High priced food products. Limited funds available to expand the business. Inconsistence of quality and service across all branches. Threats Recession has had an impact on the business. Changing eat habits of the people. Similar products offered by other companies at low price. 6.0 Ansoff matrix: The EAT can make profits by stepping into product development by adopting one of the two strategies introducing online delivery system to their products gives tough competition to Pret a manger that are already in the same business. Because there are some factors which are in favour of this purpose and they are weather conditions may hamper the interest of going to restaurants and some people want to enjoy their meals at their residence itself. The second strategy EAT can adopt is introduction of low priced food products. According to Farnham (2009) most of the people are abandoning restaurants and are turning to low priced food products because of recession. EAT can turn to low priced food range by reducing the number of ingredients but not all comprising with quality or service. 7.0 Marketing Mix elements Product: According to Chernev (2009) a product should have certain features that make it unique in the market. EATs products are known for its delicious and high quality, but introduction of Halal foods in their menu will attract handsome of customers to their restaurant. As we have discussed in the external environment analysis, London is a multi ethnicity city and in it Muslim population is increasing day by day. It has grown to more than 500,000 to 2.4 million in just four years Kerbaj (2009). Price: EATs food price has had a significant effect on the customer behaviour, as majority of them were abandoning the restaurants and are turning to basic foods with less ingredients in it. Because of recession many people are losing their jobs and reducing their level of expenditure and trying to save money. Introduction of low priced foods with less ingredients but not comprising with quality of food will help in attracting the customers. Place: Most of the EAT shops are located near commercial places, tourist places and transit places which are easily accessible places by people. However to increase further sales of the firm, it is suggestible to implement online order and delivery systems with the help of internet technology. In this way it can target the customers who are of big families and like to have meals at their premises itself. Promotion: EAT has to promote its brand in one of the fastest way of communication channels. By advertising in the daily news paper, radio channels, local television channels in London, internet and by leaflet distribution it has chances of promoting its new products in the market. References Chernev, A. (2009) Strategic marketing management 5th edition. Bright star media, Inc.: Chicago, USA. Eat (2009a) www.eat.co.uk [online] available from: http://www.eat.co.uk/pages/facts.html [accessed on: 26 November 2009] Farnham, J. (2009) Recession bites into eating habits, June [online] available from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8124352.stm [accessed on : 24 November 2009] Doyle, P. and Stern, P. (2006) Marketing management and strategy 4th edition. Pearson education ltd.: Harlow, England. Fifield, P. (2007) Marketing strategy: The difference between marketing and markets. 3rd edition. Elsevier ltd: London, UK. Kerbaj, R. (2009) www.timesonline.co.uk January 30 2009 [online] available from: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5621482.ece [accessed on: 01 December 2009]

Gringo by Sophie Treadwell :: Essays Papers

Gringo by Sophie Treadwell As a journalist in 1920 for the New York Herald Tribune, Sophie Treadwell was assigned to go to Mexico to follow the situation after the Mexican Revolution. (Mexican Revolution 1910-1917) She covered many important aspects of the Mexican Revolution during this time, including relations between the U.S. and Mexico. She was even permitted an interview with Pancho Villa in August 1921 at his headquarters. This interview and other events that she experienced in Mexico are presumably what led her to write the play Gringo. In Gringo Treadwell tries to depict the stereotypical and prejudicial attitudes that Mexicans and Americans have about each other. There is a demonstration of how Mexican women are looked at in the Mexican culture and how they see themselves. The play also corresponds to similar events that occurred during the Mexican Revolution. Sophie Treadwell was born on October 3, 1885 in Stockton, California. She is known mostly as a playwright, but wrote in various other genres also. Her written works not only include plays, but also books and novels, fiction and non-fiction. Her journalism career was quite successful. Her commentaries and articles were always captivating to the public eye. Sophie frequently followed sensational stories in the news, some of which gained much acclaim, one being her interview with Pancho Villa. Gringo was written in 1922 and premiered on December 12, 1922. Gringo became a sensation on Broadway soon after it was written. This play has three acts that all take place in Mexico between the lives of Mexicans and Americans. The first act of Gringo takes place at a mine that is owned by an American named Don Juan Chivers. The mine is located in Mexico where Mr. Chivers discovers what he assumes is a new ore deposit. Mr. Chivers has a daughter named Besita (meaning "The Little Kiss") who is half-Mexican by a Mexican mother. Besita's mother is not around. There are several ironies found in the character of Mr. Chivers throughout this play. Mr. Chivers constantly talks down to the Mexican workers at the mine, on the other hand, he also show kindness to them by taking care of a wounded mine worker. He demonstrates a sort of superiority about himself and the fact that he is an American.

