Is the Use of the Death Penalty Justice and Is It Fair Essay Example for Free

Is the Use of the Death Penalty Justice and Is It Fair Essay It is fair to say that capital punishment is under attack, particularly in the South where it is most commonly practiced. Not only have serious criticisms been raised by scholars in criminal justice, criminology and related disciplines, but newspapers have published scathing news reports suggesting that innocent people have been sentenced to death and even executed, and alleging racial discrimination in capital punishment practice. According to Robinson (2011), four basic facts establish the realities of American capital punishment. The first is that capital punishment is practiced in most but not all United States jurisdictions. Specifically, there are 34 states with the death penalty, and 16 without. The federal government also maintains capital punishment, as does the military, but the District of Columbia does not carry out executions. However, of these death penalty jurisdictions, only nine regularly carry out an execution, meaning they have averaged at least one execution a year since 1976 when capital punishment was reinstated; thus only about one-quarter (26%) of death penalty states (nine of 34) and 18% of all states in the country (nine of 50) average one or more executions per year. Further, only one state has carried out at least ten executions per year since 1976, Texas. In fact, only about 10% of counties with the death penalty imposed a death sentence between the years 2004 and 2009. Justice is typically defined as administering and maintaining what is just or right. Robinson (2011) says that there are three broad issues discussed and debated by scholars of justice theory: freedom, welfare, and virtue. Some justice theorists argue that what matters most for deciding what is right or just is freedom; whether individual rights are respected and protected. Another school of thought is the egalitarian libertarians. These scholars suggest that what matters most for justice is equality of opportunity in society and taking care of the least advantaged citizens. Other justice theorists focus on welfare, or general well-being and happiness of people in society. They argue that what matters most for justice is the welfare of society, or its overall happiness. Finally, other justice theorists argue that what matters most for justice is virtue, or moral goodness and righteousness. The purpose of the death penalty is incapacitation, deterrence, and retribution. Incapacitation is understood as removing the ability of offenders to commit future crimes. Incarceration is the typical form whereas execution is the ultimate form. Deterrence refers to creating fear in would be offenders through punishment to prevent future crimes. Capital punishment can only be aimed at preventing crime by would-be murderers, general deterrence, since it cannot create fear in murderers who have already been executed, specific deterrence. Retribution refers to righting or rebalancing the scales of justice through punishment in order to achieve justice for crime victims. Executions are often depicted as retribution for the crime of murder, as well as a source of closure for murder victims’ families. Robinson (2011) claims that criminologists and capital punishment scholars overwhelmingly indicate that the death penalty fails to achieve these goals, mostly because of the rarity of death sentences and executions. Logically, if death sentences and executions were more common, capital punishment would be more likely to achieve these goals. Yet we also know that the more frequently the death penalty is used, the greater the costs associated with the policy, including not only additional financial costs but also a greater risk of convicting, sentencing to death, and executing the innocent. This ultimately has great significance for the â€Å"justice† of capital punishment. Van Den Haag (1986) says that the death penalty is an effective form of deterrence because it is feared more than life imprisonment. Many of the convicts under death sentence appeal their sentence and try to get it reduced to life imprisonment. Van Den Haag argues that even though there is no factual evidence that the death penalty deters would be criminals more than life imprisonment, the fact that more people fear the death penalty makes it a better deterrent. Reiman (1985) agrees with Robinson’s view that the use of the death penalty is not successful as a deterrent. He gives four main reasons that refute Van Den Haag’s argument. His first reason is that although people fear the death penalty more than life in prison, nobody wants to spend life in prison either. People do not have the mentality that they can commit a crime because they will â€Å"only† get sentenced to life in prison. Although the person will be alive, they will have all freedom taken from them, which after awhile, can be seen just as horrible, if not worse, than death. Reiman’s second point is that if a person is contemplating committing a crime, they are already facing an enormous risk of being killed in the process. Roughly 500 to 700 suspected felons are killed by police in the line of duty every year and many Americans own their own guns. When taking that into account, it does not seem very likely that the would be criminal will be able to commit the crime without at least being injured by the police or the would be victim. His third reason against Van Den Haag’s view is that using the death penalty is hypocritical. The law states that a person cannot take the life of another, but when they do, their punishment could be death. It is not possible to say murder is illegal and then have it as a possible punishment. He argues that not having the death penalty better exemplifies that idea that murder is wrong. His last point is that it is illogical to practice the death penalty simply because it is feared more than life imprisonment. He says that people would fear death by torture more than lethal injection, so does that mean we should begin the practice of death by torture because more people are afraid of it? Unless it can be proven that the death penalty is a better deterrent than life in prison, Reiman (1985) argues that the death penalty should be abolished. Robinson (2011) says that as for the issue of innocence, there is little doubt that people are wrongly convicted of murder every year and that a handful are even sentenced to death. More than 130 people have been freed from death row during the era of â€Å"super due process† that began in 1976 when the US Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment. Wrongful convictions often occur due to honest errors such as mistaken eyewitness testimony and faulty forensic evidence, but when they occur due to issues such as: false confessions, lying informants, government misconduct, and ineffective defense counsel. There is also little doubt that innocent people have even been executed, although most of the known cases are from prior to the era of super due process in capital sentencing. There remain at least eight widely known cases where men have been recently executed despite serious doubts about their actual guilt. On the issue of executing the innocent, Van Den Haag (1986), makes the argument that the advantages of using the death penalty as a punishment outweigh the unintended losses. He states, â€Å"Miscarriages of justice are offset by the moral benefits and the usefulness of doing justice (139). His argument is that mistakes have and do occur in innocent people being sentenced to death, but the benefits of using it are more important. It would be more of a detriment to society to stop the use of the death enalty than it is when an innocent person is executed. In regards to race, America’s death penalty has always been plagued by serious racial biases. Little evidence remains of the historic discrimination by race of defendant, although state-specific anecdotal evidence suggests blacks are still occasionally discriminated against, especially when accused of killing whites and when juries are overwhelmingly white. Robinson (2011) says that most experts now point to a â€Å"race of victim† effect, whereby killers of whites are far more likely to be sentenced to death and executed than killers of other races and. For example, a comprehensive study of race and the death penalty in North Carolina showed that killers of whites were more than three times more likely to receive death sentences than killers of blacks. In the state, 80% of those people executed since 1976 killed white people; only about 40% of North Carolina homicide victims are white. Further, a study of capital punishment practice in the state from 1999 to 2006 found that blacks who killed whites were 14 times more likely to be sentenced to death than whites who killed blacks. Also, there were six executions of blacks who killed whites during the time period, yet zero executions of whites who killed blacks. Van Den Haag’s (2011) stance on the distribution of the death penalty being discriminatory is that â€Å"punishments are imposed on persons, not on racial or economic groups† (138). The death penalty is not specifically issued to certain races. It depends on the crime that the person committed. Van Den Haag also says, â€Å"Justice requires that as many of the guilty as possible be punished, regardless of whether others have avoided punishment. To let these others escape the deserved punishment does not do justice to them, or to society. But it is not unjust to those who could not escape it† (139). Van Den Haag does not view the fact that black people or other minorities receive the death penalty more than whites as being unjust. However, what is unjust is the white people who were not sentenced to death when they should have been. Given these important empirical realities of the death penalty, the next issue to address is which of them are relevant for the â€Å"justice† of capital punishment practice. As noted earlier, it depends on which theory of justice is being referred to. Libertarians ask whether capital punishment respects liberty or freedom. The most important question for egalitarians is whether capital punishment practice is equal or applied in an equal fashion. For utilitarians, the most important question is whether capital punishment increases overall utility or happiness in society. Finally, for virtue-based theorists, the question is whether capital punishment respects and promotes our values, our moral goodness, and whether it is the right thing to do. The questions above do not have universal answers. Everybody will have his or her own opinions on whether the death penalty respects a person’s freedom or whether it is the right thing to do. Reiman, Robinson and Van Den Haag all made successful and convincing arguments so it is hard to determine one view as more convincing than the other. It comes down to a personal choice and what a person chooses to believe as to whether the death penalty is fair and a proper form of justice.

