The Impact of Social Class and Stratification Essay Example

The Impact of Social Class and Stratification Essay The Impact of Social Class/Stratification Stratification and the division of people into social classes is a fundamental part of American society. Stratification is a concept that is universal; it is found in every country, every nation of the world. It is a system in which large groups of people, not individuals, are divided into different layers according to their relative property, power, and prestige. Stratification applies not only to the different nations of the world as a whole, but to the different groups of people within those nations as well. Each of these groups is stratified into its own class; the group of people ranked most closely to them in property, power, and prestige. A person’s position in the stratification system affects everything about their life, from what they think and expect in life to how they see the world, as well as what opportunities they will have access to. There are three main types of stratification systems; slavery, caste, and class. In slavery systems individuals may be owned, bought, sold, or traded by other individuals. Slaves were not always treated poorly, and many were not imprisoned for life, but their circumstances were certainly gruesome. Most of us know the history of the events from our own country, in which we engaged in a civil war over the slavery stratification system that was in place at the time. In the second system, the caste system, your status is ascribed at birth. You are stratified into a certain caste and you will remain there for life no matter what accomplishments you may achieve, or mistakes that you may make. And third we have the class system, which is characterized by its social mobility. We will write a custom essay sample on The Impact of Social Class and Stratification specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Impact of Social Class and Stratification specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Impact of Social Class and Stratification specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Unlike the slavery and caste systems, in which there is little or no movement between statuses, a class system is much more open and individuals may change their social class based on achievements. Your status is still assigned at birth, but you have the chance at upward social mobility based on material possessions that you acquire, or things that you achieve. Or you may be on the other end of the spectrum and experience downward social mobility, in which you drop down in social class, based on mistakes or missed opportunities. Noted sociologist Max Weber stated that there are three components to social class; property, power, and prestige. Weber actually used the terms class, power, and status, but other sociologists updated them to provide clearer meaning. These three P’s of social class are what determine into which class each individual or group is placed. Property is another word for a person’s wealth. This includes any houses, cars, or properties you own, the money in your savings account, stocks, or investments; any material possessions of value. Property is a significant factor in determining your social class, but not the only one. Power is your ability to control others and carry out your own will, even over their objections. The final factor that influences your social class is prestige. This refers to the respect or regard in which you are held in your community and society. These three factors are closely interrelated in determining one’s class. Property can lead to both prestige and power. You can use power to gain prestige and property. And prestige alone is enough to earn you property and power in the right circumstances. So you can see how advancement or regression in one category can lead to the same in others (Henslin 177-179). Sociologists Joseph Kahl and Dennis Gilbert developed a model to portray the structure of the social class system in the United States. The model is depicted as a six rung ladder (Henslin 207 Figure 8. 5). The lowest rung is the underclass, which make up only about 4% of the United States population. These are the people for whom poverty is a persistent problem. They have little chance of moving up the ladder. Many are unemployed and rely on government assistance for their main support. The next rung up the ladder is the working poor. These are the people who work at low-wage, unskilled, temporary and seasonal jobs, and make up about 16% of the population. Most are high school drop outs and many cannot even read. The third rung up is the working class. They make up about 30% of the population and include somewhat unskilled workers in both blue and white-collar jobs. With just a high school diploma as the average education, this group has little chance of climbing the social ladder. Above the working class is the lower middle class. They are the largest group on the social ladder, making up 34% of the United Sates population. These are the people with high school or college education who are employed at technical and lower-level management positions. They can afford a mainstream lifestyle, and anticipate being able to move up the social ladder. Logically the next rung