African Reaction :: essays research papers

How the European Settlers Further Oppressed the Native Africans   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the last few readings and cases studies, women and the peasant farmers were the subject and target of much of the white European aggression. The whites saw the women and peasants as minor threats to their occupation of the land and used this idea to further the oppression in African states. Chapter 11   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the Orange Free State the main target of the white oppression of blacks were women. Women were subjected to mental and physical abuse routinely in their everyday lives. To see that there were documented accounts of rape by police men and physical brutality towards women for simply not complying to the regulations set by the whites is sickening and disheartening for all of the human race. However, it is encouraging that even after twenty years of battling and trying to get some sort of relaxation of rules, that the resistance stayed strong and true.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the ‘native policy’ was passed which tried to keep women at home and working primarily for themselves and their children, there was a shortage of labor in the towns took the women out of the rural homes and into the urban setting of domestic employment. This meant more civilized work for black women, which as a result led to a stronger economy base.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This was not the end result of the oppression that the black women would receive. They were forced to carry passes and the black women united on May 28, 1913 to vow that no matter what actions that the whites did to them they refused to carry the passes. This is known as a passive resistance. A nonviolent display by the women that frustrated the whites more than anything. The whites tried to crush the resistance many times and succeeded, but only for a short time. This resistance was finally resolved and the women were allowed to live without carrying passes. The resistance by this group of black women set the standard for all women, all classes included, that when united, victory is a realistic and possible goal. Chapter 15   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the Giriama resistance, there was a leader, someone that called all the women together to unite and to make a stand to the British oppression and that was Mekatalili. Mekatalili acted as a politician for the women bargaining and working for the rights of African women. The women realized that it was much easier to follow someone that had an understanding of their oppression.

Sociological Analysis of the Presidential Election of 2012

Sociological Analysis of the Presidential Election of 2012 from a Structural Functionalist Perspective and a Conflict Perspective. As the presidential election draws closer, we could vividly view our society from social conflict and structural functionalist perspectives. The democratic process helps us to ask why do we accept and embrace democracy, how does it influence our social patterns and functions; and how does democracy really work for the stability of our society.In this essay, I will analyze the presidential election of 2012 using sociological perspective with emphasis on manifest and latent functions, class, race and gender conflicts. It is a known fact that democracy and demography are like Siamese twins that cannot be separated. These demographics include gender, race, age, disability, wealth, employment status, and locations. Politicians have used, and still using, these elements to know which group is the best to appease. On gender issue, the two prominent political par ties, Democratic and the Republican Parties, know that â€Å"females voters make up 52% of the US electorate† (Bloomberg News).These women tend to vote for any political party that caters to their needs. Also, race is part of political consideration. The African-Americans, Asian-Americans, the Hispanics and White are different voting blocs which the politicians must woo. According to the online Hispanic News, â€Å"the recent release of National Census data confirms that â€Å"50 million Latinos are part of the American electorate†. Not only the Hispanics are increasing in population, the African American grew by 1. 6% in 2010 while the Asian-American are recently declared, by CNN, as the â€Å"fastest growing minority in the US†.Another demographic to be considered is age. Steven Thomma and William Douglas of McClatchy Newspaper said, â€Å"Statistics show that older white and rich voters are more reliable electorates than the young voters; they tend to vote Republican Party†. The question now is how all these fit into our sociological perspective. I will start by looking at the manifest function of our democracy. In truth, democracy has helped to stabilize and also create unity among citizens. It has become a recognized and accepted process which everyone look forward to periodically.It is intended to involve all qualified adults in picking their next leaders. The sense is that once everyone is involved, then the majority will be pleased with the government. However, as much as there has been good governance through democracy, there have also been some unintended consequences too. These consequences can be seen by examining the latent function of our democracy. Today, one can hardly watch TV or listen to the radio without seeing or hearing the fracture that exists in the political system of our country.Citizens have been divided into two or more groups based on their party affiliations. The divide is so obvious that parties are n ot willing to compromise on any issue. The result is a stagnant government, and no reasonable policies have been passed into law. It is hard to know if this fraction is recognized but we surely know that it is unintended. Aside from stability and loyalty which democracy brought into our society, we have seen inequality that generates conflicts. These conflicts can be seen in class, race and gender.On Class, according to Real Cleat Politics, the Pew Research Center found in 2008 that six out of ten Americans say that the Republican Party â€Å"favors the rich†. Real Clear Politics went further to state how the Republican policies give tax break to the rich and the Democrats want tax breaks for the middle class and the poor. This situation has created a permanent wide gap between the rich and the poor. Another conflict is race; it is not surprising that the political parties are trying to woo the ethnic group with the highest population.The Democrats are trying to lure the Hisp anic with immigration reform while the Republicans are trying to solidify their White base with a promise of deportation of illegal immigrants. Both sides are aggressively marketing their ideas to each race for votes. According to US Catholics News, â€Å"these problems have led to family division, causing a heavy toll on children and families of Hispanic community’. The Hispanics are not the only group suffering from this political division, The African- American, the Asian-American, the Indian-Americans and all other minorities are all struggling to fit into the social structure.For all of these, one can easily see both the minorities and the majority voting along their party line. The minority ethnic groups tend to vote for Democrats while the majority ethnic group votes Republican. Another well observed social conflict can be seen in gender. The gender issue has brought out many social issues. From woman’s health, contraceptives and abortion, parenthood and womanh ood, the list goes on and women are taking their stands on issues that concern them. The women are the largest electorate in US.LA Progress, an online News Journal, after series of research, simply concludes that â€Å"Women will decide 2012 Presidential Election†. For this reason, politicians are coming up with policies that will benefit women. However, not all these policies are favorable to all women. For example, the pro-life advocates want abortion abolished, the pro-choice advocates wants abortion to be part of preventive healthcare programs. The debate has generated so much heat that some abortion clinics were burned down and some abortion doctors were murdered.With all these issues in mind, pro-choice women mostly vote for Democrats while pro-life women mostly vote for Republicans. Men have been the agitators for gun rights. Policies are fashioned to give them freedom to own guns without any restrictions; these policies have led to the availability of street guns. The lovers of guns mostly vote republican while the pro-gun control group mostly votes for republicans. It is important to mention here that National Rifle Association, the best known body that represents gun rights advocates, has both male and female members.Above all, this election is very unique because from the look of things, the minorities especially the Hispanic and women are increasing in population and they will determine the election outcome. The Hispanic and women mostly vote for Democrats while Asian-American, the fastest growing minority, mostly votes for Republicans because of their conservative values. In all, the political landscape is definitely shifting from what it used to be. We will all see the political party it favors in November. References: Bloomberg News:

Writing an Inquiry Business Letter for ESL Students

When you want to ask a business for more information concerning a product or service or for other information, you write an inquiry letter. When written by consumers, these types of letters are often in response to an advertisement seen in a newspaper, magazine, or commercial on television. They can be written and mailed or emailed. In a business-to-business setting, a companys employees can write inquiries to ask the same types of questions about products and services. For example, a company representative may want information on buying products wholesale from a distributor, or a growing small business may need to outsource its bookkeeping and payroll and want to contract with a firm. For further types of business letters, you can find examples of  different types of business letters to refine your skills for specific business purposes, such as making inquiries, adjusting claims, writing cover letters, and more. Hard-Copy Letters For professional-looking hard-copy letters, place your or your companys address at the top of the letter (or use your companys letterhead stationery) followed by the address of the company you are writing to. The date can either be placed double-spaced down (hit return/enter twice) or to the right. If you use a style that has the date on the right, indent your paragraphs and do not put a line of space between them. If you keep everything flush to the left, dont indent paragraphs, and put a space between them. Leave a line of space before your closing, and four to six lines of space for you to have room to hand-sign the letter. Emailed Inquiries If you use email, its easier on the readers eyes to have paragraphs with a line of space between them, so flush everything left. The email will automatically have the date of when it was sent, so you do not need to add the date, and youll need only one line of blank space between your closing and your typed name. Place your company contact information (such as your  telephone extension so someone can get back to you easily) at the bottom after your name.   Its easy to be too casual with email. If you want to appear professional to the business youre writing to, stick with the rules and tone of formal letter writing for the best results, and proofread your letter before sending it out. Its so easy to dash out an email, hit Send right away, and then discover a mistake upon rereading. Correct errors before sending to make a better first impression. Important Language for a Business Inquiry Letter The start: Dear Sir or Madam or To Whom It May Concern (very formal, used when you do not know the person to whom you are writing). If you know your contact already, thats better than being anonymous.Giving reference: With reference to your advertisement (ad) in... or Regarding your advertisement (ad) in...  Give the company context to why youre writing, right away.Requesting a catalog, brochure, etc.: After the reference, add a comma and continue could you please send me information on...Requesting further information: If you have more that youre seeking, add, I would also like to know... or Could you tell me whether...Summary call to action: I look forward to hearing from you... or Could you please give me a call between the hours of...Closing:  Use Sincerely or Yours faithfully to close.Signature: Add your title on the line following your name. An Example Hard-Copy Letter Your NameYour Street AddressCity, ST Zip Business NameBusiness AddressCity, ST Zip September 12, 2017 To Whom It May Concern: With reference to your advertisement in yesterdays New York Times, could you please send me a copy of your latest catalog? Is it also available online? I look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully, (Signature) Your Name Your Job TitleYour Company Name