Death of Salesman by Arthur Miller - 972 Words

In the play Death of a Salesman by the playwright Arthur Miller, the use of names is significant to the characters themselves. Many playwrights and authors use names in their works to make a connection between the reader and the main idea of their work. Arthur Miller uses names in this play extraordinarily. Not only does Miller use the names to get readers to correlate them with the main idea of the play, but he also uses names to provide some irony to the play. Miller uses the meanings of some of the names to tie in the characteristics of the characters. Willy, the protagonist of Miller’s play, has a brother, Ben. Ben is much older and long dead when this play begins. Ben, or Benjamin, is a religious name that refers to the â€Å"Son of the†¦show more content†¦He has an apartment, a job, and all the women he could dream of, but he remains deeply saddened. Happy hints his sadness early in the play And I know what the hell I’m workin’ for. Sometimes I sit in my apartment all alone. And I think of the rent I’m paying. And it’s crazy. But then, it’s what I always wanted. My own apartment, a car and plenty of women. And still, goddammit, I’m lonely. (23; Act 1) All of this sadness builds up inside of Happy and he strives for attention. He is constantly trying to achieve his dad’s attention by saying, â€Å"I’m losing weight, you notice Pop† (29; Act 1)? Happy always tells his family he is going to get married also. He continues telling he is going to get married to put a mask of happiness over his feelings of inadequacy. The name Bernard corresponds with a nerd’s name. Bernard, the son of a neighbor, Charley who ends up loaning the Loman’s money and standing by Willy, is a nerd and has a name that collaborates well with his personality. After Bernard tries helping Biff not fail math Willy says, â€Å"Don’t be a pest, Bernard! What an anemic!† (33; Act 1). Bernard may have been a nerd, but now he is a very successful lawyer. Charlie boasts about Bernard’s success to Willy â€Å"How do you like this kid? Gonna argue a case in front of the Supreme Court† (95; Act 2). On the other side of the spectrum the Loman or â€Å"Low man† family refers to the class of the family. The Loman’s are not successful andShow MoreRelatedDeath Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller1387 Words   |  6 PagesAmerican play-write Arthur Miller, is undoubtedly Death of a Salesman. Arthur Miller wrote Death of a Salesman in 1949 at the time when America was evolving into an economic powerhouse. Arthur Miller critiques the system of capitalism and he also tells of the reality of the American Dream. Not only does he do these things, but he brings to light the idea of the dysfunctional family. Death of a Salesman is one of America’s saddest tragedies. In Arthur Miller’s, Death of a Salesman, three major eventsRead MoreDeath Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller888 Words   |  4 PagesDeath of a Salesman† is a play written by Arthur Miller in the year 1949. The play revolves around a desperate salesman, Willy Loman. Loman is delusioned and most of the th ings he does make him to appear as a man who is living in his own world away from other people. He is disturbed by the fact that he cannot let go his former self. His wife Linda is sad and lonely; his youngest son Biff is presented as a swinger/player while his eldest son Happy appears anti-business and confused by the behaviorRead MoreDeath Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller1573 Words   |  7 Pagesrepresents a character with a tragic flaw leading to his downfall. In addition, in traditional tragedy, the main character falls from high authority and often it is predetermined by fate, while the audience experiences catharsis (Bloom 2). Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman is considered to be a tragedy because this literary work has some of the main characteristics of the tragedy genre. In this play, the main character Willy Loman possesses such traits and behaviors that lead to his downfall, and theRead MoreDeath Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller1628 Words   |  7 PagesArthu r Miller wrote the Pulitzer Prize winning play Death of a Salesman in 1949. The play inflated the myth of the American Dream of prosperity and recognition, that hard work and integrity brings, but the play compels the world to see the ugly truth that capitalism and the materialistic world distort honesty and moral ethics. The play is a guide toward contemporary themes foreseen of the twentieth century, which are veiled with greed, power, and betrayal. Miller’s influence with the play spreadRead MoreDeath Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller949 Words   |  4 PagesDeath of a Salesman can be described as modern tragedy portraying the remaining days in the life of Willy Loman. This story is very complex, not only because of it’s use of past and present, but because of Willy’s lies that have continued to spiral out of control throughout his life. Arthur Miller puts a modern twist on Aristotle’s definition of ancient Greek tragedy when Willy Loman’s life story directly identifies the fatal flaw of the â€Å"American Dream†. Willy Loman’s tragic flaw can be recappedRead MoreThe Death Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller846 Words   |  4 PagesA Dime a Dozen The Death of a Salesman is a tragedy written by playwright Arthur Miller and told in the third person limited view. The play involves four main characters, Biff, Happy, Linda, and Willy Loman, an ordinary family trying to live the American Dream. Throughout the play however, the family begins to show that through their endeavors to live the American Dream, they are only hurting their selves. The play begins by hinting at Willy’s suicidal attempts as the play begins with Linda askingRead MoreDeath Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller Essay2538 Words   |  11 PagesSurname 1 McCain Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course: Date: Death of a Salesman Death of a salesman is a literature play written by American author Arthur Miller. The play was first published in the year 1949 and premiered on Broadway in the same year. Since then, it has had several performances. It has also received a lot of accordances and won numerous awards for its literature merit including the coveted Pulitzer for drama. The play is regarded by many critics as the perfectRead MoreDeath Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller2081 Words   |  9 Pages#1 â€Å"Death of a Salesman† by Arthur Miller is a tragedy, this play has only two acts and does not include scenes in the acts. Instead of cutting from scene to scene, there is a description of how the lighting focuses on a different place or time-period, which from there, they continue on in a different setting. The play doesn’t go in chronological