up the ladder would be the upper middle class. Making up 15% of the U. S. population, these are the people who have college or university degrees, some even with postgraduate studies. They work in professional or upper-management occupations. And finally the smallest group at the top of the social ladder, making up just 1% of the population, is the capitalists. These are the people who own one-third of all U. S. assets. They graduated from prestigious universities and most come from old family money. They work as investors or top executives in fortune 500 companies; some are simply heirs to their wealth. Although this is the smallest group in the population, they have the property, power, and prestige to control almost everything. This group of power elite uses their status to affect only laws and changes that benefit them and perpetuate the cycle that keeps them at the top. So, while social mobility is possible within a class system, it is not always easy to come by (Henslin 207-210). Each social class is like a subculture of society with distinct approaches to life. Your social class can affect your physical and mental health, family life, education, and influence your religion and politics. It can even affect your interactions with crime and the criminal justice system. The higher up the social ladder you are, the more access you have to better health care, advanced education, and other opportunities. Which social class you belong to affects your decision of whom to marry; whether you will vote democrat, republican, or not at all; and even which religious denomination you will belong to. Statistically, the upper classes tend to vote republican, the middle and working class democratic, and the lowest classes do not vote at all. Your social class can also affect your dealings with the criminal justice system. Most crimes are committed within the criminal’s home neighborhood, so lower classes are more likely to be victims of these crimes. From another aspect, the white-collar crimes of the privileged classes are generally dealt with outside the justice system, while the street crimes of the lower class are dealt with through police interaction and court cases. This means that members of lower classes are more likely to be in prison at one time or another. Based on these different factors I would classify my family as lower middle class. My father owns a small business and my mother is a homemaker. They both have high school diplomas and some college education, and the household income is around $60,000 a year. Based on my personal social class there are both many advantages and disadvantages to my position. As a member of the lower middle class I have a decent chance at building on what my parents have established and advancing myself up the social ladder. My class position has allowed me the opportunity to pursue a college education and hopefully enter a professional career which will allow me to move up the ladder. However, my social class was a major factor in which colleges I could even attend. Yale was always my life-long goal, but the realities of my social position made that impossible. Another disadvantage is that because my father owns his own business, my family does not have employer provided health care. Since individual health insurance plans are so expensive, I do not have access to medical care on a regular basis. I can only go see a doctor when something is extremely wrong, and even then I have to worry about the astronomical costs incurred. These are just a few of the many, many examples of the effects that social class can have on our lives. The unequal distribution of our stratification system is certainly a social problem for many, but not the capitalists or upper middle class. As I mentioned before, these groups create a power elite to control the justice system and social climate to protect and suit their needs. It is a perpetuating cycle passed down through generations. The problem arises when you look at the fact that the top 20% of the population receives over half of all U. S. ncome, while the bottom 20% receives only 3. 4% (Henslin 199-201 Figures 8. 1, 8. 3). The extreme difference in income between the upper and lower classes causes conflict and strain, as well as a feeling of anomie and despair among the lower classes. This system has been in place in America for centuries so it must be working somehow; however, I personally do not see the benefits. Social stratification and class reaches all over the world . It is universal and inescapable. Each society stratifies its members in different ways but the affects are the same. The group to which a person is stratified affects every single attitude, action, and perception they have towards life. Works Cited Gompf, Ronald. Stratification and Social Class. Sociology 101 Fall Semester 2010. Community College of Baltimore County Essex Campus, Essex. Oct. -Nov. 2010. Lecture. Henslin, James M. Global Stratification. Essentials of Sociology: A-Down-To-Earth Approach. Eighth ed. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2009. 170-95. Print. Henslin, James M. Social Class in the United States. Essentials of Sociology: a Down-to-earth Approach. Eighth ed. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2009. 196-223. Print.

