Themes Of Racism And White Privilege - 939 Words

In Kindred, Octavia Butler uses characters and events to symbolize parts of larger themes of racism and white privilege in the story. Kevin is a symbol of the complicated relationship that white America has with black Americans. Kevin believes that he is not racist, yet his actions betray an unconscious prejudice towards African-Americans. This is evident when Kevin reacts angrily when Dana refuses to type up his writing for him. â€Å"He really had asked me to do some typing for him three times. I’d done it the first time, grudgingly, not telling him how much I hated typing, how I did all but the final drafts of my stories in longhand. That was why I was with a blue-collar agency instead of a white-collar agency. The second time he asked, though, I told him, and I refused. He was annoyed. The third time when I refused again, he was angry.† (Butler 109) Kevin does not see that Dana has a choice whether or not to do this typing for him, and feels entitled to her time and labor. Another instance in which Kevin feels entitled to her time is when they first meet. â€Å"‘Buz told me you were a writer,’ said the voice that I thought had gone away. ‘Look, I can’t count with you talking to me.’ I pulled out a tray full of large screws—twenty-five to a box. ‘Take a break’† (53) Kevin ignores Dana’s request for him to leave her alone, and pesters her. Kevin assumed that he knew what Dana needed to do better than she did, and decided that whatever she wanted did not matter. Though he may haveShow MoreRelatedAlice Mcintyre Talks About How Whites View Racism In Many1222 Words   |  5 Pagestalks about how whites view racism in many different examples and stories of white talk. McIntyre defines white talk throughout the reading, â€Å"Talk that serves to insulate white people from examining their/our individual and collective roles in the perpetuation of racism. It is a result of whites talki ng uncritically with/to other whites all the while, resisting critique and massaging each other’s racist attitude, beliefs, and actions† (McIntyre, 45-46). McIntyre talks about the themes that were discussionsRead MoreRacism In Master Harold And The Boys By Athol Fugard1291 Words   |  6 Pages Institutional racism is a global phenomenon. The never-ending list of disadvantages minorities face on a day to day basis is catastrophic. Nevertheless, one thing that can be done is to improve awareness. Institutional racism should be recognized by those higher in social status since minorities only make up a small percentage of the earth’s population. This limits the amount of control they have, leading to systemic oppression and restricting the number of opportunities people of color have.Read MoreThe And Race Expert Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum1312 Words   |  6 Pagesher most popular publishes. It focus on white and black relations during adolescents. Throughout the reading, the author engages her readers in conversations about race she has had in her personal life. In part one of the book, Tatum defines terms in order to understand racism. The words prejudice and racism are two of her most defined words. She details how they distinguish from one another. Being prejudice, which is also consequence of cultural racism, means having preconceived assumption orRead MoreRacial And Cultural Identity : I Am A White American1370 Words   |  6 Pagesdiffer from my students, as well as some ways in which the institution of education can be changed to be more racially and culturally inclusive. Before I can delve into my students’ racial and cultural backgrounds, I must first look at my own. I am a white American, born and raised in Minnesota. My ancestors moved to America from France and Norway; however, in my family, our traditions are more Norwegian than French. For example, every Christmas we make lefse and krumkake, two traditional NorwegianRead MoreThe General Themes Of White Privilege1287 Words   |  6 PagesThe general themes of â€Å"White Privilege† by Paula S. Rothenberg are the idea that America is and has been a white dominated country, where being white is the norm. It talks about how this socially accepted idea has oppressed and discriminated against anyone who did not fit the majority or privileged group, which continues that cycle of racism. Issues in this book brought to light, how white people take their mentality and actions for granted. This in return oppresses anyone who does not fit the privilegedRead MoreEssay about The Color of Fear by Lee Mun Wah692 Words   |  3 Pages Race, privilege, and gender are three key issues addressed in Lee Mun Wahs The Color of Fear. Different characters in the film bring out these issues and discuss how they have come about and how they are apparent in our society today. Lee Mun Wah uses different variations of visual language and compositions to show certain perspectives on the different characters. Also there is a theme of interlocking hierarchies presented in the film. CertainRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Sister Outsider 1709 Words   |  7 Pagesoverall American system that promotes systems of oppression that correspond with racism. Lorde explores many themes within her writings, but this paper will concentrate on the underlining themes from â€Å"The Uses of Anger: Women Responding to Racism† (Audre Lorde), themes such as the need and use of anger without guilt, oppression vs. oppressed relationship, and the need for a different feminist movement. When dealing with racism Lorde proclaims that the only