Fonterra Organisation Analysis

Fonterra Organisation Analysis In this assessment I would like to discuss about Fonterra organization which is famous for the service of its milk and other dairy products. Fonterra is a multinational company providing its services all around the world. Its head office is situated in New Zealand because it is a kiwi company. Fonterra have partnership with other companies and co operates with the farmers as well. Fonterra deals with more than 140 countries and it covers 33 % part of the world in dairy products. Part 1 Demographics Fonterra is the company which deals all around the world. In business there is one important thing that we have to be really careful while we communicate in all departments. In Fonterra also so they have to communicate well with their staff and their stakeholder as well. It is not easy to proper communicate in big organisation but they do really well. Effective communication in the organization and experienced staff- In business communication staff plays an important role because they take message from people and pass to top level of organisation. So they have to hire professional and experience staff so it easy to communicate for them with all department and all other people. They make clear context and understand easily, so it will be easy to give feedback because they understand very well what exactly want to know. For example I work in wine store when we get any Chinese customer, its really hard for us to understand him and explain what he wants to know. Thats why we have Chinese staff as well because they can talk in their language which helps them to understand easily. In Fonterra they organize meeting in the end of month or annually. Different modes of communication- They communicate across the world through different ways of communication like media newspaper fax and phone email letter etc. Effective communication is the part of business and they do same things. They have their head office in Auckland New Zealand. They have branch office all around the world which helps them to make easy communication. Organisational Goal: The goal of Fonterra is that to be famous and successful dairy company all around the world because of their service quality and performance. Every organisation has their own goal but to achieve the goal they use different strategies and plans as well. Before to take any decision first thing that they discuss all things and make clear to everyone about their goal. Their main objectives are- They want to expend their business in different countries. Company want to improve the level of customer satisfaction. Provide information to customers more quickly and efficiently. High awareness of health and safety measures. Awareness of rules and regulations of every country in which Fonterra is running its business. Before make any policy, they take feedback from people so it will be easy for them because they know very well what people expecting from them. To achieve their goal, they have to care about those people who link with organisation. They hire the people through all around the world. So it will easy to communicate with supplier and customer because they will communicate in different languages. They will provide any information what they want to know. They will provide information day and night through whole year which help them to achieve their goal. Organisation culture and Ethics These two things are really important in an organisation. People have different values experience and attitude because everybody has their own thinking and belong to different religion and culture. Ethics also play an important role in business. Ethics means about moral values, everybody have moral values where they decide what is good or bad. For example farmers expect more prices for their milk and they feel like organisation do not give them much importance even company giving them proper attention. Another example is china where Fonterra going in loss even them applies the same vision which they apply to other countries and making profit there. Behind of this, there is one reason because they are from different culture, values and expectation from the organisation. Thats why they have to create their vision behalf on the people expectation and values. Management of knowledge resources In organisation, there is really important thing that how you manage your knowledge resource. If you manage your knowledge resource in well way, you can run your business successfully. The same thing applies in Fonterra as well but they use really well their knowledge share ideas to each other. They know very well in business its really hard to rely on one country when you have business all around the world. Thats why they import and export from other countries as well. They always communicate all other companies and people as well to get information about the market. Quality of product They always care about their quality of products thats the way where they can attract more people to invest money and more customers as well. When they export their products that time they provide health certificate as well. They hire staff all around the world because in this way they can communicate well with the people and know them better. For example I am basically from India so I have more information about the people like what they exactly expect from the company than about any other countries. Human resources- They know very well importance of the farmers and they always try to make them happy and now they take decision that farmers can have their own share in company. They know very well so in this way they can encourage the farmers to increase their productivity. They always follow the rules. They always care about environment and they communicate with farmers and all other person who link with company. For example last time they warn farmers that if they will not follow the rules so they ready to face problems and their milk not be collected. Group Dynamics: There is always easy to work in group rather than individual. Because it is really effective to work in group specially a big company like Fonterra. There is really hard to work in without participation of all department of the company. When you work in group it is easy to support the people in group it is really beneficial. In group it is easy to clarify the problems and in group it is easy to find the solution of those problems. There is no barrier while they communicate; there is no difference of juniors or seniors. Improvement in relations- People are specialised in their field when they work in group, it is better opportunity to know each other. Here they can share their ideas to each other. Helps in making new and innovative ideas- In groups the different people suggest different types of ideas. There is another thing about group that they have small groups where people can express their idea and its easy to explain and understand. In this way we can say that if Fonterra is famous company all around thats result of their group work. They use different ways of communication while they work in group. Meeting management: Meeting management in an organization there are lots of importance of meetings but we have to be careful while we in meeting .we have meeting because of some purpose. In Fonterra also have meeting monthly or annually. Where people come from all department and they discuss about their strength and weakness. They decide like what position they have in market and where they stand now. What they need to improve their weakness and how they can perform much better. Following are the things we have to concentrate on: Select the person- the first thing about meeting that we have to make sure that that are coming to the meeting. We have to confirm that they are able to come or not. Send the agenda- in Fonterra they send agenda to those people who are going to participate in meeting, so in this way they can know about agenda and they can prepare some work for meeting, so it is easy to discuss in meeting. Time and place- we have to decide time and place and tell to every participant trough mail, Phone txt or fax and just make sure that is that it is right for them to come on that place and time. We have to start meeting on time, so there is lesson for those entire participant who comes late and they can come in time next time. Provide hard copies of agenda- it will be easy for everyone, they have chance to discuss more about the agenda. Purpose we organise meeting for any purpose .so we have to be careful when we in meeting that are we going in right track, we have to discuss all those points which we have in agenda. We have take opinion from all participants so we can discuss and give them feed back as well. Clarify the Agenda and role we have to clarify the agenda and the roles of all participants. It will be easy for them to understand because they know abjectly what they have to do after that they will try to give their best. It is really beneficial for the organisation. Meeting progress we have to evaluate the meeting like we have to see that everybody is interesting to take part in discussion. In meeting thats really important that they present there physically and mentally as well. In the end we have to finish meeting on time and just make sure that it shouldnt get boring because if meeting takes long time it start to get boring, there is no point of meeting when participant start to get tired and get bored. Stakeholders: Here I am going to talk about of those people, organisation, people or societies which are link or affected by company or those act which are done the company. Fonterra is really big company so there is lot of stakeholder. Farmers- Firstly I would like to talk about farmers, more than 10000 farmers co operate the company, so they always communicate with them they have meeting with them and keep in touch with them through different type of communication, where they listen and give them feedback as well, for example Fonterra decide that farmers can own and control by their own, this decision will really attract more farmers so thats also a way of communication. Government- Fonterra always communicates with government like before to take any project approval etc. they communicate with them through different ways media mails letter and meeting as well. For example last time, they have problems with use of water and to throw wastage of production in the water. That time they collect information about this matter from all responsible people and provide to government. Other dairy companies, they have commitment to other dairy company and communicate with them trough video conference, teleconference even they are far from each other but there is no matter. Investors- Investor invests their money which helps to grow the company. Fonterra also sales shares in some countries to make it economically better. Employee- Employees play a vital role in the expansion of organizational business and give their best to run the company. Fonterra give them proper attention while they communicate different ways like- online, email, phone, fax etc. Customers- Customers are the main stakeholders of any company. It depend on them what response they give for any product or company .they communicate with them through newspaper media and advertisement, for example last time they have offer buy any two product of Fonterra and get 25% off on those product. Thats also way of communication. Network: Network in Fonterra they use different type of communication. They are really conscious about people when communicate with them but it depends what method they using while they communicate. They use different aspects of communication such as: Intrapersonal communication: In Fonterra they make small group where they communicate to each other. Mass communication: It is really easy way of communication. In this method we communicate through media channel like radio TV or news paper .for example we get the news about Fonterra that they doing well and contribute a lot in economy of New Zealand and they are going to increase the price of some products. We get all those news through newspaper radio and TV. Internal communication: In Fonterra there is lot of importance of internal communication. They communicate with all departments in the company and all stakeholders as well. Moreover, they discuss about their aim and performance, provide all information to them. Which helps them to find out the problems? Besides this, they tell them what their responsibilities and what they have to do. In the company they doing well communicate to each other through different methods. They have another good thing that they listen and understand to each other and give them feedback as well .they have clear context so which makes easy to understand for everyone. Conclusion: Fonterra is the famous and popular company because of their product and services. They care about everyone around them. They always complies laws and rules which makes them different from others. The communication process is really easy even the company is worldwide. The culture of organisation is very friendly which help everyone to enjoy the work and encourage them to give their best at workplace. At the end we can say that it is not an easy jobs to the mange the things but them doing well. Recommendations: Suitable place- First thing I would like to recommend that the production place is too far from the market area or where they sale their product. Some time it is really difficult to communicate and also wastage of time and money because staff have to go one place to another place. Special focus- Another thing is that they have to concentrate more where they are facing loss like- china. It will help them a lot to make profits. They also encourage the more farmers to come in dairy industries which will beneficial for them and farmers as well. In this way they can increase their productivity and profitability.

