Arab Women and Education :: Family Identity Essays

Arab Women and Education Whether it was the impoverished desert village, the war torn hills of Beirut, affluent Barqais, the jet set in London and Paris, or the enclosed lives of women in a harem in Morocco, the female characters in these novels all shared five common threads that dealt with the family and the search for identity. In my reading of five novels about Arab women from backgrounds and in situations as diverse as I thought possible, I was surprised to find this common thread running through every piece of literature. In this paper, I will analyze the role the women’s families have in the education of the women, the role of women and families in the literature in political support and times of war, women’s health and family planning, and most of all what these issues do to the emerging identity of the Arab woman. In a society that is so oriented around the extended family, and in which elderly parents are rarely if ever sent to nursing homes, the family’s opinion weighs heavily on what a woman can and cannot do with her life. The examination of the manner in which education is regarded in the families of these women is critical for a better understanding of the decisions they make. In a traditionally patriarchal society where the man is the breadwinner, the assessment of the subject of work outside the home is also interesting. In a region so riddled with almost constant political and military upheaval, there has been bound to have been a change in the roles women in the family play in support of these political and military actions. Finally, the issue of identity is much more prominent in the more modern novels and the issue of the modern family versus the individual and the rise of the individual from the modern family plays very prominently in â€Å"In the Eye of the Sun† and Dreams of Trespass†. The Arab family, as Magida Salman writes, is where â€Å"the fate of women is being decided and unfolds† (Salman 7). Therefore, it is nece ssary to understand the huge impact the family has on the identity of Arab women. Identity as a concept is valuable as a center for cross-cultural understandings of human experience because it begins with the individual, and issues of identity in a literary context can act as a mirror for what is happening in the real world.

Crack and the Box Essay -- Literary Analysis, Pete Hamill

One is Crack and the Other is the Box Almost a century has passed since two revolutionaries have been born to change the world: television and drugs. It is clear that both drugs and television made their way to society at the same time, but it doesn't seem that obvious what is that made them escalate together. Some studious people say that it may have to do with the presence of drugs in the media, but it remains a mystery. In 'Crack and the Box' by Pete Hamill, there is an intention to explain the reasons to this phenomenon. Hamill accuses television to be the instigator of drugs. However, his statements fall into contradiction because the effects of television watching cannot be compared to those of drug consumption. Primarily, the domination power television has on its viewers is incomparable to the one drugs have over their addicts. First, addicts to television are not dominated in the same level addicts to drugs are. Hamill says that television absorbs its viewers in the same way drugs absorb their users because both television and drugs cultivate asocial behaviors in people (63, 64). Departing from this idea, it may seem reasonable to say that addicts to television and drugs both portrait unsocial attitudes, but doesn't this happen with any other kind addiction? Here Hamill is isolating a generalization which intention is to proclaim an assumption to be true. In his example, Hamill explains how some Americans fight their loneliness by leaving their TV sets on as companion (63). Instead of support Hamill's idea this example shows how Americans fulfill their vacancy of company rather than how Americans become lonely due to television. Second, independent studies on television do not qualify t o determine the relation betwe... ...orld by drinking a certain brand of beer (Hamill 64)--very surreal. In the case of drugs, the dealer provides to the customer the substance that will actually make him feel he has conquered the world—this is more connected to reality. In general, the effects of television and drugs cannot be compared as equivalents; nevertheless, their study is worth of consideration. They are still two mysteries to be solved: why people spend so many hours in front of a TV set instead of doing something proactive and why people seeks refuge in drugs. We may not know all of the answers but we know all the of questions. While we walk towards the light hoping to find the answers to these mysteries, there are still many things to be done. In the meanwhile, one thing must remain in our minds: we will still face many obstacles together as society, with or without television and drugs.

