The Comparison of Poll Tax Country” to Black Like Me Free Essays

â€Å"The Comparison of Poll Tax Country† to Black like Me John Griffin was a normal white man living an average life. He like many other whites knew that people of color were discriminated against, but he never really knew how much the color of one’s skin made a difference in the way people act. If Griffin had seen â€Å"poll tax country† he would have seen racism in a new light. We will write a custom essay sample on The Comparison of Poll Tax Country† to Black Like Me or any similar topic only for you Order Now Griffin’s experiment was to go down south as a colored man to learn the truth of how life was a black man. By look at the painting â€Å"Poll Tax Country,† one can see who had the power in early-1900s Southern society. After slavery blacks were still discriminated against and had to travel miles just to find a bathroom for blacks. â€Å"Poll Tax Country† shows a new perspective on how blacks were treated as people and how was each others back was the only thing that kept them going. In â€Å"Poll Tax Country,† a detail that stood out was the columns that held up the roof of the platform. One of the columns matches those of the Supreme Court and the White House. The different columns symbolize different branches and groups of people that came together to makes laws to keep blacks in debt in certain areas. The column have historical significance: columns have been used since the times of the ancient Egyptians and Romans. Both civilizations had slaves to build monuments that would withstand the test of time. Similarly, the people who built the New World were indentured servants who came to the New World with the hope of starting a new life. Slaves have played a big role in society as far back as the ancient Egyptians, building towns and monuments that still stand today. The columns connect to slavery – without slaves, many of today’s wonders might not exist. Slavery is a dark time in every society’s history. However, slaves had a major contribution to the forming of nations. The first slaves of this nation came with the settlers that came from England. As time when on, Africans were packed on ships and brought here to be sold into slavery. Many whites like John Griffin, knew about slavery and heard many stories about it. However, in the 1940’s they never understood the extent of racism down south. When John Griffin went down south as a black man the way he was treated was very different from how he was treated as a white man. As a white man masked in black he was able to see how black people really interacted with each other. Also, he was able to see how whites really saw blacks and how they interacted with them. As one white hunter who gave Griffin a ride in Alabama said, â€Å"I’ll tell you how it is here. We’ll do business with you people. We’ll sure as hell screw your women. Other than that, you’re just completely off the record as far as we’re concerned. †(Griffin111). Griffin described this man as an ordinary, respectable family man. It is only to black people that he revealed his ugly, racist sickness. Sadly, his words reflect the attitude of many white racists in the South. What John Griffin learned that day was very important because although slaves did the work, they are not glorified in textbooks and were mostly forgotten. John Griffin talked about how an educated black that could afford to vote, answered many questions that many people would not know how to answer; he did not get to vote because the government work would give him a poll test he could not pass. The court system was not always fair and laws were made to keep African Americans from voting so whites could keep control. In â€Å"poll tax country,† in the middle of the gazebo among all the different people is a priest. A man of god that should fair to all people is on the side of the men trying to keep you down. They had no god or person to turn to in their darkest hour African American were being squeezing down on to feel pressured. As slaves, they cannot not trust outsiders; they had to live in packs and work back to back. In the picture the works were almost on top of each working an area that could be manned by two to three people at the max. doesn’t make sense. This was a gang – they worked together and protected each other to survive. John Griffin saw many things in his experiment that put things into perspective. As a black man he was degraded by whites who felt that they were superior to him. Society strived to keep African Americans controlled so whites would remain dominant. Down south that made it hard for blacks to vote, get good jobs, or even use public bathroom. The whites that cashed their cash always seemed to need more that what was on the check. Doesn’t make sense the poor working