The Great Gatsby and The Wasteland Essay -- Fitzgerald Elliott English

The Great Gatsby and The Wasteland Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby and Elliot’s The Wasteland are two stories that similarly express the modernist post-war disillusionment. Both stories comment pessimistically on the direction that our world is moving in from the post-war modernist perspective. Both men looked past the roaring twenties, and realized that this time period was actually a moral wasteland. The final paragraphs of The Great Gatsby sum up their mutual lack of faith in American culture to improve.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fitzgerald uses a number of both direct and indirect ways to comment on what has happened to America. The green light is a recurring symbol in this book that has many deep meanings. Beginning in the first chapter, when Nick compares the green bulk of America rising from the ocean to the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock, this symbol takes on many meanings. This is the green light that drives Gatsby, this is the green light symbolizes the new money and materialism in the world. This shows that money is now the new driving force in the world, and that people work to consume. This ties into the fact that Gatsby went to great lengths to become rich solely to impress Daisy with his wealth. Additionally, Gatsby showed off this wealth by showing her all of the shirts that he had purchased. All of this points towards the emerging consumerism in American society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The green also seems to symbolize the automotive industry, which was one of the biggest parts of the new consumer culture. Henry Ford made a policy of paying his workers high wages, because he realized that if they were paid more, they themselves would become consumers of his products. Today, cars are often seen as a status symbol, which began back in the 1920’s.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Wasteland of Elliot’s is analogous to the valley of ashes between West Egg and New York City. It is an industrial wasteland that was clearly created by large corporations and industries. This valley of ashes symbolizes the moral decay created by limitless pursuit of wealth. The valley of ashes is a place inhabited by the poor, and polluted by the rich. This shows that the only people who have to accept the consequences of corporate greed are the working class themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Elliot’s The Wasteland describes Europe as a very bleak place after the First World War. In the final section, the speaker bothers Stetson about th... ...green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter- tomorrow we will run faster, stretch our arms farther†¦ and one fine morning-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Nick comments once again on Gatsby’s pursuit of this perfect future that will never materialize. He also says that this our world is deteriorating even further, but expresses some hope for the future. He expresses optimism not in our culture, but in human beings to strive for improvement. Nick ties up all of the sentiments on this page with the conclusion â€Å"so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.† This statement ties back into the idea that people will strive to improve themselves, but the state of things are so bleak that it is like trying to row upstream. It also means that while people try to work for a perfect future, the best they can hope for is to be â€Å"borne back ceaselessly into the past.† Elliot and Fitzgerald share a mutual pessimism regarding society, but a confidence in individuals. They both share a very modernistic take on the post-war world, and hope that the power of individuals can break through the restraints of their society.

Social Conditioning of Boys Essay -- Papers Stereotypes Role Essays

Social Conditioning of Boys As everyone knows, within the human race there are males and there are females. We all figure out what our gender identity is at a young age. For boys, male toys like building blocks and trucks and sports like baseball and soccer help a boy form into what society considers to be a man. Society believes that boys should grow up to be strong, dependant and bread winning in order to be a real man. These social standards that are expected from boys, can also be explained by social roles. We are cast into social roles at the moment we are born. These social roles construct boys to be a certain way and follow the set boy code. Boy’s are taught to stay clear from emotional openness, vulnerability, and dependance. We are also taught to not let others know when we feel scared , depressed or when we are happy and in love. The most important rule altogether for boys, is to stay away from anything that people think of as being feminine. Society has made it clear that in order to be a ‘real man’, you must be a leader, successful, in control, confident, d...