order. A lot of the play is present in Willy’s flashbacks or memories of events. This provides an explanation of why the characters are acting a certainRead MoreDeath Of Salesman By Arthur Miller1475 Words   |  6 Pagesto death to achieve their so- called American dream. They live alone and there is no love of parents and siblings. They may have not noticed the America dream costs them so much, which will cause a bigger regret later. In the play Death of Salesman, Arthur Miller brings a great story of a man who is at very older age and still works hard to achieve his desire, which is the American dream. Later, he no tices that his youth is gone and there is less energy in his body. Willy Loman is a salesman, whoRead MoreDeath Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller1517 Words   |  7 PagesArthur Miller’s play titled â€Å"Death of a Salesman† offers a plethora of morals pertaining to the human condition. One moral, shown in Aesop’s fable â€Å"The Peacock and Juno†, pertains to that one should be content with that of which they are given, for one cannot be the best at everything. In Death of a Salesman there is, without a doubt, a paucity of content and happiness within the Loman family. But what does it mean to truly be content? Aesop’s fable â€Å"The Peacock and Juno†, as the name suggests,

The Civil Rights Movement African Americans And Native...

Imagine a world in which all men weren t created equal. A world where skin color, ethnic origin, gender, and sexuality was what defined a person rather than character. â€Å"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood†(King). Through the decades of the 1940s-1960s, America built the foundation for civil rights, a movement in which minorities fought for equality. Groups that previously had been discriminated against began to defend themselves with greater strength and success. The civil rights movement inspired African Americans, Native Americans, women, queers, and Latinos to fight for equality. Although each social group faced their own unique challenges during the civil rights movement, each group shared a common connection through their struggles for equality. Mutual support between African Americans and Native Americans grew with the Black Power movement of the 1970s. Both Native Americans and African Americans were driven by a need for respect, freedom, and justice. The Trail of Broken Treaties was a cross-country protest designed to bring national attention to Native American issues, such as treaty rights, living standards, and inadequate housing, it was the largest gathering ever of Native Americans presenting their hopes. The march started on the west coast of North America in October and ended in Washington D.C to meet with the GovernmentShow MoreRelatedSocial Change During The Civil Rights Movement1239 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Native Americans fighting for equality in the Civil Rights Movements.The Native Americans, Latinos, African Americans, and Asian Americans had to participate in the Civil Rights Movements in order to prevent their cultures from being taken away. Equal pay, equal education, and different types of natural born rights are still being addressed today, and overtime advocacy groups have been working to achieve equal rights.â€Å"We are confronted primarily with a moral issue†¦ whether all Americans are toRead MoreThe Civil Rights Movement And African Americans1048 Words   |  5 Pages1940s-1960s, America laid the groundwork for civil rights, a movement through which minorities fought for equal opportunity. Groups that previously had been submerged or subordinate began more forcefully and successfully to defend themselves. The civil rights movement inspired African Americans, Native Americans, women, queers, and Latinos to fight for equality. Thesis : Although each social group faced their own unique challenges during the civil rights movement, each group shared a common connectionRead MoreFighting A War At Home And Abroad1643 Words   |  7 Pageshaving their civil rights violated, oppressed and even removed. Segregation during this period of war was very much alive for these racial groups. Factories full of a specific color worked long hours with little pay, usually women. The Men of these racial groups who volunteered or where drafted to the war, where put in color specific military units. One of these racial groups were Native Americans. Their warrior spirit was perfect for the fight against these overseas enemies. African Americans were alsoRead MoreAnalysis Of Martin Luther King Jr. s Letter From Birmingham Jail1251 Words   |  6 Pagesof many African Americans along with other â€Å"colored† Americans to have civil rights. At that time, African Americans were battling against racial segregation and di scrimination and they fought it continually and solely until they achieve the freedom they want. His main goal was to achieve justice and peace amongst â€Å"colored† people, including white Americans. The civil rights movement in 1964 has led to remarkable forward advances for individuals rights for African Americans, Native Americans, HispanicsRead MoreCivil Rights971 Words   |  4 PagesCivil Rights The struggle for equality has been a battle fought for hundreds of years amongst Native Americans, African Americans, and Mexican Americans. When we hear the words civil rights often we conjure images of Martin Luther King Jr. delivering his soul-stirring â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech before the nation’s capital. The truth is, minorities have been fighting for their civil rights way before the 1950’s in fact it dates way back to the early 1880’s when Native Americans lost their lands,Read MoreRacial Stereotype in the Movie The Green Mile1279 Words   |  6 Pagesfilms, from the earliest silent film, to the most modern film production. Stereotypes in early America had significant influence over how other viewed African Americans, Latinos, Asians etc. The most stereotyped race in history is the black male. In most early films, they were portrayed as simple minded and careless individuals, but when African Americans started to stand up for themselves films po rtrayed them as more savage and bloodthirsty. In the 1999 film The Green Mile directed by Frank DarabontRead MoreThe American Of The Civil Rights Movement949 Words   |  4 Pagesstatement. As a whole, the Civil Rights Movement accounted for a drastic amount of changes to black businesses that primarily served black consumers. For instance, African American people stayed at blacked owned hotels, resorts, and restaurants, which gave way for African American entrepreneurship (Blackford 149). Once segregation was outlawed, African American consumers leapt at the opportunity to shop at white owned businesses. Post-Civil Rights Movement, the African American community has becomeRead MoreThe First Televised Debate Between Richard Nixon