black was always in debt. Griffin brought up a story about a well educated black man who wanted to vote but was never able o because the official gave him a test that was unfair and they both knew that he would not pass it. â€Å"I can read the headline†¦ It says this one negro in Mississippi who’s not going to get to vote this year. † (Griffin, 81). In this joke by P. D. East about the voting rights for blacks in the South, a black man who wants to vote is given a newspaper in Chinese in order to te st his literacy. East tells the joke to shine a light on the problem facing blacks being prohibited from voting in the South. By preventing blacks from voting, whites removed their voice in matters. This way the law stayed on the side of the whites, and blacks never had a chance to make changes. In the painting, a congressman stands in front preaching to the people and filling their heads with empty words. However, shadowing the congress man is a KKK member that looks as if he is in control of what the congressman says. The audience has stopped listening to the words they have heard many times before. They have lost hope in their government that represents only the white people, knowing that the people who lynch them are the same ones who hold public offices. Many have lost hope in seeing the change that they were promised, still working like slaves 90 years after the Civil War. John Griffin had never known how blacks felt about politicians because he had never faced laws that made it harder to get by everyday as a white man. To him the government was a government by the people for the people, but in fact government was mostly run by white, racists and even members of the KKK. Being black showed Griffin the double standards of this government of, for, and by the people. As a white man he could go to white facilities or black facilities if he chose, and he could enter, do, and say as he pleases. However, as a black man he could only go to black facilities and he had to respect whites. A white man when into a black facility on day and put up a file stating that any black man willing to bring young black female to them will get paid. The fact that white men had the power to do such things is degrading both to a man as well as to the entire African- race. While whites were promoting pimping and prostitution, the government was simply looking the other way. However, the government imposed a steep fine on hunting alligators. The fact that a poor sawmill worker who lived on the swamp with his wife and six children could not hunt the alligators endangered his family every day: â€Å"I’ll tell you—if we don’t have meat to cook with the beans, why she just goes ahead and cooks the beans anyhow. † (Griffin111). When Griffin traveled through the rural swamp country in Alabama, he met a poor black sawmill worker who offered him a place to stay on the floor of his shack. Griffin is touched by the man’s generosity. The man and his wife are thankful for what they have. If there is no meat to cook, the man notes, his wife doesn’t complain; she just serves beans. Realistically, the man has enough meat around his home to feed his family for many years to come. However, because governments know that most blacks would benefit from alligator meat, they impose fines that whites could afford to pay off but not blacks. That night John Griffin thought of his kids and how they were living right now, and how if he and his family were not white they too might be reduced to this squalid standard of living. Griffin had been black for a couple of weeks and was sick to his stomach from his experience he couldn’t handle it anymore. Blacks had to handle much abuse from whites that want to keep controlling them on a daily basis but yet they stood strong to the end. â€Å"Black like me† and â€Å"Poll Tax Country† share many ideas of what racism was really like down south. John Griffins experiment showed how a normal, kind-looking family man could become so cruel to another human due to the color of the skin. He showed how the government squeezed down on anyone that was not white by any means available. Blacks could not turn for help from the government, or the even the men of god. They were made into second class citizens that had little to no rights and every apportioned was give to white society. Courts were run by whites who were prejudice, the government was filled with racists and the rest was manipulated by the very men that felt they were the only one’s fit to roam the lands. Blacks were being degraded to keep their hopes down and to control them. Keeping control by making them second class citizens and in debt there whole life makes them less likely to rebel because they would feel less likely to win. How to cite The Comparison of Poll Tax Country† to Black Like Me, Papers