Market Entry Strategies

Market Entry Strategies How to launch the service Choosing an effective market entry strategy depends on a number of factors such as product and positioning portfolio practiced by other competitors in the industry (Blythe Zimmerman 2005, p.118). Home from Home Cooking can launch its new service by introducing the services at a reduced rate.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Market Entry Strategies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This makes it easier for the business to penetrate the market by attracting new customers who prefer purchasing low priced products and services. Considering that there are many competitors in the industry, Home from Home Cooking should have prices lower than that of its direct competitors. To achieve this, Home from Home Cooking should develop efficient production techniques capable of reducing the overall cost of production. This is from the fact that, competitors might also opt to reduce their prices in order to maintain their customers. However, the competitors cannot manage to do so if the cost of production is higher compared to that of home from home cooking. This explains why the business should struggle at having lower production costs. The company should also focus of making improvements on the current products or service offering by the competitors. Apart from relying only on young families and professional people as its main customers, Home from Home Cooking should also enhance or position its product such that the smaller consumer segments can get attracted to the services offered by the company. External sources that will help launch the service The company can rely on a number of external sources to launch the new service. For example, the business can use sites like www.moneysupermarket.com (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 2011, p.6). This site enables potential customers to make price comparisons. Thus, Home from Home Cooking should always ensure that the prices of the servi ces offered are slightly lower in relation to the competitors’ prices found at the site. The company should also make extensive use of other sites like www.toptable.com that provide customers with information on the state of the service offering by the business (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 2011, p.7). Identification of helpful wholesalers Home from Home Cooking can collaborate with locally available producers like Osterley’s farmers market. Additionally, the business should develop good relations with large supermarkets like Tesco. This will provide mutual benefit to both companies. Home from Home Cooking will benefit by experiencing increased demand. However, Tesco will get an opportunity of stocking a wider variety of British classics and eventually generate more sales.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Partners to help gain market entry Local b usiness providers like GlaxoSmithKline and the British Sky Broadcasting can offer significant benefits to Home from Home Cooking, even as the new company struggles to gain entry to the market. The new business should also partner with television stations like BBC so that it becomes easier to advertise company’s products and services through popular television programs like â€Å"The Great British Food Revival†. Promoting the business Home from Home Cooking can use different tactics to promote its services. For example, the business can place advertisements in food magazine and also distribute the company’s business cards to potential customers. This will not only inform customers about the products and services offered by the business, but will also provide them with business contacts. Launch evening with food tasting and wine When launching the new business, Home from Home Cooking should ensure that food and drinks are of good taste. This will enable the compan y to witness high rate of customer return even after launching the service. As a result, the business will also manage to maintain its market share and survive the increasing competition. References Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 2011, The United Kingdom: A diverse Foodservice  Sector. Web. Blythe, J., Zimmerman, AS 2005, Business-to-business marketing management: a  global perspective, Thomson Learning, London.

Iliad Book XXII - Achilles Kills Hector

Iliad Book XXII - Achilles Kills Hector Iliad - Public domain English translationExcept for Hector, the Trojans are inside the walls of Troy. Apollo turns to Achilles to tell him he is wasting his time pursuing a god since he cant kill him. Achilles is angry but turns around to return to Troy where Priam is the first to spot him. He tells Hector he will be killed since Achilles is much stronger. If not killed he will be sold into slavery as has already happened to others of Priams sons. Priam cant dissuade Hector, even when his wife Hecuba joins the effort. Hector gives some thought to going inside but fears the ridicule of Polydamas, who had given sage advice the day before. Since Hector wants to die in glory, he has a better chance of facing Achilles. He thinks about giving Achilles Helen and the treasure and adding to it an even split of the treasure of Troy, but Hector rejects these ideas realizing Achilles will just cut him down, and there would be no glory in that. As Achilles bears down on Hector, Hector