And John F Kennedy936 Words   |  4 Pages1960s The event that kicked off the 1960s was the first televised Presidential Debate between Richard Nixon and John F Kennedy. This debate changed the way the American populous approached politics because it allowed anyone with a television to have a front row seat to the debate. Furthermore, when individuals listened on the radio, the thought that Nixon had better answers, but when citizens saw how composed John F Kennedy was, they believed that he had one. Also, the event that closed the 1960sRead MoreWorld War II and Social Equality1441 Words   |  6 PagesWorld War II and Social Equality World War II was a very important event in American history, but as bad as war is or seems to be there always seems to have better outcomes in the end. By the Japanese bombing Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and bringing America into the war it opened the eyes of all Americans to the problems not only domestically but internationally and the biggest problem that was discovered after the completion of World War II was the level of social equality around the worldRead MoreThe Importance Of The Civil Rights Movement1054 Words   |  5 PagesThe civil rights movement come into being in the middle of the twentieth century. The push came from African Americans who did not get the same rights as the whites such as equal access to public amenities, equal chances in education, job recruitment and housing, the right to vote and freedom from racial discrimination. The movement was fighting to bring back the right of citizenship to the African Americans after its erosion by segregationist ji m crow law. It further led to the reemergence of the

International Energy Policy Management

Question: Write an essay on International Energy Policy? Answer: Introduction: The carbon dioxide (CO2) emission has been the major cause of the global warming and climate change over the entire world. The harmful emission can be attributed to the economic development of the country that has posed as a serious problem of environmental degradation. There is an urgent need for the nations to combat the adverse consequences of the increased CO2. To overcome the environmental problems, it is necessary to limit the concentration of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and thereby avoid the consequences of increased temperature and dramatic impacts on the economic performance, welfare, and the ecosystems. In the UK about 86% of the CO2 emission is due to the production and the use of energy. To reduce the adverse impact of the carbon emission, there is an urgent need to adopt and diffuse the use of renewable energy technologies (RET) within the country (Asif, Currie and Muneer, 2007). The incorporation of the renewable energy technologies is crucial in this context a s it has the potentiality to reduce the imports of the energy into the nations. The positive side of the implementation of the RET includes the generation of the local environmental and health benefits. The adoption of the RET implies that the performance of the economy will improve as it will have positive impacts on the employment, competitiveness and sustainable development of the economy. The paper aims to analyze the trends in the UK energy policy and commence a SWOT analysis of the impact of the renewable energy technologies on the energy policy of the UK. Energy policy of the UK: The recent changes in the energy policy of the UK are depicted in the Energy White Paper (2007) and the Low Carbon Transition Plan (2009). These are led by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, which is headed by Amber Rudd. The main aim of the policy is to reform the electricity market, surging out smart meters and making improvements in the energy efficiency of the UK through the Green Deal. The UK is highly dependent on the fossil fuels which led to the increased carbon emission that caused the greenhouse effect, global warming, and climatic changes. There has been an excess demand for fossil fuels which has suppressed the indigenous supplies of oil and gas. The huge increase in the demand for fuels has led to the increase in the imports of fuels. This has been a substantial impact on the economic performance of the UK as the country experiencing fuel price volatility due to the world market fluctuations. The use of energy has increased the level of carbon emission in the a tmosphere leading to adverse environmental impacts. Some targets had been initiated by the government of the UK to reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses. In the Climate Change Bill, the UK target is to reduce the carbon emission by 80% by the year 2050. There was also an interim target of 34% by the year 2020. The UK economy has to implement intelligent and effective energy policy that will aim to make the investment in the carbon abatement technologies (UK launches Renewable Energy Strategy, 2008). Some of the renewable energy technologies include: Solar Energy:- Solar collectors- This is the technology through which the solar radiation in the form of energy are gathered and used for different purposes like providing electricity problems in the buildings, communities, and for the society as a whole in a cost effective way . Photovoltaics- Solar energy can be used in hybrid forms with the wind energy so that it has the potentiality to provide power to street lights or traffic lights and also to the solar power plants. This technology can be of high cost, but the efficiency becomes low in this case. Geothermal energy- commercial electricity is extracted from the geothermal steam reservoirs. The water from the surface is injected, heated and used in a steam or binary power cycle and then re-used for recycling purposes. Here the risk and uncertainties are quite high. Wind Energy-The wind energy power plants are built near or around the sources of wind. When this wind energy is extracted for renewable energy technologies. This technology would generate electricity, and one of the best practices includes the provision of street lights and electrification of schools . Hydropower- The water resources are used to generate electricity in the small towns and villages. Biomass- the residues and wastes discharged from the forestry and agricultural in direct combustion systems is used for the generation of electricity and heat. One technology that is used for the direct combustion of biomass fuels which is the biomass co-firing is used for the demonstration of utility power plants and commercial purposes. SWOT analysis of renewable energy technologies: To understand the impact of the renewable energy technologies on the energy policy direction of the UK, it is important to analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to this incorporation (Chen, Kim and Yamaguchi, 2014). Strengths: The incorporation of the renewable technologies would