Race and Birdie

â€Å"Lost in Caucasia†: an essay on the novel Caucasia by Danzy SennaAds by GoogleAssociate Nursing Courses www. keiser-education. com Earn A Degree In Nursing From Keiser University. Register Today! Why am I posting this? This is an essay I wrote for a Women's Studies course I took in University. When writing an essay or an assignment for school the hardest part for me was figuring out where to start. I believe that getting a few ideas by seeing examples and reading other peoples essay's always helped me figure out how I would write my own essay and how to get started.That is why I decided to share my essay with all of you. Hope this helps! Caucasia: A Novel by Danzy Senna Pin It Caucasia: A novel by Danzy Senna Introduction Caucasia by Danzy Senna is a narrative of a young bi-racial girl’s journey of coming to race consciousness as she is forced to leave her home in the south end of Boston (a â€Å"racially† mixed area), and disappear into â€Å"Caucasia† (the white nation). One of the main themes in the novel is the issue of â€Å"race†. Senna explores the contradictions between a visible racial identity and a subjective identity, and as a consequence destabilizes the idea of â€Å"race†.The novel Caucasia illustrates the intersectional social constructions of whiteness through Birdie’s struggles with identity, her standpoint, and the structures of difference and race seen through her eyes. Identity Caucasia examines the relationship of identity with the self (body and mind) and how others perceive us in our bodies. Senna shows the reader how identities of gender, race and nationality are intersectionally and socially constructed. In the beginning of the novel Birdie has no name, her identity is shaped and formed by how others see her.The confusion Birdie feels with her identity is not only due to the discord she feels between her body image and her physical body which most adolescent girls deal with, but she also feels confusion regarding the mixed messages she receives from the â€Å"white† and â€Å"black† communities because of her white skin. The characters of Birdie and Cole are both bi-racial, however others (including their own parents) see Birdie as â€Å"white† and Cole as â€Å"black†. During Birdie’s childhood and her time at Nkrumah, Birdie was raised to have a strong â€Å"black† identity.This identity was problematized by her white skin and facial features. At times Birdie felt as if she was valued less then Cole for not fitting the â€Å"black† image: â€Å"Others before had made me see the differences between my sister and myself—the texture of our hair, the tints of our skin, the shapes of our features. But Carmen was the one to make me feel that those things somehow mattered. To make me feel that the differences were deeper than skin† (Senna, 1999, p. 91). Birdie begins her identity quest by attempting to disappear, to become invisible. Birdie recalls a story told to her by Cole about Elemeno.That Elemeno is not only a language, but also a people and a place of safety and inclusion. Cole explained to Birdie that people in Elemeno constantly shift shape and colour in a quest for invisibility in order to survive as a species. The power of the Elemeno people lays in their ability to disappear into any surroundings. In response to Cole’s story, Birdie asks â€Å"What was the point of surviving if you had to disappear? † (Senna, p. 7-8). Ironically the story of the Elemeno’s would foreshadow Birdie’s own disappearance into â€Å"Caucasia† for her own survival.The need for Birdie to â€Å"disappear† or become â€Å"invisible† in order to survive in â€Å"Caucasia† echoes the writings of bell hooks (1992). In speaking of the power and terror of the white gaze historically in the U. S. , hooks explains that there is safety in the  "pretense of invisibility† (hooks, p. 340) and how black people have learned to â€Å"wear the mask† (hooks, p. 341) in an effort to become and remain in that safe haven of invisibility from the terrorizing white gaze. Birdie appears to have been wearing â€Å"the mask† since her time in Nkrumah.The hostility of the other children toward Birdie in particular, at the all â€Å"black† school forces Birdie to â€Å"wear the mask† and put on a racial performance for her schoolmates in Nkrumah and she even begins to learn to speak in slang to better fit in. The character of Birdie resembles that of a chameleon, constantly taking on the colour of those around her in an attempt to become invisible. This racial performance shifts through Birdie’s journey as she attempts to fit in with the â€Å"white† teenagers in New Hampshire.Birdie begins to act, talk, and dress like the New Hampshire teens and as a consequence begins to disappear into â₠¬Å"Caucasia† (the white nation) and her falsified identity of Jesse Goldman. As hooks points out, for white people there is an assumption and fantasy of safety (hooks, p. 340). This can be seen in Sandy Lee’s assumption that she can easily disappear into whiteness, which she takes for granted. Despite Sandy’s rejection of her history of white privilege, she always has the safety in knowing that she has the option of disappearing into the safety of whiteness.For Birdie disappearing into whiteness does not denote â€Å"safety†, it signifies losing herself and her true identity. Birdie must contain and compromise her own true identity in order to have this â€Å"pretense of invisibility†. Eventually, Birdie’s loss of her true identity drives her to flee New Hampshire and remove her â€Å"mask†. â€Å"I wondered†¦ if I too would forever be fleeing in the dark, abandoning parts of myself that I no longer wanted, in search of some