response for dealing with such issue is angerRead MoreWhite Privilege : Unpacking The Invisible Knapsack967 Words   |  4 PagesWise’s examination of the inconspicuous character of racism 2.0 dovetails fittingly with our course’s recurring theme of institutionalized racism. In class lectures we have defined institutionalized racism as the discriminatory practices that have become regularized and routinized by state agencies , organizations, industries, or anywhere else in society. Although such practices might not be intentionally racist, they end up being racist nevertheless as consequence of the systematized and unspokenRead MoreWhite Privilege : Unpacking The Invisible Knapsack1455 Words   |  6 PagesThis purpose of this paper is to synthesize this writer s three key revelations from this semester which are, (1) white privilege, (2) curriculum corruption and inadequate United States history education in K-12 public schools, and (3) United States legislation which disadvantages the minor races as a means for the dominate race to maintain power and control. Thus, this exploration organizes each area of significant course discovery, which a hybrid of class sources and readings relating to eachRead MoreRacism: A Contagious Virus1130 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Racism is a man made illness that has spread upon humans worldwide and to this day, Racism is currently still a contagious virus. Racism is mans gravest threat to man, the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason. The idea of race and superiority has caused major social and economic damage globally; with a fire still burning of hate and ignorance will we ever see a conclusion and closure of hate of our fellow man. In my response paper I will highlight readings that have expanded

Literary Analysis Of Everyday Use By Alice Walker - 771 Words

Most readers see what is shown on the surface, but do not go deeper between the lines. There are two different ways readers can interpret â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker. The first one being Dee/Wangero comes home as a new person with a new attitude. Dee’s mother sees her as a person who,†...washed us in a river of make-believe, burned us with a lot of knowledge we didn’t need to know.†Ã‚ ¬ (Walker 53). The other way the short story could be read is Mama shares the story in her point of view, which is not necessarily the truth. Although Dee can come off disrespectful, Dee cares for her heritage and shows this by taking many pictures upon her arrival and wanting the quilt and churn top. Dee does not care about where she came from. She is not†¦show more content†¦Nancy Tuten says it best when Mama stands up for Maggie,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦metaphorically, she gives Maggie her voice.† This just shows how discourteous Dee is. Although the reader is blind with the disrespect Dee is portrayed of having, the whole story is in Mama’s words and thoughts. Mama portrayed Dee to be making fun of her heritage and being disrespectful, when really that is what Mama thinks. In the beginning of the story Dee was taking pictures of the house. Mama might have thought she would show her friends these pictures to speak negatively about, but Dee might have loved what the house looked like and wanted to show it off. By reading Susan Farrell’s re-evaluation, Farrell makes me realize that Mama is disappointed in herself. Mama is jealous of Dee because Dee is secretly what Mama would like to be. Farrell point out to the reader that Dee could be the sweetest person in the world and care so much about her family and heritage, but the reader would never know because the reader just sees what Mama sees. The reader assumes Dee is thinking exactly what Mama is thinking, and that may not be the case. In the end, Mama sh ows some of the same traits she admired about Dee. While eating dinner Dee shows much interest in the benches made by hand and the churn and top made by her Uncle Bobby. Then Dee becomes attracted to the quilts in the other room. Even though there are multipleShow MoreRelatedLiterary Analysis Of Everyday Use By Alice Walker1083 Words   |  5 PagesUse (Literary analysis on Everyday Use by Alice Walker) Everyday many people use the same things such as phones, cars, sinks, washer, refrigerators, and etc. In 100 years would you can future ancestors still have those things but only use them as decoration or use them still no matter how old they are because that is what they are made for? Everyday Use by Alice walker is a story of an African American family that had two daughter that live a very different reality. Maggie being scarred from aRead MoreSame Theme, Different Development in of Virginia Woolf and Alice Walker’s The Legacy and Everyday Use690 Words   |  3 PagesTwo major literary works of Virginia Woolf and Alice Walker’s The Legacy and Everyday Use, both of them have the common that is the theme of the story carries â€Å"the heritage† issue but the focus of it is different. In The Legacy, the focus of the heritage was a relic diary of Angela for her husband. Implicitly, we can conclude that the heritage was meant to be recognition of Angela to her h usband. While the focus in Everyday Use, the focus of the heritage was the quilts, and in the final story weRead MoreAnalysis Of Walker s Everyday Use863 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use† The short story â€Å"Everyday Use,† by Alice Walker, contains multiple different literary elements. History and heritage play a key role in the development and conclusion