generate electricity. The EUs Sustainable energy targets have depicted that the UK must generate around 15% of the electricity from the sources of renewable energy by the year 2020. The aim of the UK is to encourage the average annual investment for the production of renewable energy. The incorporation of the RET has proved that the annual investment had doubled over the past few years which reached around 8bn in 2013. The UK is abundant in the wind, wave, and tidal resources which means that the renewable energy technologies will make complete use of the energy resources for the generation electricity and heat within the society and communities as whole . One of the important RET is the Solar photovoltaic's (PV) which allows the generation of renewable energy that has proved to be beneficial for the UK. The most important strengths of the renewable energy technologies are the financial and infrastructural support for the government policies and incentives like the Contract for Difference (CfD) scheme and Ofgem's Renewables Obligation (RO) scheme . Weaknesses: The major weakness in the implementation of the RET is due to the recession and the uncertainty in the markets. This has posed as a financial problem and investment crunch in the RET promotion in the UK .Another weakness is somewhat associated with the financial crunch is that the high cost. The construction and development of wind farms, biomass plants, and solar farms are quite expensive. Thus, the implementation of RET is not a frequent phenomenon and requires a lot of resources and funds. The UK government is not generous enough to financially support the RET like the onshore wind, solar, and biomass. Sometimes the government provides limited resources for the development of the RET. This is a major problem in the renewable energy sector as without suitable funds and financial resources there will be a negative impact on the investment in RET . The government of the UK lacks consistency and long term commitment has posed a serious problem in the renewable sector. This kind of inconsistency in the plans and strategies of the government have made the renewable investors' confidence to weaken. With the lack of investing confidence, the RET is negatively affected, and the achievement of the long-term plans for the renewable energy is hindered. The hindrance provided by the government sometimes impacts the energy companies. This is because while investing in an expensive renewable energy projects, it is their duty to check the commercial viability of the capital-intensive renewable energy sources. It is also important to analyze the return on investment that would be generated from the projects but a major aspect of the success of these projects largely depend on the regulations and the incentives that must be provided by the government. Failure to do so would imply that the RET would not be able to yield the positive impact on the UK energy policies . One of the major issues related to the construction of the solar farms and the power plants is the protests from the local group of people. They tend to against such construction of powerful solar farms as it would damage the local landscape and the wildlife. This kind of protest in the UK is done on a large scale that can stop the implementation of the project. This would imply that the target of the UK energy policy would be compromised. Opportunities: UK is regarded as the windiest country in the Europe which means that the country has excellent opportunities to utilize the winds to generate energy and electricity. This wind energy is an important source of energy that implies that the RET using winds when implemented could generate sufficient electricity and thereby would be able to meet the targets of the energy policy of the UK. The government of the UK has allocated 300 budget for the implementation of the low-carbon technology. This proposal had been included in the CfD scheme that has the potentiality of increasing in the investment in the RET over the years. The increase in the investment would imply that the RET would be set on a large scale and that the benefits would be reflected through the achievements of the targets of the energy policy . The opportunities are extracted from the offshore wind market that is regarded as the established in the world. The offshore wind market would generate enough electricity to meet the demands and target of the energy policy of the UK. There are opportunities that with the development of the RET in the UK, the expertise having enhanced knowledge on the RET would be able to share their knowledge in the international markets . The technological improvement would encourage the development and innovation of the RET in a cost effective way. The improvement and innovation in the RET would imply that 15% target of electricity generation in the UK energy policy could be achieved . The continued economic growth in the UK would mean that the overall energy consumption would be increased. This increase would also stimulate the increase in the renewable energy consumption and stimulate the implementation of the RET . Threats: The major threat that the UK is facing is the drop in the attractiveness as a destination for RET investments. The reports suggested by the EY in September 2014 suggest that UK renewable energy investment has dropped to the seventh place and is recorded to be at all time low . The UK government had cut down the subsidies for the large scale solar schemes like the Renewable Obligation (RO) Scheme in April 2015. This had dragged down the development and innovation of the RET in the UK. Large solar farm developers are under competition for acquiring the CfD subsidies. This would imply that the government had discouraged the RET implementation. The inconsistency in the commitment of the government implies that there is a high risk involved in the incorporation of the RET in the UK. Another source of energy is the hydro power from the inland sources. This hydropower is adversely affected by the climatic change for the generation of renewable energy and posed a hindrance in the incorporation of the RET. There is a high chance that the Nuclear energy would be preferred as the low carbon energy source in the UK which means that the renewable energy source has a significant threat from the nuclear energy. Conclusion: The paper focuses on the major issue of the introduction of the RET in the UK energy sector. The RET would positively impact the energy policy of the UK as it would enable the generation of electricity using the renewable energy source in the UK. As UK is the windiest country in the Europe, there is a high scope for the utilization of the wind energies to generate electricity. In this paper further the SWOT analysis has been done to determine the impact of the RET on the energy policy of the UK. References: Asif, M., Currie, J. and Muneer, T. (2007). The role of renewable and non-renewable sources for meeting future UK energy needs.International Journal of Nuclear Governance, Economy and Ecology, 1(4), p.372. Balcombe, P., Rigby, D. and Azapagic, A. (2013). Motivations and barriers associated with adopting microgeneration energy technologies in the UK.Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 22, pp.655-666. Balcombe, P., Rigby, D. and Azapagic, A. (2013). Motivations and barriers associated with adopting microgeneration energy technologies in the UK.Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 22, pp.655-666. Chen, W., Kim, H. and Yamaguchi, H. (2014). Renewable energy in eastern Asia: Renewable energy policy review and comparative SWOT analysis for promoting renewable energy in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.Energy Policy, 74, pp.319-329. DECC funds UK-first renewable heat network research. (2015).Renewable Energy Focus, 16(1), p.4. DECC funds UK-first renewable heat network research. (2015).Renewable Energy Focus, 16(1), p.4. Foxon, T. and Pearson, P. (2007). Towards improved policy processes for promoting innovation in renewable electricity technologies in the UK.Energy Policy, 35(3), pp.1539-1550. Grkan, G. and Langestraat, R. (2014). Modeling and analysis of renewable energy obligations and technology bandings in the UK electricity market.Energy Policy, 70, pp.85-95. Hester, R. and Harrison, R. (2003).Sustainability and environmental impact of renewable energy sources. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry. Jaber, J., Elkarmi, F., Alasis, E. and Kostas, A. (2015). Employment of renewable energy in Jordan: Current status, SWOT and problem analysis.Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 49, pp.490-499. Jacobs, D. (2012).Renewable energy policy convergence in the EU. Farnham, UK: Ashgate Pub. Mitchell, W. (2014). UK firms sceptical on energy policy.Renewable Energy Focus, 15(6), pp.26-27. Renewable UK Wave and Tidal 2010 conference. (2010).Renewable Energy Focus, 11(2), pp.6-8. Terrados, J., Almonacid, G. and Hontoria, L. (2007). Regional energy planning through SWOT analysis and strategic planning tools.Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 11(6), pp.1275-1287. UK focus: UK still way behind on renewables. (2010).Renewable Energy Focus, 11(4), pp.4-6. UK launches Renewable Energy Strategy. (2008).Renewable Energy Focus, 9(4), p.15.

Social Work Practice

Introduction Social work is a professional area of practice which applies knowledge, skills, research techniques and social theory to improve the lives of individuals, communities and groups.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Social Work Practice specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Social work is considered as a helping profession because it is majorly concerned with the plight of people who are in difficult situations with an aim of helping them overcome those difficulties. Social workers work in diverse fields both in the private and public sectors such as in rehabilitation centers, child welfare institutions, humanitarian organizations, borstal institutions and homes of the elderly among others (Hare, 2004). Social workers go through the formal education system with a special bias in the social, biological and behavioral sciences. During training, they are exposed to field practicum in which they get an opportunity to work with various organizations where they merge theory with practice (Healy, 2008). Just like other professions such as law or medicine, social work is guided by values, ethics and codes of conduct. Some of the values include competence, integrity, professionalism, social justice and value for human dignity. Some of the core principles include confidentiality, controlled emotional involvement and client self determination among others. Some of the skills include self awareness, observation and critical thinking (Healy, 2007).Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In this paper, I will explore social work practice by looking at oppression of women by men. I will also look into the knowledge, values and skills which are associated with culturally sensitive practice with diverse populations. Eventually I will engage in a self-awareness exercise by self-administering a value-based as sessment and cultural competency inventory; and finally engage in a thoughtful analysis and discussion of my strengths and weaknesses as they pertain to my cultural competency and how I plan to improve on the weaknesses. Gender and oppression of women Gender refers to the roles associated with a particular sex, either male or female. Males and females are born with physical and biological differences. Some physical differences include height, appearance, weight and physical strength. Biological differences may include sexual reproduction organs and hormonal processes. These differences between males and females have been misused to oppress women in several aspects of life like in education, career, power, leadership, employment and management (Connel, 2009). In the field of management for example, women have been oppressed by men through various ways. For example, the issues of masculinity and femininity have played a role in gendering the field of management (Crosby, Stockdale, Ro pp, 2007). Many organizations are guided by the principles of masculinity which do not have respect for women. In these organizations, the authority of women managers is not respected as the authority of men managers. This leads to a situation whereby the leadership or management by a woman may not be as effective as that of a man because the employees in those organizations do not recognize women as a source of authority and therefore, any guidelines, instructions or regulations given by a woman manager may not be taken seriously by the employees (Hartl, 2003).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Social Work Practice specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In many organizations, women do light jobs such as secretarial work or marketing. The central roles are dominated by men who are responsible for planning, policy making and moving the organizations towards the realization of their mission and vision (Rivas, 2013). Many professional women or the â€Å"working mothers† are faced with role multiplicity. At home, they are supposed to be good mothers and wives. They are supposed to ensure that the children are well fed, are healthy and clean (Gregory, 2003). They are also supposed to take good care of their husbands. At the work place, they are supposed to produce good results either as managers or as normal employees. This makes them fall short of what is expected of them at the work place. The men on the other hand have very few roles to play at home which leaves them with a lot of time to concentrate on their roles in the work place. Due to this, they are able to meet the set targets or expectations of the organizations (Mason, 2002). For the women, reproduction is part of labor which they are not compensated for yet if they do not reproduce children, there would be no human resources to work in the organizations. Women have also been oppressed through promotions in organizations. Some women have to engage in sex with male directors so as to get promoted to the positions of managers. In the work place, women may be sexually or physically abused by their bosses due to the fact that they are perceived as being inferior and not able to resist the harassment or abuse (Coin Budapest, 2010).Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In some communities especially in the African continent, girls are denied the opportunity to gain education with the belief that women’s role in the society is to give birth to as many children as possible and also entertain the men with sex. In Kenya for example, the enrollment rates for girls in some communities like the Turkana is less than 10%, meaning that in every 100 girls of school going age, only 10 go to school. The others are betrothed to elderly men as wives after undergoing female genital cut. This has made women lack leadership, political and technological skills (Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, 2011). In the developing countries mostly in Africa and Asia, poverty is very rampant. The economies are poorly managed and therefore there are few job opportunities. Many people depend on rain fed agriculture which is not sustainable due to lack of rainfall. In these countries, most men flee their homes to search for jobs and leave their wives at home with young ch ildren. These women are not able to take care of the welfare of the children and they strain a lot to ensure that the children are fed, clothed and schooled. Some women are forced to engage in prostitution as a source of income for their families. The women in these countries suffer silently because there are very few women in positions of power and leadership who can advocate for their rights. Women have also been oppressed through being denied the opportunity to inherit property. In the developing countries especially in Africa, women are not supposed to inherit any property from their parents. Among the Turkana of Kenya for example, if a wife does not give birth to a male child, the husband marries another wife who will give birth to a male child. It is this male child who will inherit all the properties of the parents when they die or when they grow old. The reasoning behind this is that women are not supposed to own any property but are instead supposed to be owned as property by men. Since 1974, some improvement has been realized in increasing the number of women in management positions. In the UK for example, the percentage of women who held management positions in 1974 was only 2%. In 2008, the percentage rose to 34.5% (Meulders, 2010). In other parts of the world, women are almost at par with men in various aspects such as leadership, education and technical know how. This is not however to say that oppression of women does not exist but what it means is that many people are slowly realizing that women are just like men and what men can do, women can also do it provided that the playing field is leveled. Effects of women oppression One of the effects of women oppression in the work place is that it leads to role conflict which eventually leads to stress. Role conflict refers to a form of disagreement among the roles held by one individual; that is, roles which correspond to various statuses of the same individual. Role conflict pulls an individual in different directions at the same time. It may be short lived or long lived. A good example to illustrate role conflict is by a working mother. As explained earlier, the mother is expected to deliver good results at the work place and also be a good wife at home through taking care of the children, husband and doing other domestic chores. At the family level, women are oppressed through various ways such as wife battering, marital rape, female genital cut, being denied opportunity to gain education and inherit property, men running away from home among others. Domestic violence is the most common form of women oppression at the family level especially in the developing countries. Domestic violence has traumatizing effects on women. Such women need advocacy, empowerment and counseling for them to heal. There is also need for social workers to agitate for policy change to enable women get education and inherit property. Social workers should also educate the communities to avoid cultur al practices which have been used to oppress women. Social work knowledge Social workers working with culturally sensitive and diverse populations need to have social work knowledge in specific areas. One of the areas of social work knowledge is the knowledge of human behavior. Having knowledge of human behavior helps the social workers understand the cultures, values and norms of specific communities. This in turn helps the social workers package their intervention in such a manner that it does not conflict with the cultural practices, beliefs and norms of the particular communities. Such knowledge also helps the social workers to understand the cultural prejudices in various communities. This understanding of the cultural prejudices enables the social workers to help the people differentiate the facts and fictions in regard to certain prejudices. For example, in a community which believes that women are not allowed to go to school, the social workers can help the people understand that women in other parts of the world are allowed to attain eduction and challenge them to change that kind of perception. Another social work knowledge which is useful for social workers working with culturally sensitive and diverse populations is the knowledge of social justice. Social workers need to have an understanding of social justice so as to help people in communities who suffer social injustice. The social workers should also educate the people about the concept and show them the importance of embracing social justice. Social workers working with culturally sensitive and diverse populations also need social work knowledge about the code of conduct for social workers and the ethics which govern the profession of social work. This knowledge can help the social workers avoid unprofessional conduct which might conflict with certain values, norms and practices of particular groups. Social workers working with such populations also need an understanding of human rights. For e xample, they need to understand the various international laws, treaties and conventions which stipulate various human rights for different categories of people such as employees, children and women among others. This understanding can help the