Food Policy in Malaysia

Food Policy in Malaysia Introduction Malaysia is a multilingual and multicultural society. The original culture of Malaysia is come from the indigenous tribes that is been staying in the peninsular and east of Malaysia since century ago. Not long after, the Malays were moved to Malaysia from Indonesia and followed by the Chinese and Indian due to the substantial influence. Dating back to old days Malaysia used to be a colonization of British. Due to that, Peninsular Malaysia has become a foreign trading port for the British and cultural influences start to gather. The culture include Persian, Arabic and British and etc. Due to being part of the ancient spice route in Asia and becoming a foreign trading port for the British, Malaysia’s cuisine reflects on the multi-ethnic makeup of its population. Besides that, the cuisine also is greatly influenced within itself or by the surrounding countries. For example the influences are from the Malays, Chinese, Indian, Thai and etc. In addition, it is very common to find a similar versions of the dish within Singapore or across Malaysia regardless of place of origin because Singapore used to be part of Malaysia. What is Food Policy? According to Wikipedia, food policy are the area of publics concerning how the food is produced, processed, distributed and what kind of chemical ingredient are used when processing the food. Food policies system is designed to guide producer in operating of food and agriculture related product. This commonly include in decision-making of production and processing techniques of food, marketing of food, utilizing and consuming of food in the interest of meeting or furthering social objectives. Food policies can be develop in any level, such as from local to global, by government agency, business cooperation or food related organization. Makers of food policy are often engage in activities such as setting regulation related to food industries and establishing food standards for assistance programs for the poor and ensuring safety of food supplies, food labeling and even the qualification of a specific product to be considered as organic or not. Most of the food pol icy is initiated at the domestic level for the purpose of ensuring a safe and satisfactory level of food supply to the citizenry. Food Policy in Malaysia Malaysia is a multilingual and multicultural society country that mainly consists of the Malays, which is the biggest community group in Malaysia and followed by the Chinese, Indian, and the indigenous tribe. Even though Malaysia has many different cultures and races, it is consider as a Muslim Country due to the Parliament is govern by mainly the Malays followed by the Chinese and Indian. Due to this, Malaysia is very strict when comes to thing such as laws and etc. Food policy is one of it, for example the food that found within the country is mainly Halal even though there is consumers who are Non-Muslim. In Malaysia, Food policy decision and food related law is made between the Ministry of Health Department Malaysia and Ministry of Agriculture Malaysia. Both of the departments worked closely together for public health safety and to provide awareness of what kind of food the consumer are eating. The Ministry of Health Department is the one who has a higher authority when comes to food related because the areas that they involved in are wider such as nutrition assistance, food safety, dietary guidance, and labeling of consumable product. As for Agriculture side such as plantation of corn and etc are govern by the Ministry of Agriculture Malaysia. Most of the food policies are increasingly developing and changed due to the needs of citizens, political climates and circumstances changes. Halal According to Halal Malaysia, Halal are define as a lawful, permitted, pure, wholesome and recommended under Islamic Law. As in food service terms, Halal will affect the quality and hygiene policy in food manufacturing practices as well as food services in restaurant. With the growing of population around the world, the production, food safety, trade and consumption in food chained restaurant are increasingly demanding for Halal Food. Due to this, Halal food in Malaysia is coming from both Muslim and Non-Muslims country or producer because the local Halal food manufacturer did not have the ability to follow up the increasing of local community anymore. Based on Islamic Dietary Laws in the Trade Description Order 1975 of Malaysia, there are three main food categories for Muslims which are Halal, Haram, and Syubba. Halal is a word used for describing food that is lawful for Muslims to consume according to the Al-Quran. As for Haram, it is a term used to describe a subject that is unlawful and prohibited for the Muslims to do or consume. For example, Muslims are not allowed to consume pork and alcohol. The third and the last one is Syubba, it means the ingredient or the process of the food is made are questionable and therefore should be avoided for the Muslims if it is possible. In addition, The Al-Quran stresses that Muslims must eat food that is pure and clean as stated in the Islamic Dietary laws. The trust that is build-in among Muslim customers on Halal Certification is potentially increasing when it comes to deciding to visit an eating premise or a specific product. Malaysia Halal Certification Since the 1970s, JAKIM also known as the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia, has been emphasizing its structures to ensure the Halal certification process in Malaysia provide Muslims Community with quality assurance of the products and services which is purchased or used by them.(JAKIM,2010). On the other hand, Malaysia Halal Certification also remarked as â€Å"a total quality health and sanitary system that involve in adopting the procedure for killing, processing and other related operations as drafted by Islamic rules†. Besides that, JAKIM also certifies raw materials, ingredients and products based on the quality of the product, hygiene perspectives and consideration of consumption safety of a specific product. (JAKIM,2008) There are few agencies that develop the standard of Halal food in Malaysia which as JAKIM is one of them and followed by Department of Standards Malaysia, Malaysia Institute of Industrial Research and standard which also known as SIRIM, and Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia. As a result, the four departments developed a comprehensive guideline in Halal food standard called MS1500 in 2004. The general guideline of Malaysian Standard MS1500 is focus on the production, preparation, handling and storing of Halal food. MS1500 also act as a manual for the food industry on preparing and handling halal food. In the other hand, it served as a basic food trade in Malaysia. (Mohd Daud,2004) The practice of Halal system should apply to all processing stages which from farm to table. Halal certification provide consumer a greater confidence and informed choice on what they have purchased (Wan Hassan Hall,2003). According to the Muslim Council of Britain, a statistic of up to 90% of meat and poultry that are sold in the United Kingdom as Halal are illegally sold to consumer and it is not slaughtered based on Shariah Law. In addition, this proved that Halal certification is clearly a potentially useful marketing and branding tools to attract customer to dine in a restaurant or to buy a product. This is an important examples for the Malaysian government to strengthen the Halal Certification in order to prevent the malpractice in the supply of meat to consumers and restaurant. The Demand of Halal Food In Malaysia Based on the research done by Muhammad in 2007, the needs for Halal foods and product within the countries itself and around the world has remarkable increasing. Majority of the Muslim Countries in the world which include Malaysia used to get their Halal product with the local suppliers or imported from other Muslim Countries. Due to the increasing of population and standard of living, it has drives the Muslim Countries to import Halal food from Non-Muslims countries such as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Singapore. These countries with comparatively small or even don’t have Muslim Population has became a valid contributors to the world Halal Trade. (Trade Mart,2006) According to Wan Omar, Muhammad, Che Omar (2008), the world has a total of 1.8billion of estimated Muslim Population and the market for Halal product is worth over US$560 billion annually. With the increasing interested in Halal food, this shows that there is a very huge market segment for food manufacturer. On the other hand, due to the increasing of international trade, cultural globalization and tourism, the â€Å"Halal† label has progressively recognized by non-Muslim and countries such as Europe and America also in demand for it which they don’t really needed it at old times. It also initiate further pressure on emphasizing importance of goods certification and has become the core in food industry. (Al-harrn Low, 2008). Based on Riaz Chaudry(2004), Malaysia was the leader in implementing Halal Laws in the early 1980s and remains in force globally when comes to Halal Certification circumstances. On the other hand, according to Chang(2006), Muslim population of 60% in Malaysia has increased their interest for Halal foods and products over the years. Due to this, Halal standard in food related goods has been widen from meat item to item such as confectionery, bakery and dairy goods. Chang also said that Halal Certification is become known as a standard criteria for food quality, safety and hygiene. It also helped to increase the market value of the product that has Halal label on it. Restaurant In Malaysia Based on the research done by Chang,2006, Malaysia is consider as one of the most advance nations in Southeast Asia after Singapore. As a result, Malaysian lifestyle has been dramatically evolving due to increasing of income and education levels. Besides that, majority of the restaurant that is located within the country have a clear halal logo in front of the restaurant entrance. With the logo sticked at the restaurant, it proves that the restaurant not only the food is halal but also the entire process of processing food is halal. In addition to that, the halal restaurant in Malaysia is not allowed to sell pork and alcohol related product. Based on the survey that made by Shamsudin Selamat 2005, they found that Malaysians are