of this rather intriguing story. Although history and heritage are important, the driving factors of this story are the literary elements. In particular the elements of symbols, characterization, and point of view in this story are significant. The use of symbols in this short story provide a deeperRead MoreThe Usability of Symbolism in Everyday Use by Alice Walker Essay1230 Words   |  5 PagesSymbolism is a technique that author’s uses to bring out the main importance of an object, but more emphasized details are being extracted in the usage of it. Alice Walker uses quilts, for example, to symbolize a â€Å"bond between women† (Spark Notes) a relationship between women, that would get passed down from generation to generation. In this story, symbolism plays a big role that makes this more attracted to the reader’s eyes. The characters such as the following: Mama Johnson, Dee, and Maggie allRead MoreSymbolic References in Everyday Use by Alice Walker1848 Words   |  8 PagesSymbolism is the taking of an object big or small, and giving it something to stand for. It could be your everyday math symbols for addition, subtraction, division, and etc. Although math symbols are perfect examples of symbolism, there’s also objects that can be more than what they are. For example animals, Lions are known to be symbolized as strength, aggression, and assertiveness. Birds like doves are symbolized as love and peace. Colors are also held symbolically, for instance the color blackRead MoreCritical Analysis Of Alice Walker s Everyday Use2414 Words   |  10 PagesTulsi Rizal Prof. Mary Huffer Eng122 24 April 2016 Critical Analysis of Alice Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use† Alice Walker, most revered African American writer of the present time was born on 9th February 1944 in Eatonton, Georgia. She started her career as a social worker/activist, followed by teaching and and being a writer. She has won many awards for her fantastic social and literary works. Everyday use† was published in 1973, when African Americans were struggling to revive their original African cultureRead MoreAlice Malsenior6001 Words   |  25 PagesAlice Walker: Peeling an Essence As an African- American novelist, short–story writer, essayist, poet, critic, and editor, Alice Walker’s plethora of literary works examines many aspects of African American life as well as historical issues that are further developed by Walker’s unique point of view. Writers like Alice Walker make it possible to bring words and emotions to voices and events that are often silenced. Far from the traditional image of the artist, she has sought what amounts to aRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Alice Walker s The Color Purple1489 Words   |  6 PagesSisterhood and Feminism: A Literary Analysis of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple Behind every beautiful thing, there s some kind of pain. The color purple represents royalty and nobility, which can be use to describe the personality of Celie and Nettie and their value of life. Purple is created by combining a strong warm with a strong cool color. The one color contain two completely opposite colors which repre sent price of royalty and nobility. The Color Purple using epistolary style to describeRead MoreOpression and Inequality2595 Words   |  11 Pagesâ€Å"Racism, Oppression, and Inequality within The Welcome Table and Country Lovers† In this paper I will analyze the similarities and differences between Country Lovers written in 1975 by Nadine Gordimer, and The Welcome Table written in 1970 by Alice Walker. The overall theme and concept between The Welcome Table and Country Lovers are racism, oppression, and inequality which I analyze with critical thought and precision. Before I can begin to draw any conclusion as to comparing and contrastingRead MoreA Literary Analysis Of Still Alice3068 Words   |  13 Pagesï » ¿A Literary Analysis of Still Alice Still Alice (Genova, 2009) is a captivating debut novel about a 50-year-old woman’s sudden decline into early onset Alzheimer’s disease. The book is written by first time author Lisa Genova, who holds a PH.D in neuroscience from Harvard University. She’s also an online columnist for the national Alzheimer’s association. Her other books include Left Neglected and Love Anthony. She lives with her husband and two children in Cape Cod. The theme of the book is related

Mobile Knowledge Management Systems and Policies Free Essays

The terms knowledge and knowledge management are such broad topics that there have no common definitions. Knowledge is something that is believed and reliable, as distinguished from information which is a set of data   arranged in   meaningful patterns. Knowledge is information combined with experience, and reflection,   integrating thinking and feeling. We will write a custom essay sample on Mobile Knowledge Management: Systems and Policies or any similar topic only for you Order Now Knowledge management refers to a set of practices to capture and disseminate know-how among organizations around the world (Denning, 1998) for reuse, learning and creating awareness across organizations (Wikipedia) . It is easier and faster to transfer information than knowledge from one individual to another.