DBQ on Jackson and the Indian Removal Essay -- essays research papers

Andrew Jackson and the Indian Removal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The generalization that, â€Å"The decision of the Jackson administration to remove the Cherokee Indians to lands west of the Mississippi River in the 1830s was more a reformulation of the national policy that had been in effect since the 1790s than a change in that policy,† is valid. Ever since the American people arrived at the New World they have continually driven the Native Americans out of their native lands. Many people wanted to contribute to this removal of the Cherokees and their society. Knox proposed a â€Å"civilization† of the Indians. President Monroe continued Knox’s plan by developing ways to rid of the Indians, claiming it would be beneficial to all. Andrew Jackson ultimately fulfilled the plan.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First of all, the map [Document A] indicates the relationship between time, land, and policies, which affected the Indians. The Indian Tribes have been forced to give up their land as early as the 1720s. Between the years of 1721 and 1785, the Colonial and Confederation treaties forced the Indians to give up huge portions of their land. During Washington's, Monroe's, and Jefferson's administration, more and more Indian land was being commandeered by the colonists. The Washington administration signed the Treaty of Holston and other supplements between the time periods of 1791 until 1798 that made the Native Americans give up more of their homeland land. The administrations during the 1790's to the 1830's had gradually acquired more and more land from the Cherokee Indians. Jackson followed that precedent by the acquisition of more Cherokee lands.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In later years, those speaking on behalf of the United States government believed that teaching the Indians how to live a more civilized life would only benefit them. Rather than only thinking of benefiting the Indians, we were also trying to benefit ourselves. We were looking to acquire the Indians’ l and. In a letter to George Washington, Knox says we should first is to destroy the Indians with an army, and the second is to make peace with them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Indian Trade and Intercourse Act of 1793 began to put Knox’s plan into effect. The federal government’s promise of supplying the Indians with animals, agricultural tool... ... the unwilling tribes west of the Mississippi. In Jackson’s letter to General John Coffee on April 7, 1832, he explained that the Cherokees were still in Georgia, and that they ought to leave for their own benefit because destruction will come upon them if they stay. By 1835, most eastern tribes had unwillingly complied and moved west. The Bureau of Indian Affairs was created in 1836 to help out the resettled tribes. Most Cherokees rejected the settlement of 1835, which provided land in the Indian territory. It was not until 1838, after Jackson had left office, that the U.S. Army forced 15,000 Cherokees to leave Georgia. The hardships on the â€Å"trail of tears† were so great that over 4,000 Cherokees died on their heartbreaking westward journey.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, the above statement is valid and true. The decision the Jackson administration made to remove the Cherokee Indians to lands west of the Mississippi River was a reformulation of the nationa l policy. Jackson, along with past Presidents George Washington, James Monroe, and Thomas Jefferson, tried to rid the south of Indians This process of removing the native people was continuous as the years went on.

Introduction to the Network Communication Devices Essay

In this tutorial you will learn get the basic introduction to network devices such as nic adapters, routers, hubs, switches, modems, communication cables, lan/wan routers, gateway and other devices. A network is consists of a larger number of the communication devices. The simplest device that is used in the communication is the NIC adapter which is attached with the every computer in a network. If you want to build a LAN, you will need to have computers, hubs, switches, network adapters, UTP/STP cables, routers, internal/external modems, connectors, cable testers and clipping tool. On the other hand if you need to build WAN, you will need to have routers, switches, dedicated or leased telephone lines such as ISDN lines, frame relay connection and other types of wan communication connections. There are different communication mediums such as Ethernet cables, copper wire, coaxial cable, fiber optic cables, leased telephone lines and ever air is also a communication medium for the sate llite communication. The most common networking medium is the LAN is the Ethernet cable (UTP/STP), which is used in the star topology. Hub is a central device of a network and every computer in a network is directly connected with the hub. If the hub fails to work, the communication between the computers stops till the hub again starts working. Hub broadcasts the data to its every port, and then finding the destined computer, the data sent toward it. The switch is an advance form of the hub similar in functions but the advanced switches has a switching table in them. A advanced switch stores the MAC address of every attached computer and the data is only sent to the destined computer, unlike the hubs where data is sent to all ports. A router is a key device in the internet communication and wan communication system. A router has software called routing table and the source and destination addresses are stored in the routing table. | A router connects two logically and physically different networks. Router finds the IP address of the next hop (next router) and the data is sent toward it and so on. The well known routers developing companies are Cisco systems, Nortel, DLink and others. Every ISP, banks, corporate offices and multinational companies use routers for LAN and WAN communications and communication in their private networks. A gateway can be device or software in a network. A gateway device connects the LAN with the internet. A gateway is directly exposed to the internet so it should be securely configured and in and out traffic should be monitored. If you are using DSL connection, you must need a DSL modem in your network. The telephone line is connected with the DSL modem and UTP/STP cable attaches your computer with the DSL modem. Modems are the devices that are used to modulate and demodulate the data. They convert analogue signals to digital and digital signals to analogue so that signals can travel on the telephone lines. There are certain types of the cables that are used to connect two or more computers in a network. Fiber optic cable acts as a backbone between the ISPs and corporate offices. Data travels at the speed of light on the fiber optic cables. The cost and the installation cost of the fiber optic cable is very high but it is becoming very popular in the home networking and LANs also. In the local area networking, 10baseT/CAT5 cable is most commonly in use. A server is a computer in network that provides services to the client computers such as logon requests processing, files access and storage, internet access, printing access and many other types of services. Servers are mostly equipped with extra hardware such as plenty of external memory (RAM), more data store capacity (hard disks), high processing speed and other features.