regarded as adventurous espeiclally the young peers in their consuming manner. Malaysian whose median age of 22 years old love to explore new eating places as suggested by friends and relatives because eating out in nowadays is very common and is somewhat not expensive compare to other country in the world. Based on Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia in 2008, Malaysian students who came back after staying abroad also devote to the demand for various food styles as well as eating in a restaurant. According to research done by Chang,2006, Malaysian regularly choose to dine in an open air dining area or street stalls. In addition to that, International cuisines such as Japanese and Korean cuisine were exceptionally demanding awfully over the years. Research done by Shamsudin and Selamat(2005), 172,252 food service matters including stalls and restaurants exited in Malaysia in 2001. In overall, the food service industry in Malaysia can be divided into five main section which is dine-in restaurant (including hotel coffee houses), coffee shops, hawker centers, fast food stalls, food courts and roadside stalls. As for Kueh and Voon(2007), they give a bit different categories and said that foodservice premises in Malaysia consists of Pubs/bars , street hawkers, and dine-in restaurant. According to undertaken by Josiam, Sohail and Monteiro(2007) on curry cuisine and perceptions of Indian Restaurnt in Malaysia, they found that restaurant in Malaysia serve standard and actual food that suit the local customers and tourists taste bud. They also proposed that consumers are keen in term of accepting new foods and explore new tastes. The findings that done by them also shows that general hygiene such as cleanliness of restaurant and restroom and the quality of foods will determine the restaurant weather is value for money or not. The main interest of foods for Malaysian are spiciness of the food, appearance of the food, the taste of the food and last by not least the availability of vegetarian choices and followed by the food with Halal Certification. Conclusion Food served as one of the basic needs for humans needs in the hierarchy of Mashlow. It just that some people religions view and beliefs in regarding food consumption and has dietary constraint. As an example, the most familiar one is the Muslims with Halal, Hindus and a minority of Chinese population constraint themselves from eating beef and some of them being as a vegetarian, and lastly the Jews people with Kosher restriction. As a conclusion, Halal food in Malaysia is not just constraint to the surrounding of the way the animal is killed, it goes deeper than that. It started from the first steps of preparing to handling, distributing, storing, displaying, packaging, labeling, preparation and serving it. In another words, the whole food supply chain must follow the Islamic dietary laws in order it to be Halal. The practice of Islamic dietary laws in Malaysia has educated Muslim and non-Muslims community to eat food that is pure and good based on the Quran and Haditb. As a addition to it, Halal certification that is provided by Malaysia organization is seen as a source of potential to create trust among the Muslims that the foods with the certification are safe to be consume or used. Bibliography (Jakim), T. M. G. a. t. D. o. I. D. M., 2011. Halal Malaysia. [Online] Available at: http://www.halal.gov.my/v3/index.php/en/about-halal-certification/halal-definition [Accessed 1 November 2014]. Abdul Latif, M., 2006. afmaasia Malaysia. [Online] Available at: http://www.afmaasia.org/malaysia_2006/Annex-4.pdf [Accessed 5 11 2014]. Abdul Manaf Bohari, C. W. H. N. F., 2014. The competitiveness of Halal food industry in Malaysia: A SWOT ICT Analysis. Malaysia Journal of Society and Space, 9(1), pp. 1-8. Abdul Talib, H. M. A. K. . J., 2008. Quality assurance in halal food manufacturing in Malaysia. Johor Bahru, Malaysia: ICME. Anon., 2004. Agriculture and Consumer Protection Department. [Online] Available at: http://www.fao.org/docrep/MEETING/006/AD698E.HTM [Accessed 20 November 2014]. Anon., 2013. A Food Labelling Guide. [Online] Available at: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceRegulation/UCM265446.pdf [Accessed 19 November 2014]. Bonne, K. . V., 2008. Religious values informing halal meat production and the control and delivery of halal credence quality. Agriculture and Human Values, Volume 25, pp. 35-47. Chang, 2008. Malaysia Exporter guide annual 2006. USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. JAKIM, 2010. Pengurusan pensijilan halal Malaysia [The management of Malaysia halal certification]. Putrajaya: JAKIM. Josiam, B. S. S. . M., 2007. Curry cuisine: Perceptions of Indian restaurants in Malaysia. Tourismos:An International Multidisciplinary Journal Of Tourism, 2(2), pp. 25-37. Loong, C., 2013. Information on Food Labelling in Malaysia. [Online] Available at: http://www.mfca.org.my/articles/Information on Food Labeling Requirements in Malaysia.pdf [Accessed 19 November 2014]. Malaysia, D. o. S., 2008. [Online] Available at: http://www.statistics.gov.my/portal/index.php?option=com_contentview=articleid=54:population-updated-31072009catid=35:key-statisticsItemid=53lang=en [Accessed 2 November 2014]. Malaysia, M. o. H. E., 2008. Statiscs of Malaysian students studying abroad. [Online] Available at: http://www.mohe.gov.my/web_statistik/statistik_pdf_2008_05/msd_5-1.pdf [Accessed 30 October 2014]. Mart, T., 2006. Export opportunities: Processed food beverages. 2006 ed. Kuala Lumpur: Trade mart. Muhammad, R., 2007. Re-Branding halal. The Halal Journal, pp. 32-34. Riaz, M. . C. M., 2004. Halal food production. Florida, CRC Press. Saeed, M. ,. J. B. . I., 2000. Marketing Malaysia to International Tourists. Journal of International Business and Entrepreneurship, Issue 8(1), pp. 41-61. Sharifah Zannierah Syed Marzuki, M. H. P. W., 2012. Restaurant Manager and Halal Certificate, Malaysia: academia.edu. Toh, P. F. ., 2008. Hawker food industry. Food safety Public health strategies in Malaysia, Issue 38(1), pp. 41-51. Voon, K. K. ., 2007. Culture and service quality expectations: Evidence from generation Y consumers in Malaysia. Managing Service Quality, Issue 17(6), pp. 656-680. 1

John Steinbeck :: Essays Papers

John Steinbeck John Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902 in Salinas California, shortly after the end of the Civil War. His mother was a schoolteacher in the public school system in Salinas. Steinbeck grew up in the fertile California where he found the materials for most of his novels, and short stories. Steinbeck demonstrated a great imagination, which was kindled by writing at a very early age partly due to his mother, the schoolteacher, whom read to him at a very early at the many great works of literature. During his teen years, Steinbeck played various sports in high school, worked numerous part time, dead end jobs, and wondered around the fertile valley. The lessons, and observations he made while wandering provided much of the material for his later works. Steinbeck entered Stanford University in 1920, and even though he attended the school until 1925, he never graduated. Lacking the desire to acquire a formal degree from the Stanford University, Steinbeck wandered to New York to pursue a writing career. While working on his writing, and while receiving an endless supply of rejection slips, Steinbeck worked odd jobs. The New York American newspaper was where Steinbeck held a job, writing various articles, for some time before the newspaper went bankrupt. The failure of the newspaper and endless supply of rejection letter forced Steinbeck to return to California, broken but still hopeful. Steinbeck’s first novel, Cup of Gold, was published in 1929, two months before the horrific stock market crash, causing the novel to nearly unnoticed with barely fifteen hundred copies selling. 1930 was a very important year for Steinbeck in two areas. First he married Carol Henning and the newlyweds settled in Pacific Grove, which he often wrote of. There, Steinbeck met Ed Ricketts whose friendship strongly influenced Steinbeck’s works. During the Great Depression of the nineteen thirties Steinbeck knew many people who were considered to be the cross section of society, and shared many of the problems of the times with them. His father like many men, helped is family through the depression with a small house and twenty-five dollars a week. Throughout the depression era Steinbeck wrote of people struggling to make ends meet around the California, Mexico region. One of Steinbeck works, Tortilla Flat, marked a turning point in Steinbeck’s literary career.

Horse Dealers Daughter :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The short story, â€Å"The Horse Dealer’s Daughter,† by D. H. Lawrence is about Mabel Pervin and her three brothers who are left with debts to pay after their father’s death. Once the horses are sold Mabel’s brothers decide where their lives would lead them and advice her to seek the home of her sister. Realizing their rejection and acknowledging an uncertain future, she visits the graves of her mother and father. Feeling depressed and helpless, Mabel walks into a mucky pond not cognizant of Jack Fergusson’s presence. Fighting his fear of water, Jack saves Mabel from an attempted suicide and has become a part of Mabel’s plan to remain where she wants to be. She decides to take advantage of the situation by expressing her love and convincing Jack that he loves her as well. Mabel’s love, in this story by D.H. Lawrence, is her escape from having to leave her town and live with her sister in a less desirable fashion. Sh e uses love as a means of obtaining the comfortable lifestyle that she once lived. She can once again have luxuries in life now that she will be marrying a doctor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Just as in the previous story, James Joyce’s short story â€Å"Araby† also suggests love as an escape. In this short story, the young boy’s existence surrounds a dreary and harsh environment. He lives with an uncle who drinks and an aunt who suffers from the heartache of an unhappy marriage. The boy’s friend Mangan has a sister who he is infatuated with to the extent of following her every move. He is so empowered by his feelings for her, he decides to go to Araby and buy Mangan’s sister a gift. On the day of the bazaar, his uncle forgets to be home on time to give the boy money and therefore causes him to be late.