social workers educate the populations for them to know when their rights are violated and what they are supposed to do. However, the social workers must do it in a professional manner so that they are not accused of incitement. Social work values One of the values for social workers working with culturally sensitive and diverse communities is the value of service to humanity. This value is very important for the social workers because it enables them to serve the populations irrespective of their cultural, religious, economic and historical orientations. Social workers without this value may have difficult time and in some cases, they may find it almost impossible to work with some cultural groups. The value of service to humanity also enabl es the social workers to appreciate and empathize with the populations without necessarily sympathizing with them. Another value which is important for social workers working with culturally sensitive and diverse populations is the value of human dignity. Social workers must understand that they have an obligation of respecting the clients and their cultural practices. They have to put aside their personal biases against a certain group for them to help the clients. Some times social workers may consider some practices as weird. However, with the value of human dignity, they are able to acknowledge the fact that clients have a right of self determination. When they understand this, they are able to assist the clients without any obstacles. Social workers also need to have the value of competence and integrity. They need to apply their knowledge, skills and techniques in a professional manner when dealing with clients. The essence of this is that competence and integrity enable the s ocial workers to avoid any questionable behavior or practice. It also enhances the trust and confidence of the clients in the social workers. This also enables the clients to open up to the social workers and give as much information as possible. With the information and cooperation from the clients, the social workers are able to solve the problems affecting the clients or refer those which they cannot handle. This enhances the acceptance of the social workers by the communities (Morreau Benson, 2012). Social work skills One important skill which social workers working with culturally sensitive and diverse populations should have is the skill of observation. Observation has to do with going beyond what people say and focusing on their body language and reaction to some social situations. The skill also has to do with doing more listening than talking. This is because the social workers are supposed to treat the clients as the best teachers of their own problems. If the social work ers do more listening and observing than talking, they are able to gather as much information as possible which is very crucial for the interventions. Another skill for dealing with culturally sensitive and diverse populations is the skill of critical thinking. This has to do with how social workers interpret the information they gather from clients either through interviewing, listening, observing or reading. The social workers should apply critical thinking in order to interpret the information correctly. Lack of critical thinking may lead to wrong diagnosis, treatment and intervention. The social workers should therefore understand the information correctly without any personal biases Another skill which is important when working with culturally sensitive and diverse populations is the skill of self awareness. Social workers need to understand how their background, perceptions, biases, motivations and prejudices may affect their relationship with clients. If social workers have l ow levels of self awareness, chances of acting improperly are increased. It is therefore very important that the social workers put aside any subjective reasoning and replace it with objectivity for them to be able to effectively assist the clients. The skill of self awareness also helps the social workers to identify transference in clients. Transference is a situation in which clients associate their fate with the social workers. For example, a female client whose husband is violent may easily confuse a male social worker for her husband; she may do this through making statements such as ‘you men are really bad’. In such a situation, the social worker is supposed to counter the transference by helping the client understand that his role is to help her out of the problem and not to take the blame of others (Tsui, 2010). Social workers working with culturally sensitive and diverse populations also need to have excellent verbal communication skills. This is because commu nication is the only way that the social workers can use to understand the clients and for the clients to understand the social workers. They must be able to understand how to communicate with different groups at different times. For example, the way a social worker is supposed to talk to an elderly refugee woman is not the same way he or she can talk to a young child who is a school drop out. Verbal communication is an important asset for social workers working with culturally sensitive and diverse populations because it enables them to effectively advocate for the clients especially those who are oppressed or marginalized. The skill can enable social workers to influence policy change or development for the improvement of people’s welfare. Apart from verbal communication, social workers need to have the skill of documentation. Proper documentation enables social workers to keep track of every aspect of their interventions and this becomes an asset for them when they want to influence the development or change of a certain social policy. Cultural competency inventory My total score for the value based assessment and cultural competency inventory is 75. What this means is that I am headed in the right direction as far as embracing cultural diversity is concerned. I would have wished to score 80 and above but this is not the case, probably because I am yet to cover some topics in therapeutic approaches and the relationship between myself as a therapist and clients. My strengths and weaknesses in cultural competency Based on my value based assessment and cultural competency, there are the areas which I scored poorly and others which I scored well. Those which I scored well are my areas of strength while those which I scored poorly are my areas of weakness. One of my strengths in cultural competency is that I like meeting new people especially those who are different from me in terms of race, gender and culture. Being a Russian lady for instance, I like as sociating myself with African or Asian men. I also love and embrace the culture of non whites such as the African Americans and Asian Americans. Another area of strength is the fact that I understand that I am independent