Contexts of Behavior Essay

Insights are generally aplenty. These are my assessments so far. Work-life initiatives are strategies implemented by firms to reduce turnover and increase productivity and overall firm performance. Studies were made to examine the influence and effects of work-life initiatives on employees and the organization in general. Workplace diversity which incorporates the concepts of work-life initiatives does indicate that it is inevitable that when a company introduces work-life initiatives, there is a resulting increase in diversity. Substantial evidence point to the effectiveness of workplace diversity hence, many institutions encourage and promote this in their particular milieu (http://www. cmdronline. com/workshops. htm). It is inevitable that juggling work and family life will be one of a person’s demanding experiences. The rationale for having a job is not only to have a livelihood, achieve personal satisfaction in the expression of his abilities and trainings, and receive his remuneration and perks on the side. Preparation for family stability to be able to provide and thus create an atmosphere of care, for bachelors/maidens, is also the foremost and logical reason for having a job. However, the thin thread that separates between the two polarities becomes blurred, and there lies the tension that pulls a person in different directions. The Center for Mediation and Dispute Resolution opens its website with the following quote: â€Å"Our life is one giant balancing act (http://www. cmdronline. com/workshops. htm). † Perhaps, no person will ever disagree with that statement. The goal then is to know how to do the balancing act, to gain competencies in achieving a rewarding, flourishing kind of life that holds work in one hand, while maintaining a well-nurtured and healthy family on the other hand. Every home has its set of beliefs or tradition that they hold in high esteem. This is referred to as family values. Anything that the family believes is important comprises a family values system. Among the values an individual possesses, the most important I believe is that a person must regard most his/her values about family as the most significant. Many people don’t usually pause and contemplate what their values are. They may not know whether these values they already have are still practical or useful in a modern day world. Moreover, they do not think how their values fit in with their kind of milieu that they evolve in. There are families that take time out though to impart to their children what had been passed on to them when they too were yet very young. The values may not be as strong as when were yet children because the person may have adapted to his world and adjusted his values that others may be accommodated. Through the years, a family value system may be a combination of what had been passed on to an individual and the values system of one’s friends or colleagues at work (†Values: What are they? † 2007). Why are family values important? The primary reason is that what we hold as important affects how we use time, money and energy or how we interact with people. If a family believes the importance of education then parents try to save for the schooling of their children which includes books among others. Family values influence how we spend our resources and make decisions. Parents then need to communicate what their own family values are, why these are important and the specifics of what are most essential that the children must also adopt or follow. Children also need to respect others who have dissimilar value system as compared to their own. Most likely values will evolve but when parents lead the children and model these beliefs, their children will be able to learn and pass these on to the next generation (†Values: What are they? † 2007). In addition, insights on work efficiency greatly challenged me to perform well alongside preserving my values at home. I raise or contribute to my family livelihood and time comes when I will manage people, I generally know what I want to see in them. We consider one person more efficient than another if he accomplishes more in the same time, or with the same energy expenditure. Other factors that have an important bearing on efficiency are: (1) the adequacy of training for the job; (2) the characteristics of the machine and other devices; (3) the motivation and related conditions of work; and (4) the degree to which performance is free from fatigue. It is common in business to have employees whose performances are not satisfactory and who are sometimes an actual problem to management. But it will be difficult all the more when as a person – I am not able or find myself in incomplete control of things that are happening around me. Reference: Halonen, JS and JW Santrock, 1996. Psychology: Contexts of Behavior, Dubuque, IA: Brown and Benchmark, p. 810. â€Å"Values: what are they? †2007. Family Works : University of Illinois extension. Accessed November 10. 2007. http://www. urbanext. uiuc. edu/familyworks/values-01. html