The Sexist Prejudices Affecting Women in the House on Mango Street

The Sexist Prejudices Affecting Women in The House on Mango Street In my essay I am going to write about the Mexican gender based prejudices and stereotypes which affect the women of Esperanza’s neighborhood in Sandra Cisneros’s novel The House on Mango Street. I would like to point out the lives of the main women characters and their dealing with the prejudices in everyday occasions.Futhermore, I want to talk about Esperanza and her attitude towards the surrounding situation and also mention the historical background of the problem. From my point of view, the fact that the women come from the Mexican community has essentially influenced their lives. It has actually predetermined them in a way that the women are not able to set free for the rest of their lives. During the novel the reader gets to know some of the Mexican prejudices in relation to women which all the female characters have to face.The sexist prejudice is clear from having read few lines of the novel wher e Esperanza, the narrator, explains the meaning of her name with the connection to the Chinese signs of the zodiac, â€Å"I think this is a Chinese lie because the Chinese, like the Mexicans, don’t like their women strong† (Cisneros 10). This tells the reader one important fact. The Mexicans are proprietary towards their women and wives and they tries to take over the women’s lives. It is very difficult for the women coming from the Mexican community to live their own life themselves and to be independent of their social background.This observation is confirmed by Elizabeth Coonrod Martinez in her work on the relationships of women with men in the novels based on this phenomenon, â€Å"women characters do not initiate events in their own lives; instead they endure poverty and racism from the society at large and oppression under the men in their lives. They do not get to choose their spouses, and when they do pick a boyfriend, and get pregnant, they are conside red bad girls. They do not have choice-before or after marriage† (131). The author of the book gives a notion what the status of women in the Mexican community in the novel is.They are supposed to stay at home, preferably, â€Å"behind a rolling pin† (Cisneros 31). Moreover, many of the women are locked at home or cannot leave the house without their spouses’ permission. This fact is obvious at many times in the novel. At first, when Esperanza talks about her great-grandmother, she describes her as a woman that had spent all her life on her elbows by the window. At this point, where Esperanza describes her great-grand mother, she also says something about herself, â€Å"I don’t want to inherit her place by the window† (Cisneros 11).Later, this fact is emphasized by the story of the woman called Rafaela, whose fulfilment of the life is to sit by the window. As the narrator reports, â€Å"Rafaela, who is still young but getting old from leaning out t he window so much, gets locked indoors because her husband is afraid Rafaela will run away since she is too beautiful to look at† (Cisneros 79). The women are regarded as the property of their husbands or their fathers, never independent. In my oppinion, the situation is even made worse by the fact that the protagonists are living in the United States.The women maybe would have accepted this role if they had lived in Mexico, where they would not see any difference in other women’s lives. That is impossible for them now, to fit in the community rules that are expected to be obeyed. Instead, some women pretend to be a part of the traditional society on the one hand, but on the other, they are more American than Mexican. This is the case of Sally, a young Mexican girl from the community of Chicanos, with a strict father and brought up in a very strict, religious and tradionally Mexican family. Sally who must obey her father and accept his way of life and who wants to be an American.For a clearer explanation, her behaviour is described as follows, â€Å"and why do you always have to go straight home after school? You become a different Sally. You pull your skirt straight, you rub the blue paint off your eyelids. You don’t laugh, Sally. You look at our feet and walk fast to the house you can’t come out from† (Cisneros 82). This girl struggles with two different worlds but unfortunatelly, the vicious one for her wins. She becomes a part of the sad community of women who are locked at home and their only release is in their dreams.Sally’s fate is deteriorated due to the relationship with her father, who strikes her because she is a girl and her father wants to take over her life, â€Å"until the way Sally tells it, he just went crazy, he just forgot he was her father between the buckle and the belt. You’re not my daughter, you’re not my daughter. And then he broke into his hands† (Cisneros 93). The story a bout Sally is a typical example of the struggle. At the end, Sally gets married and her life turns out to be the same sad story. The narrator comments on this, â€Å"Except he [husband] won’t let her talk on the telephone.And he doesn’t let her look out the window. And he doesn’t like her friends, so nobody gets to visit her unless he is working. She sits at home because she is afraid to go outside without his permission† (Cisneros 102). Sally, like the rest of the women characters, ends up in this kind of relationship with her husband, even if she had the opportunity to escape from her fate, because if she had been more determined in her struggle, she would have succeed. The narration about Sally is important in the novel because it shows Esperanzas’ feelings towards the sexist and racial prejudices she lives in.Esperanza, as the narrator, gives the personal outlook on the women from her surroundings. Esperanza is the exception of all the women ch aracters in the novel. She is aware of the poor situation and even of a poorer shift from it. â€Å"Esperanza is handicapped by her Hispanic background and the family’s modest financial means† (Szadziuk 115). She observes the world around her and feels lonely in her feelings, nobody shares her thoughts, her ideas. She feels like the trees down the street and as she admits, â€Å"four who do not belong here but are here. Four raggedy excuses planted by the city† (Cisneros 74).Like a struggling tree, Esperanza copes with obstacles that would suppress her, and her inner strength will help her reach towards a better life. This young girl is the only women in the novel who is deeply determined to change her life, to set free and to be on her own. She might seem naive in her way of achieving it, â€Å"Not a flat. Not an appartment in back. Not a man’s house. Not a daddy’s. A house all my own† (Cisneros 108). Nevertheless, the escape from it will n ot be as easy as thought at first. Once is Esperanza told by her friend, â€Å"when you leave you must remember to come back for the others.A circle, understand? You will always be Esperanza. You will always be Mango Street. You can’t forget who you are† (Cisneros 105). The circle is closed and fulfilled. Even if Esperanza escapes, she will not be free of her background. In comparison with other women characters in the novel, Esperanza has the support of her family, especially the support of her mother who encourages her and her siblings to be determined and to be strong in gaining their dream. The mother’s support is based on her own life and unhappines, â€Å"shame is a bad thing, you know. It keeps you down.You want to know why I quit school? Because I didn’t have nice clothes. No clothes, but I had brains† (Cisneros 91). Mother who suffered from discrimination is now resolved to protect her children from having a similar experience. Unfortunate lly, Esperanza experiences some oppression anyway and she describes it, â€Å"Those who do not any better come into our neighborhood scared. They think we’re dangerous. They think we will attack them with shiny knives. They are stupid people who are lost and got here by mistake† (Cisneros 28). Little Esperanza learns about a hardship very early in her life.She does not understand it at first but afterwards she fully realizes what means the arrogant voice of nun who asks her where she lives. Esperanza, unaware of anything, points to her house. Just later she realizes how important for her is to escape from this social oppression and racial discrimination and longs for her own house, a house she would not be ashamed of, a house she could point to when someone aks where she lives. Futhermore, the women characters and all Mexican immigrants living in the United States in general suffer from a particular feature typical of the immigrant community.Their poor situation is mad e worse by it. That is the homesickness. This is very difficult to explain because in this case it has a historical connection to 1848 when the former Mexican lands became American property and millions of Mexican citizens suddenly lived on American territory. For an illustration of this event: Chicanos and Chicanas have always been in New Mexico, Texas, California, Colorado, Illinois and other North American states. The Gonzalezes, the Dominguezes, the Garcias, the Fernandezes have lived in these states ever since they can remember.Their great, great grandmother had a house in San Antonio, or in San Diego, or in Sante Fe, long before 1836 and 1848 when these territories became American. (Poniatowska 39) From the citation of Elena Poniatowska it is obvious that the Mexicans are not initially responsible for the problems of the Mexican community in the United States nowadays. They miss their native country so they try to compensate the sorrow for living more culturally orthodox life abroad. In the novel, the problem of homesickness is portrayed mainly in the story of Mamacita, a mother of one of the inhabitants of Mango Street.Even if she is not a one of the descendants of the immigrant family but actually a Mexican citizen, Mamacita comes to Mango Street to live with her son, who sees his future in reaching the American dream. As she does not speak English, the difference between the Mexican and the American culture is much more visible. Mamacita represents the old, initial kind of immigrants, who long for going back to their native country whereas her son presents the young, Americanized population of the Mexican community. Two different worlds which can never be united.The reader learns more about it through the eyes of Esperanza, as she reports, â€Å"She sits all day by the window and plays the Spanish radio show and sings all the homesick songs about her country in a voice that sounds like a seagull† (Cisneros 77). Mamacita is unwilling to adjust a nd wants to go back to her native Mexico even if life can be harder and poorer there. Esperanza continues, â€Å"Ay, she says, she is sad. Oh he says, Not again. Cuando, cuando, cuando? She asks. Ay, caray! We are are home. This is home. Here I am and here I stay. Speak English.Speak English. Christ† (Cisneros 78). Mamacita and her son are examples of eternal fight for the unity of two different worlds which can never link up the gap between each other. In conlusion, the racial, gender based and social prejudices in the Mexican community in the novel are very essential. In every story the reader may see the stereotypes which affect the protagonists. Each of them deals with it differently but with the same result. They are not able to set themselves free from their social background and their origin pursues them all their life.Nonetheless, some of the women characters chose this way of living from their own choice, voluntarily. Specifically, the words of Elena Poniatowska poin t this out, â€Å"To say that Mexico abandoned its people would not be false, because Mexico abandons all poor Mexicans. The poor choose the American dream and the American way of life on the other side of the border, because they don’t see a future for themselves in their own country† (Poniatowska 41). Whether the immigrants have chosen to live on the margin of society in the foreign country of own accord or not, their cultural heritage follows them all the time.Works Cited Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York: Vintage, 1984. Martinez, Elizabeth Coonrod. â€Å"Crossing Gender Borders: Sexual Relations and Chicana Artistic Identity. † Melus 27. 1 (2002): 131-50. < http://lion. chadwyck. co. uk> Poniatowska, Elena. â€Å"Mexicanas and Chicanas. † Melus 21. 3 (1996): 35-42. Szadziuk, Maria. â€Å"Culture as Transition: Becoming a Woman in Bi-Ethnic Space. † Mosaic 32. 3 (1999): 109-30. < http://lion. chadwyck. co. uk>