part that had escaped me. Killing one girl in order to let the other one free† (Senna, p. 289).Birdie’s disappearances throughout her journey were identity forming processes and important for her search for her sense of self and her identity. Birdies identity quest began by attempting to disappear and become invisible, however, her quest comes full circle as she again finds herself at the end of the novel. Throughout the novel Birdie also struggles with her sexual identity. Senna challenges the categorization of identities through the character of Birdie and suggests that identity is fluid. Birdie does not fit into the rigid categories of â€Å"white† or â€Å"black† or gay or straight, she is in-between.Standpoint Senna also examines whiteness and its social construction from the character Birdie’s standpoint in the novel. Standpoint refers to the location or place within the relationship of domination and subordination, that affects what people see or do not see. Ruth Frankenberg (1993) argues that there is a direct relationship between experience and standpoint. She argues that those who are the oppressed in the systems of domination are more likely to see the structure of domination because they experience it (Frankenberg, p. 5).In Caucasia, Birdie can see whiteness in ways others can not due to the fact that Birdie sits on the boundary of whiteness. In fact, for this same reason Birdie can see blackness in ways that others can not. To the â€Å"black† community Birdie is seen as â€Å"white†, but in comparison to the â€Å"white† community she feels like she is â€Å"black†. She looks on at each end of the spectrum to the structures of whiteness and blackness from in-between both. She becomes aware of the white gaze and the power of the white gaze in ways that others can not.Birdie becomes aware of the power of the white gaze very early on as she experiences the terror it puts in her father when he is questioned by the police and accused for kidnapping â€Å"a little white girl† (Senna, p. 60-61). Structures of Difference and Race The setting of the novel Caucasia plays an important role in its examination of the social construction of whiteness. The novel is set during the 1970’s in the racially tense city of Boston in the mix of the civil rights movement in America.Caucasia made it apparent that the nation was very fractured and built on processes of exclusion (and inclusion) and othering. The history of America as a nation has been built through the violent creation of difference, and as a consequence the violence and wedge of difference continues into the time of this novel. Sandy Lee refers to the nation as â€Å"This war they call America† (Senna, p. 331), illustrating the fractured nationalism that exists within the nation. These inequalities that structure differences are relational (relationship between privileged and oppressed).Frankenberg argue s that â€Å"whiteness† is a racialized identity that is constructed in relation to the racialized â€Å"other† (Frankenberg, p. 13). The foundation of white supremacy is based on the belief that whiteness is a pure category and a dominant â€Å"race† and as such, it must be protected and kept intact. This essentialist view of racism (seeing race as different) is seen in Caucasia in many instances through the reactions to Birdie and Cole from others and how others see them. We can see this in particular through the characters of Carmen and Grandma Logan.The differential treatment of the two sisters by both these characters shows the hidden prejudices that exist within people shaped by the structures of difference and race. In regards to Grandma Logan, Birdie recalls â€Å"she believed that the face was a mirror of the soul. She believed, deep down, that the race my face reflected made me superior. Such a simple, comforting myth to live by† (Senna, p. 366) . Grandma Logan also represents the generational history of whiteness which has placed her in a position of privilege.In hooks examination of whiteness, she explains that white people can safely imagine that they are invisible to black people (hooks, p. 340). This is in part due to the normalization of whiteness by â€Å"white† people in which they view whiteness as â€Å"non-racial† or racially neutral. In Caucasia, Senna constructs whiteness as being the object of critical scrutiny through her character of Birdie. At the beginning of the novel, Birdie describes most people she see’s as having caramel or cinnamon skin without ever identifying them by â€Å"race†.On the other hand, Birdie clearly identifies â€Å"white† people by â€Å"race† with no mention of skin tone. Thus, it becomes evident to the reader that there is a reversal from the usual format in society in which whiteness is seen as the â€Å"norm†. In Birdie’s wor ld it is â€Å"black† people who are the â€Å"norm† and â€Å"white† people who are the exception. Conclusion Through Birdie’s journey in Caucasia, the author illustrates the intersectional social constructions of whiteness and rejects the rigid categories of identity that have been socially constructed.Senna also examines the relationships of power and subordination of whiteness and blackness, through the eyes of Birdie who stands in-between the boundaries of these constructed categories. Finally, through Birdie’s journey of race cognizance we see the structures of difference and how they affect lives. Birdie’s journey illustrates that the citizens of America all live in very different â€Å"America’s† according to their racialized, gendered, and sexualized experiences and how these categories intersect to create greater â€Å"difference† and further fracture the nation.