Family and Wimpy Kid Essay

This book is amazing; it is called Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules and it is a funny diary that is written in a really good, motivating way. It is written by Jeff Kinney and is based on a wimpy little boy whose big brother is annoying him.Characters:The main characters are Greg and Rodrick. Greg is the wimpy kid writing the diary and Rodrick is his big brother. Rodrick is really mean to Greg and always blames things on him when he hasn’t done anything. Rodrick mistakenly thinks that he is an amazing drummer.Plot:Greg does some very stupid things and only Rodrick knows about them so Greg is relying on Rodrick not to tell anyone but, being a typical big brother, he does. They keep loads of secrets from their parents but bad things happen when they find out. Their mum has an idea that if they do chores she will pay them with board game money which they can trade in later for real money. Little does their mother know that Greg just buys more board game money.This book is written in fairly standard American English so they say things like â€Å"Mom† not Mum. They also say â€Å"Gramma† instead of grandma or grandmother. Although it is written in American English it did not affect the experience of reading it for me. It is written in the first person and some of the words do not follow the rules of Standard English spelling, e.g. â€Å"LAST† instead of last without capitals.Backround:Roderick Rules is the second book in a series. The first book is Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the third book is Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw. The series is an international best seller.My opinion on this book is that it’s light-hearted, funny, draws you in from the start and luckily there is another one waiting for you when you have finished. The cartoon illustrations complement the witty text and they really help to visualise the characters during their antics and adventures. I recommend this book to anyone between the ages of eight and twelve.I would award this book four out of a maximum of five stars