Art or Propaganda? Essay

1. Introduction. W.E.B. Dubois and Alain Locke were important contributors to the epoch called â€Å"Harlem Renaissance†. With their writings atrists wanted to do something against racism, they wanted to show that the African – Americans don’t have to feel inferior. Writing in the April, 1915, issue of Crisis, DuBois said: â€Å"In art and literature we should try to loose the tremendous emotional wealth of the Negro and the dramatic strength of his problems through writing †¦ and other forms of art. We should resurrect forgotten ancient Negro art and history, and we should set the black man before the world as both a creative artist and a strong subject for artistic treatment.† DuBois stated what were to be recurrent themes of the decade of the twenties: the Negro as a producer and a subject of art, and the Negro’s artistic output as indices of his contribution to American life. (Linnemann R.J. p 79) In essense, both Locke and DuBois agreed about what constituted good art. It was the function of art on which they did not agree. DuBois doubted if one could really have a disembodied art or beauty; but Locke was not seeking for the Negro writer a disembodied beauty. (Linnemann, R.J. p 92) DuBois strongly disagreed with Locke’s view that â€Å"Beauty rather than Propaganda should be the object of Negro literature and art. †¦If Mr. Locke’s thesis is insisted upon too much is going to turn the Negro Renaissance into decadence.† (Marable, M.. p 130) First I will give some basical facts about the Harlem Renaissance. In the main part I will show the opinions of A. Locke, who preferred arts, and W.E.B. DuBois, who was for propaganda. In point three I will write about DuBois’s life. After that I will show what he wanted in general. The last part of point three I will show why he was for propaganda. Therefore I analysed several of his works, especially his paper â€Å"Criteria of Negro art†. In point four I will introduce Alain Locke with a short biography and then I will show what he wanted for the African – Americans. The second part of point four will show why he preferred art. My focus will be on his anthology â€Å"The New Negro† and his article â€Å"Art or Propaganda?†. Basically there were thoughts which DuBois and Locke shared. One example is the idea of education which will play a role in point five. In point six I will give a short summary. 2. The Harlem Renaissance In the early 1900s, particularly in the 1920s, African-American literature, art, music, dance, and social commentary began to flourish in Harlem, a section of New York City. This African-American cultural movement became known as â€Å"The New Negro Movement† and later as the Harlem Renaissance. More than a literary movement, the Harlem Renaissance exalted the unique culture of African-Americans and redefined African-American expression. African-Americans were encouraged to celebrate their heritage. (Johnson, W.) One of the factors contributing to the rise of the Harlem Renaissance was the great migration of African-Americans to northern cities (such as New York City, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.) between 1919 and 1926. In his influential book The New Negro (1925), Locke described the northward migration of blacks as â€Å"something like a spiritual emancipation.† Black urban migration, combined with trends in American society as a whole toward experimentation during the 1920s, and the rise of radical black intellectuals — including Locke, Marcus Garvey, founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), and W. E. B. DuBois, editor of The Crisis magazine – all contributed to the particular styles and unprecedented success of black artists during the Harlem Renaissance period. (http://encarta.msn.com) More than a literary movement and more than a social revolt against racism, the Harlem Renaissance exalted the unique culture of African-Americans and  redefined African-American expression. African-Americans were encouraged to celebrate their heritage and to become â€Å"The New Negro,† a term coined in 1925 by sociologist and critic Alain LeRoy Locke. 3. About W.E.B. DuBois – what did he want? Pioneer in the struggle for Afro-American liberation and for African liberation, prolific black scholar, W.E.B. DuBois (1868 – 1963) was one of the giants of the twentieth century. (Foner, flap text) DuBois’ mature vision was a reconcilation of the â€Å"sense of double consciousness† – the â€Å"two warring ideals† of being both black and American. He came to accept struggle and conflict as essential elements of life, but he continued to believe in the inevitable progress of the human race – that out of individual struggles against a divided self and political struggles of the oppressors, a broader and fuller human life would emerge that would benefit all of mankind (Kerry W.). Dr. Dubois was awarded the first Spingarn Medal in 1920. This was awarded â€Å"to that Negro who achieved the highest in any human endeavor.† He was an activist for global affairs, editor of the NAACP Crisis publication, and set up the meeting for the first Pan-African Congress. He was an individual of principle and conviction. The seeds he planted still nourish us today. (http://www.websn.com/Pride/Pride/w.htm) To reach racial equality he founded the Niagara Movement – a group of African-American leaders committed to an active struggle for racial equality. The Niagara Movement was founded in 1905, by a group of African-Americans, led by W. E. B. Du Bois, John Hope, and William Monroe Trotter, who called for full civil liberties, an end to racial discrimination, and recognition of human brotherhood. (http://en.wikipedia.org) W.E.B. DuBois saw that racism and prejudices are a problem. Therefore he wrote: â€Å"Once upon a time in my younger years and in the dawn of this century  I wrote: ‘The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line.’ It was a pert and singing phrase which I then liked and which since I have often rehearsed to my soul and asked:–how far is this prophecy or speculation? Today in the last years of the century’s first quarter, let us examine the matter again, especially in the memory of that great event of these great years, the World War. Fruit of the bitter rivalries of economic imperialism, the roots of the catastrophe were in Africa, deeply entwined at bottom with the problems of the color line. And of the legacy left, the problems the world inherits hold the same fatal seed; world dissension and catastrophe still lurk in the unsolved problems of race relations. What then is the world view that the consideration of this question offers?.(DuBois, W.E.B. â€Å"The Negro Mind Reaches Out†) DuBois wanted to encourage African – American people. In his essay â€Å"On Being Ashamed Of Oneself† from 1933 he described the feeling of inferiority. At the same time he encouraged the people to feel confident â€Å"†¦we must oppose all segregation and all racial patriotism; we must salute the American flag and sing ‘Our country’ Tis of Thee’ with devotion and fervor, and we must fight for our rights with long and carefully planned campaigns; uniting for this purpose with all sympathetic people, colored and white. †¦ But there are certain practical difficulties connected with this program which are becoming more and more clear today. First of all comes the fact that we are still ashamed of ourselves and are thus stopped from valid objection when white folks are ashamed to call us human.† (Weinberg, M. p 12) DuBois wanted to fight against the problems which African – Americans have. Their bad situation was explained in his paper â€Å"The Study Of The Negro Problems†: â€Å"†¦let us inquire somewhat more carefully under the form under which the Negro problems present themselves today after 275 years of evolution. Their existence is plainly manifested by the fact that a definitely segregated mass of eight millions of Americans do not wholly share the national life of the people, are not an integral part of the social body. The points at which they fail to be incorporated into this group life constitute the particular  Negro problems, which can be divided into two distinct and correlated parts, depending on two facts: First – Negroes do not share the full national life because as a mass they have not reached a sufficiently high grade of culture. Secondly – They do not share the full national life because there has always existed in America a conviction – varying in intensity, but always widespread – that people of Negro blood should not be admitted into the group life of the nation no matter what their condition might be. Considering the problems arising from the backward development of Negroes, we may say that the mass of this race does not reach the social standards of the nation with respect to a) Economic condition, b) Mental training, c) Social efficiency. † (Foner, p 108) Du Bois was a pioneer advocate of the black beauty concept and of black power although he refrained from attaching a color tag. In his â€Å"Immediate Program of the American Negro† (April, 1915) he asserted: â€Å"The Negro must have power; the power of men, the right to do, to know, to feel and express that knowledge, action and spiritual gift. He must not simply be free from the political tyranny of white folk, he must have the right to vote and rule over the citizens, white and black, to the extent of his proven foresight and ability.† (Moon, H.L.) One way of looking at it is that the Harlem Renaissance attacked the superstructure of White supremacy while legal and political activists in the 1930s and 1940s began to attack the daily practice of racism through the courts and demonstrations. For example, the Harlem Renaissance is generally credited with heightening awareness of the cultural contributions that African and African American peoples have made to American culture, specifically in music, dance, poetry, and speech, as well as in agriculture, medicine, and inventions. Here the idea was that (1) racism in America would be undermined not only through protest against racist practices, but also by changing the prevailing images and associations that European Americans, especially educated European Americans, had about Black people. And then (2)  by disseminating positive images of African Americans as contributors to American Culture, many of these Harlem Renaissance intellectuals hoped to raise the self-esteem of Black people themselves. A people with a higher self-esteem would be more resistant to segregation and discrimination, and more willing to challenge the system than those who were demoralized. (Powell, R.) 3.1. How did he want to reach his aims? After scholar Alain Locke compiled the New Negro – heralding a younger generation of black voices and establishing Harlem as a cultural center – Du Bois vented his ire about the state of the arts in Harlem. At the NAACP’s annual convention in June 1926, Du Bois delivered a lecture entitled â€Å"Criteria of Negro Art† in which he insisted that all relevant art should be propaganda. The lecture was later published in a special Crisis series, â€Å"The Negro in Art.