How does Arthur Miller create sympathy for John Proctor in the Crucible Essay Example For Students

How does Arthur Miller create sympathy for John Proctor in the Crucible? Essay Arthur Miller creates sympathy for John proctor in a number of different and effective ways. The way I feel was the most effective, was the way Arthur changes our impression of proctor during the play. As in, in the first act proctor says Abbey I never give you hope to wait for me. This was the first time the audience find out that proctor; a seemingly ordinary family man has actually been involved in an affair, further on in the play the audience realise that proctor has learn his lesson when he says this quote I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint it is a fraud, I am not that man. This shows the audience that proctor feels guilty and ashamed of his affair with Abigail; this also shows us he feels he is not honest by saying it is fraud and how he cannot be hung like a saint. How Rebecca Nurse, Mary and many others got hung for being accused for something they never did. I think and I strongly feel proctor was not and is trying not be a hypocrite which a very good and loyal man to me as he respects his word and sticks to it. In addition, another way in which Arthur miller creates sympathy for proctor is when proctor says this line Why do you never wonder if Parris be innocent, Abigail? Is the accuser always holy now? By proctor saying this it is as though saying what is on the readers mind, as in we know right from act one that the girls are lying and the audience feel angry, what with all the accusation. So by proctor saying this the audience feel almost relived in a way. The audience feel as though proctor is the only brave character that is strong enough to speak the truth. In contrast to how proctor lied to Elizabeth when she asked him if you were with someone when he actually was with Abigail. Proctor feeling embarrassed and guilty says Oh, Elizabeth, your justice would freeze beer! proctor feels as though Elizabeth will never trust him again. When he says freeze he almost is saying that Elizabeth is cold- heated. But can you really expect Elizabeth to forget such a big affair, especially when it was going on in your own house? I feel and I think the audience felt that by proctor saying this he came across as a bit selfish, despite this later on in the play/book we find out that proctor becomes a loyal. In the final scene, it made the audience feel tremendously sympathetic towards proctor. The stage directions in the last scene make the last scene so powerful. (Proctor, with a cry of his whole soul) Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not the dust on to feet of those who hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name! The stage directions used at the end really are intense and very emotional, because proctor is a dying man and these are one of his last words. So in other words proctor is pleading for his life. I feel that this was a very good technique as the audience were very sympathetic towards proctor by contrast to the way the audience felt about proctor in Act one in his affair with Abigail. (ELIZABETH, in a burst of terror, rushes to him and weeps against his hand). This stage direction makes the audience feel sad, emotional and makes the audience want to cry because of the powerful stage directions use. I feel that the stage directions used were very effective and emotional.

Campaign Finance Reform Essays - Politics Of The United States

Campaign Finance Reform CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM The campaign finance system is corrupted. Spending is out of control, and there are various loopholes in federal campaign finance law. Money buys access and influence, which effectively causes the majority of Americans to have no real capacity to influence public policy. State and federal legislation is needed to fight corruption and unjust influence, to ensure the public's right to know where a candidate's money comes from, to enable all candidates to compete equitably in elections, and to allow maximum citizen participation in the political process. Rock the Vote believes that the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Bill, in its current state, should be the first piece of legislation signed into law in 2001. Bolder approaches could include: reducing the duration of political campaigns; requiring television and radio stations to air campaign advertising free of charge as a condition for maintaining their broadcast licenses; barring campaign advertising from the airwaves altogether; or placing strict limits on the amounts of money that can be spent by candidates and any and all of their supporters. Rock the Vote supports passing comprehensive legislation for meaningful campaign finance reform. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Mccain-Feingold bill proposes to end the soft money system by prohibiting candidates and national political parties from raising soft money. Soft money is a financial contribution intended to be used for issues advertising that dies not advocate on behalf of, or against, a specific candidate. Political parties currently use the legality of soft-money donations as a loophole in current campaign finance law, finding ways to channel this money into candidates' campaigns. The McCain-Feingold bill prohibits state political parties from spending soft money on activities which affect federal elections, The Current practice of raising unlimited soft money contributions from contributions, unions and wealthy individuals, and then channeling this money into federal elections, would end. The national parties would be required to raise all of their funds under the limits and restrictions in the law. Rock the vote advocates the signing the McCain-Feingold bill into law. Caps must be placed on campaign finance spending. Eliminating the soft-money loophole is one way to monitor, and hopefully restrict, the influence of corporate interest on candidates.