begins to lose his nerve. Hector runs towards the Scamander River (Xanthus). The two warriors race three times around Troy. Zeus looks down and feels sorry for Hector, but tells Athena to go down and do what she wants without restraint. Achilles is chasing Hector with no chance of reprieve unless Apollo steps in (which he does not do). Athena tells Achilles to stop running and face Hector. She adds that she will persuade Hector to do the same. Athena disguises herself as Deiphobus and tells Hector the two of them should go fight Achilles together. Hector is thrilled to see his brother has dared to come out of Troy to help him. Athena uses the cunning of disguise until Hector addresses Achilles to say its time to end the chase. Hector requests a pact that they will return each others body whoever dies. Achilles says there are no binding oaths between lions and men. He adds that Athena will kill Hector in just a moment. Achilles hurls his spear, but Hector ducks and it flies past. Hector does not see Athena retrieve the spear and return it to Achilles. Hector taunts Achilles that he didnt know the future after all. Then Hector says its his turn. He throws his spear, which hits, but glances off the shield. He calls to Deiphobus to bring his lance, but, of course, there is no Deiphobus. Hector realizes he has been tricked by Athena and that his end is near. Hector wants a glorious death, so he draws his sword and swoops down on Achilles, who charges with his spear. Achilles knows the armor Hector is wearing and puts that knowledge to use, finding the weak point at the collarbone. He pierces Hectors neck, but not his windpipe. Hector falls down while Achilles taunts him with the fact that his body will be mutilated by dogs and birds. Hector begs him not to, but to let Priam ransom him. Achilles tells him to stop begging, that if he could, he would eat the corpse himself, but since he cant, hell let the dogs do it, instead. Hector curses him, telling him Paris will kill him at the Scaean Gates with the help of Apollo. Then Hector dies. Achilles pokes holes in Hectors ankles, ties a strap through them and attaches them to the chariot so he can drag the body in the dust. Hecuba and Priam cry while Andromache is asking her attendants to draw a bath for her husband. Then she hears a piercing wail from Hecuba, suspects what has happened, emerges, looks down from the rampart where she witnesses her husbands corpse being dragged and faints. She laments that her son Astyanax will have neither land nor family and so will be despised. She has the women burn the store of Hectors clothing in his honor. Next: Major Characters in Book XXII Read a public domain translation of Homers Iliad Book XXII. Hector - champion of the Trojans and son of Priam.Priam - King of the Trojans and father of Hector, Paris, Cassandra, and Helenus, among others.Achilles - best warrior and most heroic of the Greeks. After Agamemnon stole his war prize, Briseis, Achilles sat out the war until his beloved comrade Patroclus was killed. Although he knows his death is imminent, Achilles is determined to kill as many Trojans as possible, including Hector whom he blames for Patroclus death.Xanthus - a river near Troy known to mortals as Scamander.Zeus - king of the gods. Zeus attempts neutrality.Known as Jupiter or Jove among the Romans and in some translations of the Iliad.Athena - favors the Greeks. Also known by the Romans as Minerva.Apollo - god of many attributes. Favors the Trojans.Deiphobus - brother of Paris.Andromache - wife of Hector and mother of Astyanax. Profiles of Some of the Major Olympian Gods Involved in the Trojan War HermesZeusAphroditeArtemisApolloAthenaHeraAres Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book I Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book II Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book III Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book IV Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book V Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book VI Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book VII Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book VIII Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book IX Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book X Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XI Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XII Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XIII Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XIV Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XV Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XVI Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XVII Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XVIII Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XIX Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XX Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XXI Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XXII Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XXIII Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XXIV

Business law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 14