† (http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/) In his paper â€Å"Criteria of Negro art† W.E.B. DuBois wrote: â€Å"Thus all art is propaganda and ever must be, despite the wailing of the purists. I stand in utter shamelessness and say that whatever art I have for writing has been folk to love and enjoy. I do not care a damn for any art that is not used for propaganda. But I do care when propaganda is confined to one side while the other is stripped and silent.† (Weinberg, M. p 258) DuBois didn’t totally reject art but in his opinion art is supposed to have a message. He points out that there is no need to feel inferior and because of that Black people should fight for their rights. â€Å"Colored people have said: ‘This work must be inferior because it comes from colored people.’ White people have said: ‘It is inferior because it is done by colored people.’ But today there is coming to both the realization that the work of the black man is not always inferior.’ † ( W.E.B. DuBois â€Å"Criteria of Negro art† in: Weinbeg, M. p 255) I already mentioned that Harlem Renaissance intellectuals wanted to raise people’s self – esteem. In his paper â€Å"Criteria of Negro Art† DuBois also emphasizes that the art coming from African – Americans is good. â€Å"And then you know what will be said? It is already being said. Just as soon as true art emerges; just as soon as the black artist appears, someone touches the race on the shoulder and says, 2he did that because he was an American, not because he was a Negro; he was born here; he was trained here; he is not a Negro – what is a Negro anyhow? He is just human; it is the kind of thing you ought to expect. I do not doubt that the ultimate art coming from black folk is going to be just as beautiful, and beautiful largely in the same ways, as the art that comes from white folk, or yellow, or red; but the point today is that until the art of black folk compels recognition, they will not be rated as human. And when through art they compel recognition, then let the world discover if it will, that their atr is as new as it is old and as old as new.† (Weinberg, M. p 260) Du Bois’ extreme attitude regarding the relationship between art and politics was not entirely shared by Alain Locke, but adequately expressed the prevailing mood among the intelligentsia in Harlem in the early and middle part of the twenties. Post-war American might still be determined to deny the Negro social, political and economic equality, but art was another matter. It was the chink in the racist’s armour. (Williams, A. p 5) DuBois believed that art could bridge cultural gaps between black and white Americans if black artists were given the opportunity to explore their talents, because, he reasoned, art can inculcate a sense of cultural heritage and identity to an oppressed group. For DuBois, African culture and African American heritage were rich enough to help blacks in the United States regain their political and cultural consciousness. DuBois started a forum of discussion in the Crisis magazine, entitled, â€Å"How Should the Negro Be Portrayed?† in which he asked artists to write in and discuss what kinds of images of Black people ought to be disseminated by artists in America. While there was a wide divergence on how much control should be imposed on what images artists should create, most believed that out of the greater access to the publishing and art world would come an abandonment of the racist imagery that predominated in popular American culture and justified, by dehumanizing Black people, the racist social and political practices that also abounded in America in the 1920s and 1930s. Du Bois even coined the phrase, â€Å"all art is propaganda† to reflect his view that the purpose of an art movement among African Americans was to combat the negative propaganda against the Negro coming from racist America with a positive propaganda for the Negro. (Powell, R.) 4. About Alain Locke. For Alain Locke, propaganda was the slanted rhetoric that cautioned the Negro writers of the Harlem Renaissance to avoid. Being a Negro, he knew the harmful effects the contented slave stereotype of a Thomas Nelson Page, the buffoonery of an early Roark Bradford, and the savage beast in the works of Thomas Dixon had on his race. He new that the works of these authors, aside from presenting such insulting and distorted images, neither had verisimilitude nor were they great literature. (Linnemann, R.J. p 91) African American philosopher – educator Alain LeRoy Locke (1886 – 1954) played an influential role in identifying, nurturing, and publishing the works of young black artists during the New Negro Movement. His philosophy served as a strong motivating force in keeping the energy and passion of the Movement at the forefront. He spent his life seeking to understand the nature of cultural conflicts and suggesting measures that must be taken to reduce conflict and allow harmony to prevail. A fundamental question that lingered in his mind was: How can a multiethnic society, such as that in the United States organize itself so that its diverse groups can live together without intense violent conflicts? (Washington, J. p vii) He served for many years as a chairman of the philosophy department at Howard University, but his main contribution to American culture lies in his efforts to make the public aware of the Negro’s aesthetic achievements – from the art and artefacts of Africa to the poetry and novels of the American writer. (The Negro Almanac, p 990) Alain Locke played an influential role in identifying, nurturing, and publishing the works of young black artists during the New Negro Movement. His philosophy served as a strong motivating force in keeping the energy and passion of the Movement at the forefront. Ernest Mason explains that: â€Å"†¦much of the creative work of the period was guided by the ideal of the New Negro which signified a range of ethical ideals that often emphasized and intensified a higher sense of group and social cohesiveness. †¦The writers†¦literally expected liberation†¦from their work and were perhaps the first group of Afro-American writers to believe that art could radically transform the artist and attitudes of other human beings.† (Dictionary of Literary Biography p 313) As a pioneer collector, Locke was one of the first Americans to write about the significance of African art, demonstrating its importance far beyond an influence on the cubists and other members of the European artistic avant-garde. He wanted all African Americans, in particular contemporary African American artists, to seek inspiration and take pride in their rich artistic heritage. To this end he lectured, organized numerous exhibitions, and wrote the introductions for several landmark catalogs of African art. (http://www.africawithin.com) In his anthology â€Å"The New Negro† (written in 1925) Alain Locke wanted to show that Afro – Americans are able to produce art and literature as well as white people. He discussed the value of black art in terms of its contribution to community. In his defining essay of 1925, â€Å"Enter the New Negro,† for instance, Locke urges young artists to embrace the fullness of their  heritage, old customs married to new possibilities. Once again, Locke emphasizes the purpose for artists in doing so: the responsibility of these artists to be leaders for their people. In Locke’s words: â€Å"With his renewed self-respect and self-dependence, the life of the Negro community is bound to enter a new dynamic phase, the buoyancy from within compensating for whatever pressure there may be of conditions without. The migrant masses, shifting from countryside to city, hurdle several generations of experience at a leap, but more important, the same thing happens spiritually in the life-attitudes and self-expression of the Young Negro, in his poetry, his art, his education and his new outlook, . . . From this comes the promise and warrant of a new leadership.†(Locke, A.: Enter The New Negro† in: Bracey, J. p 222) The â€Å"New Negro† emerged from within the black community, in contrast to the white stereotyped literary image of the comic and pathetic plantation black. Alain Locke is acknowledged as the leading black philosopher who asked blacks to recognize their African heritage as â€Å"New Negroes†. 4.1. A. Locke -how did he want to reach his aims? Writing in 1928, Alain Locke, the influential philosopher of the Harlem Renaissance, observed that the fundamental question for any anti-racist social agenda was â€Å"Art or Propaganda. Which?† (Locke, A.) Artists and writers of the movement regarded the Harlem Renaissance not simply as a spontaneous flourishing of African-American creativity but as a critical historical moment to be seized in order to alter the course of American racism. Its social mission, as Locke and many others saw it, was to overturn the prevailing perception of Blacks as inferior to whites. Its effects would be two-fold: fostering pride amongst the Black population and addressing whites from a position of strength. Yet if the anti-racist social agenda of the Harlem Renaissance were to succeed in changing people’s minds about race, Locke believed, it could not proceed rhetorically. Art could offer a new social vision; propaganda would only exacerbate the polarization of Black and white positions. (Thompson, A.) His strategy was to create a new and an own esthetic in order to strenghten the standing and the self-confidence of African-Americans. (http://userpage.fu berlin.de) For A. Locke art ist he best means to prove that Black culture and art is as good as the culture and the art of white people. â€Å"†¦ Art in the best sense is rooted in self – expression and whether naive or sophisticated is self – contained. In our spiritual growth genius and talent must more and more choose the role of group expression, or even at times the role of free individualistic expression – in a word must choose art and put aside propaganda.† (Locke, A. â€Å"Art or Propaganda?† p 312) The problem with propaganda, he argued, is that it cannot reframe the terms of the debate. To try to discredit racism is already to accord racist arguments a presumptive legitimacy. â€Å"†¦ My chief objection to propaganda, apart from its besetting sin of monotony and disproportion, is that it perpetuates the position of group inferiority even in crying out against it. For it speaks under the shadow of a dominant majority whom it harangues, cajoles, threatens, or supplicates. It is too extroverted for balance or poise or inner dignity and self-respect. †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Locke, A. Ibid. p 312. ) Propaganda, in Locke’s view, is inevitably either defensive or strident, if not both. By contrast, art â€Å"is rooted in self-expression and whether naive or sophisticated is self-contained.† (Locke,A. Ibid. p 312) Creating its own terms for understanding and appreciation, art allows us to sidestep the received, conventional terms of meaning, and to take up possibilities presented to us within the â€Å"self-contained† realm of the individual work. While art could not â€Å"completely accomplish† the transformation needed to realign Black and white relations in American society, Locke believed that it could â€Å"lead the way.