Cultural distance Essay

The concepts related to cultural distance and local linkages are of paramount importance to the strategies adopted by multinational companies, Tjosvold and Leung (2003) noted. These authors note that it is through placing utmost significance on the said concepts that companies would be able to ensure the success of both their international operations (those in situated in the host country) and their domestic operations (based on the home country). Luo (1999) further expounds on the topic at hand. According to this author, it is of paramount importance that a certain company, in the hopes of expanding its global reach, to be able to look into factors that would that would affect their stability in a certain region. Luo (1999) then discussed the need for multinational enterprises that have subsidiaries outside of their home country to scan and interpret the environment in order to make appropriate decisions regarding internal arrangements and external alignment. They must be able to look into the similarities between the culture of the home and host countries which has been considered important in terms of ensuring the development of a tightly knit network between the two (Luo, 1999). Aside from this, it was also maintained that it is through the careful analysis of cultural distance that multinational companies would be able to determine their competitive advantages and reduce their disadvantages that may stem out from the following: (1) their dependence on local settings, (2) their vulnerability to government interference, and (3) their bargaining power with the host government (Luo, 2002). Hence, Luo (1999; 2002), without a doubt, attributed the importance of taking cultural distance and local linkages into consideration in order to ensure the success of multinational corporations that are conducting businesses within an international context. Background of the Study Cultural distance and local linkages, without a doubt then, becomes of paramount importance to expanding businesses that seek to tap markets outside of their own domestic sphere. Understanding the cultural distance existing between the multinational enterprises’ home and host countries are of paramount importance in order to ensure the success of the former and its business initiatives. In this paper, cultural distance is measured based on the model developed by Geert Hofstede which noted that the difference between two countries are more or less affected by the following factors: (1) power distance, (2) uncertainty avoidance, (3) individualism vs. collectivism, and (4) masculinity vs. femininity (Hofstede, 1991). The difference between the countries in relation to the four factors affects the manner by which multinational companies enter into businesses outside of their home country. Brouthers and Brouthers (2001), in fact, look into how cultural distance influences the instances by which affect their modes of entry. Apparently, this is due to the fact that the survival of the business venture may depend on the management of the relationships existing between the home and host countries, thereby making it of paramount importance to the business to take the said factor into consideration (Barkema & Vermeulen, 2009; Hennart & Zeng, 2002). Manev and Stevenson (2001), in line with this, also stated looking into cultural distance may eventually affect the relationships amongst the employees and the management situated in the home countries. The importance of Linkages, on the other hand, lies on its ability to provide business ventures with the competitive advantages needed in order to ensure the success of their businesses, Blomstrom and Kokko (2003) discussed. In general, local linkages refer to the relationships established by multinational relationships with the host country that serve as an anchor to their activities, Chen, Chen and Kyu (2004). The essentiality of the said linkages can also be attributed to the sharing of resources and activities in order to ensure the success of the business enterprise. Hence, local linkages once again reiterate the need for business ventures to look closely into cultural distance. Previous researchers stated the fact that a culturally distant company or corporation may significantly affect the linkages it develops with the host country, thereby threatening the formation of competitive advantage necessary to the success of their businesses. It is in line with the abovementioned discussions that this research shall focus on the manner by which cultural distance affects local linkages which could more or less pose significant implications to the formation of competitive advantages, thereby affecting the expansion of businesses. More specifically, however, this study is directed towards Dutch multinational enterprises. Statement of the Problem Cultural distance, as previously mentioned, can be measured by looking into the four factors that are contained within the model of Hofstede; namely: (1) power distance, (2) uncertainty avoidance, (3) individualism vs. collectivism, and (4) individualism vs. collectivism. In general, the difference between the home and host countries of a certain multinational enterprise tend to affect several aspects of their businesses, including their modes of entry, the manner by which human resources are managed, the development of networks, and most importantly, the relationship existing between the two. Aside from this, the discussions made in the foregoing paragraphs also noted of cultural distance as an important factor that affects the development of local linkages between the multinational enterprise and the host country, which is then important in terms of ensuring their competitive advantage and success in their expansion to a location outside of their traditional place of origin. It is for this reason that this research is devoted to the provision of answers with regard to the main research question: how does cultural distance affect the formation of local linkages, taking into consideration the experiences of Dutch multinational enterprises? To support this, the following research questions are also deemed necessary: Research Questions 1. How does cultural distance significantly affect the development of local linkages? 2. How does cultural distance significantly affect the favorability of factors relating to the local business environment, based on the experience of Dutch multinational enterprises? 3. In what way does cultural distance affect decisions with regard to modes of entry and autonomy of the subsidiaries of Dutch multinational enterprises? 4. To what extent does cultural distance affect the formation of competitive advantages of the Dutch business ventures in host countries? 5. What are the common benefits obtained by the Dutch multinational enterprises with regard to their ability to form successful local linkages? 6. What are the common disadvantages experienced by the business enterprises in relation to their inability to establish successful local linkages? Hypotheses It is in line with the abovementioned research questions and problem statement that the researcher develops the following hypotheses that this study shall either accept or reject, based on the results obtained by the latter: Main Null Hypothesis: Cultural distance does not affect the Dutch multinational enterprises’ establishment of local linkages. Main Alternative Hypothesis: Cultural distance affects the Dutch multinational enterprises’ establishment of local linkages. Null Hypothesis 1: Cultural distance and the establishment of local linkages are not significantly correlated with each other. Alternative Hypothesis 1: Cultural distance and the establishment of local linkages are significantly correlated with each other Null Hypothesis 2: Cultural distance does not significantly affect the favorability of factors relating to local business environment of Dutch Multinational Enterprises. Alternative Hypothesis 2: Cultural distance significantly affects the favorability of factors relating to local business environment of Dutch Multinational Enterprises. Null Hypothesis 3: Cultural distance does not affect decisions of Dutch Multinational Enterprises