Understanding the U.S. Electoral College

Understanding the U.S. Electoral College The number of electors in the Electoral College is established in the United States Constitution. First, within the context of the Constitution, the meaning of  college, as in the Electoral College, does not mean a school, but of a group of people organized toward a common goal. The Electoral College was set up in the Constitution as a compromise between election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of citizens who are eligible to vote. The  12th Amendment expanded voting rights. The result was that the use of the popular vote in the States as the vehicle for selecting electors changed radically. According to the Constitution, the Founding Fathers determined that every state should be given votes equal to the number of senators and representatives in its U.S. Congressional delegation. This gives two votes for its senators in the U.S. Senate plus a number of votes equal to the number of its members in the U. S. House of Representatives. Therefore, every state has at least three electoral votes because even the smallest states have one representative and two senators. The number of any additional electoral votes per state is determined by the United States Census which is completed every ten years. After the Census, the number of representatives is reapportioned to reflect any changes in population. That can mean the number of electors each state can vary in different presidential elections. Because of the 23 Amendment, the District of Columbia is treated as a state and allocated three electors for purposes of the Electoral College. In total, there are 538 electors in the Electoral College. A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the President.   There is no law that requires the Electors in the Electoral College to vote according to the results of the popular vote in their states. These decisions are made by each state where restrictions fall into two categories- Electors that are bound by state law and those that are bound by pledges to political parties. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration  maintains a website dedicated to information regarding the Electoral College. The website lists the number of votes per state, the records of the Electoral College elections, and links to the Electoral College process in each state. There is also contact information for each Secretary of State on the National Association of Secretaries of State:  nass.org.   The Secretary of State of each state can provide information as to the voting procedure and whether or not the voting is open to the public. Currently, the state with the largest number of electoral votes is California with 55. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration also offers a frequently asked question page with links such as the ones below: Why did the Founding Fathers create electors?How many total electoral votes are there?How many electoral votes does a candidate need to win?What happens if there is a tie in the electoral college?Why dont the candidates get a proportion of the electoral vote?If the states winner chooses electors, wont the person with the most votes win?Why have elections when the states winner receives all the electoral votes?

Assignment 3-2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Assignment 3-2 - Essay Example This pattern emerges when we study the dominant traits of all the individuals in the group. Just as the personality profiles of individuals can be used to understand their interactions; the personality profiles of individuals and groups can also be studied to understand the extent of fit that the individual has with the group. Such analysis can often help us identify helpful and unhelpful patterns between levels in the hierarchy; co-workers, and thus help us repair the same to ensure efficient functioning of the group. In the present study, the group supervisor has a personality profile that can be coded as ESFP, and the group he supervises is coded has a dominant profile ESTJ. We find it important to study the interaction between these two profiles in order to try and understand the areas of strength and those of concern in the interactions of the supervisor and the group. The supervisor (personality profile ESFP) is a spontaneous, outgoing individual who loves attention and being a mongst people; interacting with them and helping them feel good about themselves. He makes a great team worker because of this. This person is also liable to be emotional in some situations, and moody in his interactions with others. He prefers using pre-existing structures to new ones; and is less likely to be analytical about the situation at hand. On the other hand, the group profile suggests that the group is organised and focused in its functioning and prefers to abide by rules and structures. It respects authority and is meticulous in its functioning. The discipline that the group seems to love keeps in on target in its goals, which also fuels its sense of purpose and confidence. The group does not take lightly to erratic and strange or out-of context behaviour. Its strong centrifugal style keeps the group connected and united in most cases. The relationship between these two groups is seen as one of Benefit; with the supervisor (personality profile ESFP) being the Benefactor of the group (personality profile ESTJ). A relationship of this kind gives the benefactor a more favourable place in the relationship; and thus, a higher place in the hierarchy. The relationship is mutually beneficial to the extent that the benefactor – here the supervisor – provides the presence and authority that the beneficiary needs and craves. This makes for a smooth work relationship in most cases, since the supervisor provides the authority and direction the team happily follows in the completion of the set goals. The supervisor in return gains respect from the team that provides a sense of authority and control the ESFP love. The team or group tend to identify with the supervisor and treats itself as an extension of this supervisor, such that the flow of command and direction is seamless and rarely challenged. There are potential areas of conflict also; since the supervisor does have some weak spots that the group tries to fill out. But being lower in the hiera rchy of power; they can only make suggestions that may or may not be conceded. This can lead to strife and angry interactions that taint the mood of the group; and could even affect it’s functioning. The supervisor’s personality does lead him to undervalue to inputs of the group; and may ignore suggestions from the team members. While they are focussed on maintaining the wellbeing and functionality of each team member; they do not feel the need to take all