Business law - Essay Example In Saudi Arabia, supreme religious councils order how Islamic law should be applied and have authority over legislation. On the other hand, the IUS law is derived from, statutory law, common law, court rules, administrative law, and constitutional law. Statutes provide enactments of legislative bodies of the US and are more specific in dealing with issues than the constitution. Common law, sometimes called case law provides laws or decisions by courts in personal cases. The US’ court system consists of judicial branches of the state and federal governments charged with the interpretation and application of the law. The system is divided into two administrative split systems, the state and the federal, each acting as independent of the legislative and executive branch. It is a dual court system inherited from the colonial period. In comparison, the court system of Saudi Arabia or the Sharia court system includes the basic judiciary of the nation and its lawyers and judges make up the ulema, which is the country’s religious leadership. Besides, there are extra-sharia state tribunals that handle conflicts related to particular royal decrees. The final appeal from both the government tribunals and sharia courts is to the king. All tribunals and courts follow sharia rules of procedure and evidence. However, this system has been criticized for being arcane, slow, and lack of some protection of justice and of being unable of dealing with wor ld issues. The court system in Saudi Arabia has no jury trials and their courts consider few formalities. In the United States, a right to appeal is guaranteed by the statute or an underlying legal or constitutional principle. An appellate court must listen to the appeal. The appeal by permission or leave needs the appellant to get a leave to appeal. In situations like this, the appellate court and the lower court may refuse or grant the appellant’s command to appeal the decision of the

Pre-rotation assigment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Pre-rotation assigment - Essay Example 2. Health Education programs that will be well received. These are such as health education programs on disease prevention and control, tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs use, mental health, sensory perception, nutrition, environmental health, dental health, first aid, and public health (NYC Department of Education, 2013). 3. Information from healthy people 2020 can be used to develop up to date education programs in schools. The information can also influence school based care practices since it provides important information about effective health care practices. Information about certain diseases prevention strategies can be obtained from Healthy people 2020, new ideas about school based care can be obtained from the initiative for it has a variety of information. Take an example of the leading cause of suicide. If increased suicide rates are observed in schools, Healthy People 2020 can provide a variety of information about the current causes, prevention strategies, and management strategies, and how to implement any programs that can eliminate the program (Healthy People 2020, 2013). 4. School nurses will be required to have additional skills. This will include identification and management of mental illness among children, and trauma management. The position could also change and include mental illness specialists and post traumatic stress counselors, as well as related diseases and circumstances to such events. Resources that can be utilized are; seeking more information about post traumatic stress management and gaining skills in that area (Carey, Linke, Hargro, Mosemak & Loehrke,

Books And Reading Essay Example for Free

Books And Reading Essay Topical Vocabulary 1. Categorisation: Children’s and adult’s books; travel books and biography; romantic and historical novels; thrillers; detective stories; science fiction/fantasy; non-fiction; pulp fiction. absorbing; adult; amusing; controversial; dense; depressing; delightful; dirty; disturbing; dull; fascinating; gripping; moralistic; obscene; outrageous; profound; whimsical; unputdownable. 2. Books and their parts: paperback and hardback; binding; cover; jacket; title; epigraph; preface; the contents list; fly leaf; bookplate; blurb; a beautifully printed book; a tome bound in leather; a book with dense print/ with loose pages. 3. Reading habits: to form a reading habit early in life; to read silently/incessantly/avidly/voratiously; to read curled up in chair; to read a child/oneself to sleep; to be lost/absorbed in a book; to devour books; to dip into/glance over/pore over/thumb through a book; to browse through newspapers and periodicals; to scan/ skim a magazine; an avid/alert/keen reader. 4. Library facilities: reading rooms and reference sections; the subject/author/title/on-line catalogue; the enquiry desk; computer assisted reference service; to borrow/renew/loan books; CDs and video tapes; rare books; to keep books that are overdue; books vulnerable to theft; to suspend one’s membership; to be banned from the library. I. Use the thematic vocabulary in answering the following questions: 1. Which books are you reading now? 2. Where is your favourite place to read? 3. Who is your favourite novelist? 4. Who is your favourite character? 5. Which contemporary author do you most admire? 6. Which is the first book you can recommend reading? 7. Which school text did you most enjoy? 8. What is your favourite children’s book? 9. Which book would you like to see filmed? 