(Denning, 1998). Among the benefits of knowledge management practices are : increased ability to capture knowledge from outside organization and integrate knowledge from departments within the organization; improved skills and knowledge of workers; increased ability to adapt services to clients; define and provide new services to clients; improved worker efficiency and productivity; alleviated the impacts of worker departures (Pratt,   2006). Knowledge management particularly semantic web documents has been applied in integrating ecoinformatics resources and environmental data (Parr, et al., 2006). This was done using the tool ELVIS (Ecosystem Location Visualization and Information System) to construct food webs (Parr, et al., 2006). Other applications were in data warehousing of student data in higher education (Palmer, 2006) and knowledge management design team-based engineering (Reiner, 2006). The latter demonstrated the use of design history as a source of   insight for team design process. It proposed a modeling framework for collaborative and distributed knowledge management for design teams (Reiner, 2006) Advances in computer and information technologies have greatly enhanced knowledge management. Palmer (2006) employed e-mail and the web to get participants to access a questionnaire on improving data quality in a data warehousing   in a higher education setting . The use of metadata and end-user involvement were positively correlated with obtaining high-quality data in data warehousing. Today, mobility and transportability are the emerging as important considerations for sharing information and knowledge. With mobile phones and hand-held computers using wireless technologies, people are no longer tied down to work in a physical office with rigid working hours but can do things in the comfort of their homes or elsewhere in a virtual office. With the ease of sharing knowledge, abuses and infringement of intellectual properties were also made easier. Regulations within the organization and the national government in general are needed to safeguard the companies against these potential abuses. Policies are also needed for security and privacy and can   determine the success or failure of a web service (Bonatti, et al. 2006). Roman et al. (2006) proposed a   combined WSMO (Web Service Modeling Ontology) and WS-policy framework consisting of a set of specifications with heavy industrial backing. This framework combines a conceptual model (Web Service Modeling Ontology), a formal syntax and language (Web Service Modeling Language) and an execution environment (Web Service Execution Environment) (Roman et al., 2006). 2.   Complete Problem Statement and Goal The trend in knowledge management is headed towards the same direction as mobile entertainment. Entertainment equipment has gone down to the size of the i-pod and portability of the DVD complete with small screens and sound system. Although some of the features of the big system are conveniently packed into the miniature system, there will always be a trade-off between the capabilities of the big system and the portable small system. This proposed research will look at the plight of the small system, the size of the mobile phone or hand-held computers that rely on wireless technology. The goals are to optimize its use for the different knowledge management processes, and identify policies to safeguard its misuse especially the threat on knowledge security of the organization. The goals will be measured in terms of the number of process that the handheld devices can handle   compare with the host computer, number of times communications breakdown and their causes, frequency of security breakdown through the use of the mobile devices. Research question: â€Å"To what extent will mobile systems, the size of mobile phones and hand-held calculators, be utilized in knowledge management?† Hypotheses: Downsizing/outsourcing will be the trend in business which will require mobile systems for communication and knowledge management. Mobile systems will become more sophisticated and powerful to be able to perform tasks that are currently done by bigger systems. Security   systems of company knowledge (data) will evolve along with the development of mobile systems 3.   Relevance and significance More and more companies continue to invest in wireless e-mail, personal productivity applications, inventory management and sales automation. More than half   of 250 IT executives surveyed in October 2003 recognize the importance of wireless technologies in their organization’s overall goals and improve user satisfaction (Ware, 2004). Most common wireless devices include a combination of mobile phones (with or without web browsers/email), laptop computers with wireless modem   and PDA’s with wireless connectivity   and pocket PC’s (Ware, 2004). Among the different wireless applications that companies will continue to support in the future, email access tops the list followed by calendar/scheduling, web access, personal productivity (word processing, spreadsheets, presentation softwares), text messaging, real time inventory management, factory floor, transactions, global positioning system (GPS), human resources, finance/accounting, decision support, CRM, sales automation, wireless e-commerce, and procurement   (Ware, 2004). Overall 60% of those surveyed were positive that their wireless investment already paid for itself (Ware, 2004). The greatest benefits came from increased productivity, streamlined processes/greater efficiencies and improved user satisfaction (Ware, 2004). The challenges to wireless technologies are security, user support, privacy and budget restrictions (Ware, 2004). Downsizing can cut down the cost of doing knowledge management. Downsizing can be done through physical reduction in the size of the hardware (equipment), software that can be run on a hand-held computer or mobile phone set, or a networking system whereby the host computer does the data analysis and the final results downloadable to the mobile phones. Government and company policies are needed to safeguard against misuse, industrial espionage and other information security issues. 