Armed Conflict and International Humanitarianism Essay

Armed Conflict and International Humanitarianism - Essay Example The intervention works with or without the use of force, with or without support from the local population and even with or without legal ambiguities. However, it is my firm belief that without a cultural understanding of conflict and the culture of the people involved in the conflict, no intervention or humanitarian action can be completely successful. Since the age of traditional war as history has known it to be has more or less ended with the devastating terrorist attacks of 9/11, the war against terrorism has also created situations where humanitarian aid may be required after both the terrorists and the alliance forces have left the region (Akhavi, 2003). The case of Afghanistan is a prime example where humanitarian aid is desperately required after the country has seen both the ravages of the Taliban and the carpet bombers from America. However, the area still remains a conflict zone and must be treated as such. This also means that conflict must be understood in a cultural context since the reaction, acceptance and acts performed in a conflict zone certainly change from culture to culture (Ehrenreich, 1998). A generation of Afghanis has grown up without knowing a place to call home and have lived with conflict as a part of their lives (Akhavi, 2003). On the other hand, a humanitarian aid worker from Denmark may have a completely different view about both war and humanitarian aid. It has been accepted by both active soldiers and humanitarian workers that an understanding of culture is essential for conducting any operation in a given environment. However, the need for understanding culture and how the conflict is viewed in a cultural context is even more pressing when the humanitarian work has to be done in an area which is considered to be a combat zone. Moreover, the nature of humanitarian work has broadened enough to the point where the battle for ‘hearts and minds’ does not have to be fought by those wearing red

Ford Motors and Its Leadership Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ford Motors and Its Leadership - Term Paper Example The term paper "Ford Motors and Its Leadership" talks about the productive efficiency that makes an organization successful and also the leadership style that directs the organization towards a unified organization goal. Henry Ford introduced a structure whereby employees and workers were only responsible for the tasks in their job description and the decision making was highly centralized: only the top management could do that. Though Ford’s production line was perfect, it only made sales in the USA and Canada in1999. Jacques Nasser, Ford’s CEO in 1999 believed that there was an urgent need to relax the rigid and slow structure and he recommended ‘nimble leaders at all levels’, in order to speed up decision making. Only when lower level employees were allowed to make decisions, they could feel confident and trusted. This improves efficiency and performance of the overall workforce. Ford’s present ideology is that to start a revolution, one has to train revolutionaries. This was not the case back in 1999. To develop leaders, Ford sent around 2500 of its managers to Leadership Development Center. These programs were not only aimed at defining good leaders but they also taught the skills and strategies to become good leaders. At Ford’s New Business Leader Program, Janine Bay retorted: "How many of you feel comfortable being here? About half. Okay. Well, I hope to change that this week. I want all of you to be uncomfortable. Because if you're comfortable, you can't re ally be a revolutionary, can you?" (Hammonds, 2000). Only when managers work outside their comfort zones, they can learn different new tasks and bring about innovations and revolutions. Leadership at grass root level made Ford a more nimble entity. It instills risk taking ability at lower levels of the hierarchy. If employees at grass root wait for instructions from the top management, there can be hold ups in the whole production process. Ford encourages leaders to be teachers because it makes them stronger and insightful leaders. Teaching transforms managers into leaders who can strike a balance between work and family (Hammonds, 2000). In 2009, General Motors and Chrysler filed for bankruptcy and agreed to government bailout. The year 2008 was the worst period for Ford as it incurred a loss of $14.6 billion in sales. It had made $24 billion which was less than the $25.8 billion debt. In spite of this blow, Ford turned down government help because it wanted to save it for times wh en the economy worsened to the greatest extent. Ford also experienced declining sales the following year: and its sales in February 2009 were 48% lower than its sales in February of 2008. But Fords did not follow the footsteps of General Motors or Chrysler. The crisis that it faced did not shake its integrity as an organization. It stood strong in times of economic trouble and refused government loans in order to bounce back. The reason why Ford survived even after refusing a government bailout was that in 2007, Ford had raised $23.6 billion by getting loans against its North American assets (that served as collateral). The idea as per the then chief executive Alan R. Mulally was that this loaned money will protect Ford’s in times of recession. Unlike Chrysler and General Motors, Ford’s was protected in recession by this loaned money. Planning for contingencies by its top management gave Ford the security and stability it needed in recessionary period. In 2009, Ford tu rned out to be the only automaker survivor, when most automakers filed for bankrup