10. What is the most difficult book you have ever read? II. Work in groups. Find out about the last book each of your partners has read and make notes on these points: Author and title Type of book and what’s it about Reason for liking it Reason for recommending it to others III. Work in pairs. Choose the best alternative to complete these sentences: 1. Oliver Twist is a classic work of English . Literature non-fiction letters editions 2. The plot of the story was very exciting, but I didn’t find the . Persons people characters figurers 3. This book is a special edition for foreign readers, so there’s a(n) . Appendix glossary introduction preface table of contents 4. A novel is usually divided into several . Chapters units sections passages 5. If you need to find some information in a non-fiction book, look in the . Atlas blurb catalogue diary index review 6. Cambridge University Press is the of the book you’re reading. Author editor printer publisher 7. A great novel has a good plot and a strong . Communication meaning message significance 8. The book was marvelously and it was a joy to read. Stylistic tedious well-written wonderful 9. Ernest Hemingway is one of my American writers. Best favourite ideal most popular 10. The thriller was so exciting that I couldn’t . Let it down look it up pick it up put it down 11. Even the characters in the book are really interesting. Less minor small tiny 12. I’d like to that book when you’ve read it. Borrow hire lend loan IV. In these sentences three alternatives are correct and two are wrong. Choose the best three alternatives for each: 1. The character in the book is called Oliver. Central main principal principle top 2. I enjoy her books because her style is so very . Dull entertaining readable tedious true-to-life 3. I found that the characters in the story were very . Amusing believable informative likeable thrilling 4. There were so many twists in the plot that I didn’t really think it was . Accurate authentic convincing realistic true-to-life 5. She doesn’t read any fiction because she prefers reading . Biographies short stories textbooks non-fiction science fiction 6. I can’t books like those – they just send me to sleep. Bear carry enjoy stand suffer V. Fill in the gaps in these sentences with suitable words: 1. You can borrow books from a or buy them from a . 2. A writer can also be called an . 3. I can’t afford to buy the book in hardback, so I’ll wait till it comes out in . 4. I can’t remember the of the book, but I know it had a yellow . 5. A book that tells somebody’s life story is called a . VI. Match each word in the column with the explanation: Ballad, biography, novel, drama, poem, fairy tale, poetry, story, rhyme, novelette a) a story in prose, long enough to fill in one or more volumes, about either imaginary or historical people; b) piece of creative writing in verse form, especially one expressing deep feeling or noble thought in beautiful language, composed with the desire to communicate an experience; c) simple song or poem, especially one that tells an old story; d) the art of a poet, poems; e) tale about fairies of imaginary origin; f) branch of literature dealing with the lives of persons; g) play for the theatre, radio or TV; h) verse for small children characterized by sameness of sound of the ending or two more words at the ends of lines of verse; i) short novel (story in prose); j) account of past or imaginary events. VII. Read the following extract and make with your groupmates the list of the books you would like to read while travelling: The Book- Bag Some people read for instruction, ad some for pleasure, but not a few read from habit. I belong to that company. Let us admit that reading is just a drug that we cannot get along without. Books are necessary to me and I never traveled far without enough reading matter. But when I am starting on a long journey the problem is really great. I have learnt my lesson. Once I fell ill in a small town in Java and had to stay in bed for three months. I came to the end of all the books I had brought with me and knowing no Dutch had to buy the schoolbooks from which intelligent Javanese, I suppose, got knowledge of French and German. So I read again after twenty-five years the plays of Goethe, the fables of La Fontaine and the tragedies of Racine. I have the greatest admiration for Racine, but I admit that to read his plays one after the other requires a certain effort in a person who is ill. Since then I have made a point of travelling with a large sack full of books for every possible occasion and every mood. There are books of all kinds. Volumes of verse, novels, philosophical works, critical studies (they say books about books are useless, but they certainly make very pleasant reading), biographies, history; there are books to read when you are ill and books to read when your brain want something to work at; there are books that you have always wanted to read but in the hurry of life at home have never found time to; there are books to read at sea; there are books for bad weather; there are books chosen solely for their length, which you take along when you have o travel light, and there are the books you can read when you can read nothing else. (from W. Somerset Maugham) VIII. See how many authors and titles you can match: For Whom the Bell Tolls Charlotte Bronte A Perfect Stranger Charles Dickens Airport Walter Scott Sister Carrie Dan Brown Tom Sawyer Daphne du Maurier