and do appreciate the views of other people even if those views are in contrary to my own views. I am able to control my personal biases when interpreting the actions of those who are different from me. I also appreciate various communication methods used by various groups of people. Similarly, I am able to understand that other people may stereotype against me and therefore I am able to work against those stereotypes in order to interact with such people in a harmonious manner. I am also good in sorting out my values to know which one to compromise in order to communicate with others without losing my integrity as a social worker. I am also able to seek clarifications from people in regards to what they are saying so as to get the correct meaning of what they say. I like and accept others they way they are and avoid any remarks which may hurt certain groups in the community such as women, the people of color or those who are less fortunate in the society. One of my main weaknesses is that I do more talking than listening. This is because sometimes I listen as I talk. This is not good because I may not be able to capture what the other person is saying. I may also not be in a position to observe the body language of others which is also part of listening. Sometimes I also use my cultural jargon or slag when talking to people from other cultural backgrounds. This is a weakness because others may mistaken my language jargon as lack of respect for them. I am also weak in judging people based on the fluency of their languages. This is a weakness because it amounts to biases which may lead to wrong interpretation of messages by those who are from other cultural backgrounds. Sometimes I use some ethnic jokes when referring to some groups of people who are from different ethnic backgrounds but I get offended when others use the same language on me. This is a weakness because some ethnic jokes may hurt or provoke some people. I plan to improve my areas of weakness by doing further reading on the area of human behavior. I also plan to gain more knowledge in interpersonal skills and how to gain and apply them in various cultural settings. Also in my plan is to learn how to appreciate others and how to avoid judgmental attitudes towards particular populations. I also need to check on my listening skills by learning the art of doing more listening than talking. This is because doing so would boost by ability to get as much information as possible from others and especially from clients. My conceptual framework for practice My future conceptual framework as a social worker is the strength based perspective of social work practice. This perspective has to do with using people’s strengths as a basis of therapy. The perspective aims to capitalize on the strengths of clients (individuals and groups) to form a strong foundation for therapy. It is based on the belief that despite the fact that people have problems, there is something which they are good at or they have some useful information, history or practices which can be used to overcome the problems which they are faced with. It is also based on the belief that empowering people with information is useful for successful therapy (Rapp, 2007). Implications of the perspective to practice One of the implications of the strengths based perspective to practice is that it has reversed roles between the therapists and the clients. What this means is that the therapists must restrain their expertise and make the clients be the experts in solving their problems. The therapists are supposed to play the role of empowering the people to become experts in addressing the problems which face them. In other words, the therapists’ role is to create a sustainable intervention such that the clients are able to handle their problems even without the assistance of the therapists. Social workers using this perspective must therefore refrain from using stigmatizing language, having negative perceptions and labeling when dealing with clients. This is because such negative language or perceptions interferes with the ability of the social workers to effectively capacity build and empower the clients (Rapp, 2007). When capacity building and empowering clients, social workers must be realistic; that is, they must ensure that the clients actually have those strengths which can be used as a starting point for a sustainable intervention. They must also consider the magnitude of the problem affecting the clients and evaluate the clients’ ability to effectively handle the problem when empowered (Rapp, 2007). Oppressed women usually suffer from stigma and feelings of inadequacy. They also undergo through emotional, psychological and social distress d ue to oppression. As a social worker working with oppressed women, I will apply the strengths based perspective to empower such women with information so as to resist oppression by men. For instance, I will educate them about their rights to education, employment and fair treatment. I will also highlight their areas of strength when dealing with men. For example, the fact that women are very good in negotiations, have patience and do not easily lose their temper can be used by a woman who is a victim of domestic violence to talk to the husband to avoid such violence. I will also empower the oppressed women with information, skills and tactics of resisting male oppression both at the family setting and at the work place. For example, I will inform them of the relevant agencies where they can report any form of oppression without the fear of victimization. Through this perspective, I will go a long way in fighting the vice of women oppression. References Connel, R. (2009). Gender.(2nd ed).Washington DC: Polity Press. Coin Budapest.(2010). COIN 2009 international workshops: revised selected papers. Volume 5 of Coordination, organizations, institutions, and norms in agent systems. Secaucus, NJ: Springer. Crosby, F.J, Stockdale, M.S. Ropp, S.A. (2007). Sex Discrimination in the Workplace: Multidisciplinary Perspectives. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. Gregory, R.F. (2003). Women and workplace discrimination: overcoming barriers to gender equality. New York: Rutgers University Press. Hare, I. (2004). 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Rapp, R.C. (2007). The Strengths Perspective: Proving â€Å"My Strengths† and â€Å"It Works† Soc Work, 52(2): 185–186. Rivas, F.S. (2013). Burnout, workplace support, job satisfaction and life satisfaction among social workers in Spain: A structural equation model International Social Work, 56: 228-246. Tsui , M. (2010). From resilience to resistance: A reconstruction of the strengths perspective in social work practice. International Social Work, 53: 233-245. This essay on Social Work Practice was written and submitted by user Reese Puckett to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.