4.   Approach For Hypothesis No. 1: This will be a time series analysis, with years as independent variable, and numbers of companies undergoing downsizing/outsourcing and mobile devices as dependent variables. A survey will be done on the   internet and from published news reports such as CIO Reports regarding number of businesses which had undergone downsizing or outsourcing of their operations, during the past decade. This will be correlated with the number of mobile devices used by different companies during the same period. The time series plot of the data will show the trends in downsizing and/or outsourcing and number of mobile devices through the years. The years will be the independent variable while the number of companies and mobile devices will be the dependent variables. A correlation between the two dependent variables will be made. A significant positive correlation   and increasing trends in the graphs will support Hypothesis No.1. For Hypotheses No. 2 and 3: This study will identify two companies of different sizes (large and small in terms of facilities, number of staff, type and volume of business) that have a host computer, a local area network (either wired or WIFI) and broadband internet access, and staff who have their own or office-issued hand-held computers or mobile phones with wireless internet capabilities through the years. Questionnaires will be prepared and key management officers and office staff will be interviewed. Information to be gathered will include the company profile, the knowledge management system in place including softwares and consulting firms, knowledge management applications most frequently used, access security levels issued to different classes of office staff. The staff will be asked to enumerate the processes they could do or would want to do using their mobile units, from simple text messaging to internet browsing that help in the overall decision-making process in the company. The capabilities of their host computer will be tabulated side by side with the capabilities of their most common mobile device (brand, model, year acquired). Capabilities will be measured in terms of available memory and the number of tasks the device is capable of performing. This is again a time series data with year as independent variable and the number of features or tasks performed by the host computer and the mobile systems will be the dependent variables. If hypothesis no. 2 is correct we would expect an increasing number of tasks that can be performed by the mobile system. For hypothesis No. 3, the dependent variable will the frequency   of data security   breakdowns and the independent variable will the years the company has been in operation. Another indicator will be the number of regulations formulated to curb security problems (dependent variable) through the years. Company management will be asked regarding existing company policies, code of ethics, data security and standard operational procedures through the years from the time the company was established. They will be asked how frequent did they suffer breakdown in data security through their mobile devices through the years. They will also be asked to comment on the ideal design for their computer hardwares and softwares and features for the mobile equipment.   They will also be asked to comment of what kinds of government support and regulations are needed to curb piracy and infringement of their intellectual properties. This research will need the following resources: interviewers to interview at least three key company officers, two staff per office department (e.g. human resources, procurement, marketing, operations, etc.); a knowledge management or IT specialist to evaluate   knowledge management software system and how the ordinary staff can access to it using their mobile equipment. References: Bonatti, P.A., Ding, L., Finin, T. and Olmedilla, D. 2006. Proceedings of the 2nd International Semantic Web Policy Workshop (SWPW’06). 5th International Semantic Web Conference (ISWC). Athens, Georgia, USA. Nov. 5, 2006. Denning, S. What is knowledge management? Background paper to the World Development Report 1998. from Palmer, H. 2006. A data warehouse methodology and model for student data in higher education. PhD dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. UMI Number 3218332. 202pp. Parr, C.S., Parafiynyk, A., Sachs, J., Pan, R., Han, L., Ding, L., Finin, T., Wang, D. 2006. Using the semantic web to integrate ecoinformatics resources. American Association for Artficial Intelligence (www.aaai.org). Reiner, K.A. 2006. A framework for knowledge capture and a study of development metrics in collaborative engineering design. PhD Dissertation. Stanford University. UMI Microform 3219361.   258 p. Roman, D., Kopecky, J., Toma, I. and Fensel, D. 2006. Aligning WSMO and WS-Policy. Proceedings of the 2nd International Semantic Web Policy Workshop (SWPW’06). 5th International Semantic Web Conference (ISWC). Athens, Georgia, USA. Nov. 5, 2006. Ware, L.C. 2004. The payoff of wireless IT investments. CIO Research Reports. From Wikipedia. Knowledge management. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_management How to cite Mobile Knowledge Management: Systems and Policies, Essay examples