Pride and Prejudice Arthur Hailey Martin Eden Danielle Steel Of Human Bondage Ernest Hemingway Alice in Wonderland Mark Twain Ivanhoe Lewis Carroll Rebecca Jack London David Copperfield Theodore Dreiser Jane Eyre Somerset Maugham The Da Vinci Code Iris Murdock Black Prince Jane Austen IX. Read the text and agree or disagree with the statements below: An English author once wrote: â€Å"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed or digested. † This quotation tells us how to read books of different kinds. Most travel books are to be tasted; it’s enough to dip into them and read bits here and there. If you are fond of crime stories (A. Christie, G. Simenon and the rest of modern favourites) you will read them quickly, you’ll â€Å"swallow† them. And then there are books that you’ll read slowly and carefully. If a book’s on an important subject, and a subject you’re interested in, you’ll want to chew and digest it. And you’ll want to weigh what the author says and consider his ideas and arguments. 1) Reading English fiction with a dictionary is very dull. 2) If the book is very exciting, you â€Å"swallow† it. 3) Nobody reads reference books for relaxation. 4) Reading thick science fiction books is tiring. 5) Very intelligent people don’t read detective stories. 6) Non-fiction books can’t be inspirational. 7) Travel books give you a lot of useful information. 8) Unfortunately many young people are not in the habit of reading poetry. 9) Great book-lovers never lend their books. 10) Lots of people buy books for their bright and beautiful jackets. 11) Bookcases and bookshelves are the best kind of decoration for a living-room. 12) It’s of no use collecting book issues of magazines and newspapers. X. Read the following passage and say if you agree with the author: Some people think that as more and more people have their TV-sets in their homes, fewer and fewer people will buy books and newspapers. Why read an article in the newspaper, when the TV news can bring you the information in a few minutes and with pictures? Why read a novel, when a play o television can tell you the same story with colour picture and action? Why read the biographies of famous men and women, when an hour-long television programme can tell you all that you want to know? Television has not killed reading, however. Today, newspapers and magazines sell in very large numbers. And books of every kind are sold more than ever before. Books are still a cheap way to get information and entertainment. Although some books with hard covers are expensive, many books are published today as paperback books, which are reasonably cheap. A paperback novel, for example, is almost always cheaper than an evening at the cinema or theatre, and you can keep a book forever and read it many times. Books in the home are a wonderful source of knowledge and pleasure and some types of books should be in every home. Every home should have a good dictionary. Every home should have an atlas of the world, with large clear maps. It might be expensive, but a good encyclopedia is useful, too, because you can find information on any subject. In addition, it is useful to have on your bookshelves other non-fiction books such as history books, science textbooks, cookery books, books about medicine and health, etc. It is equally important to have some fiction on your shelves, too. Then you can relax with a good story, or from time to time you can take a book of poems off your shelves and read the thoughts and feelings of your favourite poets. XI. Choose the best answer according to the information in the passage: 1. Which is easier to get the news from? a) newspaper b) the television 2. Which is usually quicker? a) to read a biography of a famous person b) to watch a TV programme about a famous person 3. Which is usually cheaper? a) a paperback b) an evening at the cinema 4. Which is usually cheaper? a) a paperback b) a hardcover book 5. Which is it most important to have in your home? a) non-fiction books, such as dictionaries and encyclopedias b) fiction, such as novels, short stories and books of poems c) a mixture of both: good non-fiction and your favourite fiction XII. Discuss the following questions with your partners: 1. Were your parents worried that you watched too much TV when you were younger? 2. Did you find TV more interesting than anything else when you were at school? 3. Programmes on what subject do you like most of all? 4. Can you learn all you want on TV? 5. Do you think you get more information from books or TV? 6. Is it easier for you to memorize facts watching TV or reading books? 