† (Locke, Ibid. p 312) For the most part, therefore, the art and literature of the Harlem Renaissance were expressive rather than creative, creative rather than argumentative. And it was specifically because they avoided propaganda, avoided engaging racist ideology directly, that Locke believed that art and literature could teach the truth about blackness in the white world. For Locke, the educational value of the movement consisted above all in its capacity to represent blackness without reference to the terms set by a racist society. Disregarding conventional perceptions and assumptions, art could offer an objective look at black experience, physiognomy, and heritage. (Thompson, A. p 18) Key to Locke’s notion of art as education is its avoidance of argumentation. For him, the problem posed by propaganda is not that it serves a particular agenda – obviously, he meant for art to serve a distinct social, political, and intellectual agenda. The problem with propaganda, as he saw it, is that it is reactive, and thus reliant upon the very assumptions it is intended to displace. Unlike the more familiar opposition between propaganda and common sense or between propaganda and open inquiry, Locke’s art/propaganda dichotomy suggests that the most important obstacle to social understanding may be a form of literal-mindedness: accepting our starting points as a given and seeking change through incremental adjustments. In effect, then, Locke rejects the kind of approach to promoting interracial understanding taken by liberal education. In the traditional liberal arts model, the path to a freer understanding is through careful analysis, reasoned argumentation, and dialogue. But from Locke’s perspective, that approach reintroduces at every turn the very assumptions that preclude a transformed understanding. Particularly in the case of Black/white relations, what is called for is a reorientation in our thinking rather than the correction of each and every error in existing understandings. As a pragmatist, Locke saw change not in terms of incremental improvement but in terms of shifts: adopting new positions and entering into new relations. Whereas propaganda, in Locke’s formulation, refers to an emendatory or editing impulse, art refers to the development of new perspectives. The importance of art lies in its refusal to read social convention literally.  As a metaphor for anti-racist education, it means, in part, problematizing the supposedly neutral standards that privilege whiteness, and, in part, reconceiving both whiteness and Blackness. In invoking art as the opposite of propaganda, though, Locke grants too much to art. By holding on to Enlightenment assumptions about truth, Locke proposes a misleading role for art as somehow apolitical in contrast to propaganda as inherently ideological. The romantic strain in Locke’s conception of art is revealed in his belief that â€Å"the art of the people,† specifically peoples of African ancestry, is â€Å"†¦a tap root of vigorous, flourishing living.† (Locke, A. â€Å"Art or Propaganda† p 313) Such art, he believed, is the source of a beauty that reveals truth, for unlike academic art, it has not been subjected to â€Å"generations of the inbreeding of style and idiom,† (Locke, A. â€Å"The Legacy of the Ancestral Arts,† p 258) nor lost the capacity to see objectively. â€Å"The Negro physiognomy must be freshly and objectively conceived on its own patterns if it is ever to be seriously and importantly interpreted. Art must discover and reveal the beauty which prejudice and caricature have overlaid. And all vital art discovers beauty and opens our eyes to that which previously we could not see. â€Å"(Locke,A. Ibd. p 264) Art, Locke believed, offered a way to break with old stereotypes and invent new forms, while remaining true to â€Å"some sort of characteristic idiom,† (Locke,A. Ibd. p 267) is a distinctive heritage and expressive style. Pragmatist that he was, he saw art as a way to come to experience both with a fresh eye and with the funded experience of a rich ancestral legacy. (Thompson, A. in: â€Å"Anti-Racist Pedagogy: Art or Propaganda?†) 5. What is it that DuBois and Locke have in common? A. Locke and W.E.B. DuBois had different opinions about the question whether art or propaganda is the right way to integrate the African – Americans into the American society. I have written about W.E.B. DuBois ,who is for propaganda, and about A. Locke, who is for art, so far. What we should keep in mind is: basically they wanted the same. The thing they have in common is  that they generally had the same ideas: they wanted to do domething for the African – Amerians, they wanted a â€Å"racial uplift†. (http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~wilker/harlem/Bildungselite.htm) One example is the idea of education and the idea of a Black elite, which they both shared. It is obvious that DuBois and Locke felt that the Black elite (or Talented Tenth) were to articulate the Black ideals for which the masses were to strive. A task that required members of the Talented Tenth to be well educated. For DuBois, no less than Locke, insisted that an education that allowed Blacks to achieve cultural freedom and autonomy would be an education that exposed the selected Black youth to the higher cultural values – the arts, music, drama, poetry, and history, aimed at the development of labouring skills. Alain Locke, no less than W.E.B DuBois, focused on Blacks cultural contributions to America. Hence, the importance of educating the Black elite, who would serve as Socratic midwives in such creative efforts. (Washington, p 22 ff.) Significant social transformations occurred, according to Locke, through the effort of what he called the black elite – the talented, well educated, cultured class of Blacks that distinguished itself from the Black masses through the former’s contributions to the development of art and culture. The black elite took initiative in the realm of human affairs. It was concerned with helping to shape, among other things, public policy. Booker T. Washington, Alain Locke, W.E.B. DuBois, Mary Bethune, Zora Hurston, Roland Hayes, Paul Robeson, Countee Cullen, Ida B. Wells, Langston Huges, Marian Anderson, James Weldon Johnson – these were among the Black elite during Locke’s time. It was their artistic and political activities to the civil rights movements of the 1960s that advanced the social – political status of Black Americans, and induced the country to make a more serious commitment to the principle of equality. Indeed, members of the Black elite inspired Africans on the continent of Africa in the 1950s and early 1960s as they sought to rid themselves of European colonial rule. In a word, the American Black elite, especially through the effort of W.E.B. DuBoi’s Pan –  African movement, was instrumental in helping to dissolve the closed societies on the continent of Africa, societies nurtured and sustained by colonialism. (Washington, p 34) In his speech, â€Å"The Training of Negroes for Social Power,† Dr. DuBois set forth clearly and fully his views at the time of the type of education he felt was essential for his people. â€Å"†¦The Negro problem, it has often been said, is largely a problem of ignorance – not simply of illiteracy, but a deeper ignorance of the world and its ways, of the thought and experience of men; an ignorance of self and the possibilities of human souls. This can be gotten rid of only by training; and primarily such training must take the form of that sort of social leadership which we call education. †¦ The very first step towards settlement of the Negro problem is the spread of intelligence.† (Foner, p 132 ff) 6.Summary W.E.B. DuBois emphasized that art must have a function. It is not the beauty which is important. In his magazine â€Å"The Crisis† he wrote: â€Å"We want Negro writers to produce beautiful things but we stress the things rather than the beauty. It is Life and Truth that are important and Beauty comes to make their importance visible and tolerable.† Locke suggested that fellow artists of the Harlem Renaissance always strive for art and avoid propaganda. Unfortunately, however, he felt that there have been very few â€Å"purely artistic publications†, as most of their expressions were included in the â€Å"avowed organs of social movements and organized social programs.† He felt that there must be discussion of social problems, but propaganda is too one-sided to serve that function, and there must be some means of bringing all views to the table. However, he never claimed that art can serve this function, and merely hypothesized such a forum of ideas. (Cabrera, J.) DuBois doubted if one could really have a disembodied art or beauty ; but Locke was not seeking for the Negro writer a disembodied beauty. He expected â€Å"tangible† results from the Negro knowing himself through his folk cultural experiences, particulary given the Negro’s special circumstances as an American citizen within the wider American cultural tradition. (Linnemann, R.J. p 92) I think it is important to mention that W.E.B. DuBois was for propaganda but he didn’t totally reject art as long as art has a message. DuBois had a strong sense of race pride and saw great value in drawing upon the racial heritage. He was an early advocate of the use of black folk music for classical American music tradition. Though he felt that art and propaganda could not be separated, he took the middle – class position that characterization of black life should project a proper image of the Negro. (Linnemann, R.J. p 78) The question â€Å"Who was right?† is difficult to answer. A. Locke saw the beauty of art but in my opinion every kind of art has a message and is therefore more or less propaganda. One cannot separate the terms. Artist are just able to influence the kind of propaganda when they create provocative works but it is not possible to produce art just for arts sake. Sources: Bracey, John H. ed.: African American Mosaic, Volume Two – From 1865 To The Present. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2004. Locke, Alain: â€Å"Art or Propaganda?† in Voices from the Harlem Renaissance, ed. Nathan Irvin Huggins. New York: Oxford University Press, 1976. DuBois, W.E.B.: â€Å"The Negro Mind Reaches Out (excerpts)† The New Negro, An Interpretation. New York: Albert and Charles Boni, 1925, p. 385. Foner, Philip Sheldon : W.E.B. Du Bois speaks – speeches and addresses 1890-1919. New York: Pathfinder Press, 1970. Linnemann, Russell J., ed. Alain Locke: Reflections on a modern Renaissance man. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1982. Locke,A. â€Å"The Legacy of the Ancestral Arts,† in The New Negro: An Interpretation, ed. Alain Locke New York: Arno Press and the New York Times, 1968 (1925). Marable, Manning: W.E.B.DuBois, Black Radical Democrat. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1986. Ploski, Harry A. ed. The Negro Almanac : a reference work on the Afro-American. Detroit: Gale Research, 1983. Washington, Johnny: Alain Locke and philosophy : a quest for cultural pluralism. New York: Greenwood Press, 1986. Weinberg, Meyer ed.: W.E.B. DuBois: A Reader. New York: Harper & Row, 1970. Electronic Sources Cabrera, Jennifer. Art or Propaganda? 10 December 1999.< http://www.en. utexas. edu/ classes/bremen/e314l/student_pages/student.sites/jennifer/final/home.html> Moon, Henry Lee: History of the Crisis. November 1970. The Crisis Magazine Online 10.03.05 Powell, Richard: , 08.03.05 Thompson, Audrey: For: Anti racist education (p 1 – 38) 25.02.2005. University of Utah. < http://bama.ua.edu/~cdi/thompson.pdf, S.18 > Thompson, Audrey : Anti-Racist Pedagogy : Art or Propaganda? 27.02.2005. University of Utah William H. Johnson Feb.16, 2000 25.02.05.