7. What do you like more to read books or to watch TV? XIII. Different people enjoy reading for different reasons. You will read five people saying why they like reading novels. Which of them says that novels a) are good for improving language skills? b) make them forget their problems? c) add some adventure to their life? d) teach them how to act in certain situations? e) increase their knowledge of other cultures? Reading Novels Ricky: Oh, I love novels, especially if they have a good plot. I started reading them when I was 12, encouraged by my parents who were hoping I’d be a writer myself. As it happened, reading so much at an early age had an effect on my studies, my compositions were always very good! And I still read at least one novel a week. My own life isn’t terribly exciting, apart from my work, which is very interesting, nothing much happens. In the novels I read there’s always a lot going on, lots of thrilling events, and I can share in the experiences and problems of the characters. Ella: Well, I used to read only short stories. That changed when I moved to a new city and found myself in a job I didn’t really enjoy. I would get back home at about 5p. m. , make some supper and sit down to read a novel for the rest of the evening. Many of them are pretty unbelievable stories, and not particularly well-written. It’s not as if you can imagine yourself in any of those situations, but the thing is they take my mind off whatever’s worrying me. I’ve had long conversations about this with friends who think I should read better quality staff, but I know what I’m doing. Sally: Why I like reading novels? I remember as an adolescent, I used to read novels just so as to see how my favourite characters solved their problems. I thought I could then apply that to my own problems! And I’m not ashamed to say that’s still the case, that’s what I’m looking for in the novels I read, and that’s my reason for reading them. I always choose novels that are in a clear style, because I find complicated language difficult. And also I like the stories to be about countries and cultures I know well, because then I can understand the characters better. Tom: I think reading novels is helping me a great deal in my studies, and although I haven’t got much spare time, I always make a point of reading a couple of hours in the evening. I’m in my last year at secondary school, and frankly, reading novels is an excellent way of learning how people live in other countries, how they communicate with each other, what problems they have. That’s why I prefer novels with characters who are true to life, not the ones who have impossible adventures. I’m very lucky because my best friend also likes reading and we can often discuss what we’ve both read. Alex: I like reading novels because they help me develop the ability to write myself. I used to have real problems in producing a good piece of writing. It wasn’t that I lacked ideas, no, my teachers always said my compositions were interesting. But I couldn’t get my tenses right. That’s where reading novels helped. I don’t think you can learn much about other things from novels, because the situations are usually so unrealistic. Some people say that’s OK, if your life’s boring, you need the excitement of fiction. Well, my life’s exciting enough, so that’s not my problem. 1. Do you like to read novels? Why? 2. Do you think that reading makes a person intelligent? XIV. Comment on the following: 1. A house looks gloomy and joyless without books. 2. If the book is worth reading it is worth buying. 3. Books and friends should be few and good.

The Death Penalty and the Extradition of Terrorists :: Essays Papers

The Death Penalty and the Extradition of Terrorists Should terrorists be extradited to face capital punishment in the country a crime was perpetrated in? This question has been frequently repeated, especially after the events of September eleventh. Everyone seems to have a different opinion as to whether or not the death penalty is a viable punishment. There are also exhaustive discussions regarding who should judge the proceedings. I believe that if an offender commits a crime in a foreign land, and is apprehended, then they should be charged in and be subject to the laws of that country. If it is expected that we respect the customs of a particular country, why should abiding by the laws be any different? The events of September eleventh 2001 became an excellent example of the conflicted opinions that the countries from which the offenders came from had. The hijackers who commandeered the planes were from a different country with very different rules and mores. When these hijackers decided to fly into the World Trade Centers and The Pentagon and potentially kill thousands of people, it would be understood that had they survived, they would be tried on American soil under American laws. Logically, the co-conspirators of the attacks as well as the heads of the organizations which supported them should be subjected to the same responses. In the article titled â€Å"Ashcroft soothes Europe’s Death Penalty Objections,† Lofti Raissi and Zacarias Moussaoui discuss other countries concerns as to whether or not their citizens will face the death penalty. Reporters asked Ashcroft whether he was willing to give a guarantee that terrorist suspects who were extradited to the U.S. would not face capital punishment, but he concluded that it is a case-by-case decision. The article further states that European countries have abolished the death penalty and will not extradite suspects who face the death penalty in another country (Johnson 1). I believe it is every country’s right to vote and draft a law deciding whether of not it should allow the death penalty, but if one decides that they are going to commit a crime in a country which allows the death penalty, they should recognize that they must face the consequences. Two foreigners who are going through similar proceedings are described in the article. They are Zacarias Moussaoui and Lotfi Raissi. Zacarias is a French citizen who was arrested in the United States and was the first person charged for involvement in the nine-eleven attacks (Johnson 1).