Affirmative Action :: essays research papers

Affirmative action is a growing argument among our society. It is multifaceted and very often defined vaguely. Some can define affirmative action as the ability to strive for equality and inclusiveness. Others might see it as a quota-based system for different minority groups. Is affirmative action fair? Are minority groups on equal footing? Is gaining employment for minorities difficult? Is education easily obtained for the minority groups of people? Affirmative action endeavors to answer all these questions, while allowing society to believe harmony exists. Affirmative action has definitely helped women and minorities in their careers, but it has yet to succeed in the goal of equality in the business world for women and minorities. As more and more women are faced with discrimination in large firms, more have decided to strike out on their own. Today employers both private and public require individuals to take a test before entering their place of employment. For example, if one were to apply for a job in a supermarket a test for your basic educational skill is required. To become a fireman, policeman, teacher, or Kentucky Fried Chicken employee you are required to take a test before being hired. To further your education you need to take a test to enter a University. Jobs for today are in the technological, computer, and Internet areas. The need to be educated is a part of life. In our society there are difficulties with basic education. Affirmative action gives minorities the right to equal education. Is affirmative action fair? Affirmative action has become a tool for minorities to use for equality in the business world. Women, African Americans, Hispanics and the like now have a level tool that would support their rights as individuals in the business world. Yes, affirmative action demonstrates fairness. Are minority groups on equal footing? Today, affirmative action is recognized however, the 'glass ceiling' is still there. The glass ceiling refers to "you can see it, but you can't get it". Minorities can reach for the ceiling but still have difficulty actually trying to touch it. Unfortunately affirmative action cannot tell society to behave in a way that would place every individual, every minority group on equal footing. Affirmative action is a great tool for minorities. It encourages equality in humanity. I agree and support affirmative action in that individual's should be treated equally. Affirmative action is still needed. Although women and people of color have come a long way in the decades since the Civil Rights Act was passed, discrimination still exists.

Distinctly Visual Essay

Distinctly Essay A distinctively visual text influences our view of the world, and object or a person by the composer presenting us with new ideas and emotions that let us see from another point of view. Henry Lawson is an Australian writer that has the ability to twist his readers into his stories so they understand the true feelings and emotions of the characters. He presents us with the idea the bush is a negative place to live. But all Australians have a connection with it.Distinctly visual texts affect how we see the world and our relationships with others. Henry Lawson acknowledges the hardships of Australian women whose bravery and perseverance is unfairly over looked. Lawson’s admiration of the wife is evident in the portrayal of a strong and independent female protagonist. While the characters traits of the hattered old dog â€Å"alligator† are amusingly represented, it remains the wife who really fascinates the reader. Her appearance and behaviour can be readi ly pictured and we easily identify with her hopes and fears.He then reflects the harshness with the characterisation of the â€Å"Gaunt sun brown woman† and her â€Å"four ragged, dried up looking children†, This shapes our understanding of the unique Australian traits of toughness and courage towards a hostile environment like the bush. We never learn her name and this anonymity increases the representative role she plays, making the reader more reflective and empathetic about what is revealed, especially when given access t o her thoughts and feelings. By visualising the bush woman’s surroundings the reader can connect with her frame of mind. One is left with an overwhelming sense of loneliness and hardship.Through the use of flashbacks Lawson presents us with the different situations the women has been confront with and the way she has had to overcome them while her husband has been away â€Å"she fought a bush fire.. She fought a flood.. She also fought a m ade bullock’ and now a snake. The vivid imagery of the environment creates the feeling of isolation and monotony that the drover’s wife experiences in her day to day life. Lawson positions us to accept his visual interpretation of life in the bush defined by continual hardship instead of focusing primarily on the contents of the bush, Lawson focuses on what is lacking.The Lost Thing is a humorous story about a boy who discovers a bizarre looking creature while out collecting bottle tops at a beach. Having guessed that it is lost, he tries to find out who owns it or where it belongs, but the problem is met with indifference by everyone else, who barely notice is presence. Each is unhelpful in their own way, strangers, friends, parents are all unwilling to entertain this uninvited interruption to their day to day life.In spite of his better judgement the boy feels sorry for this hapless creature, and attempts to find out where it belongs. The story soon develops into a f able about all sorts of social concerns, with a ambiguous ending. For a start ‘the lost pet’ is unlike anything we might normally expect. It is a huge tentacled monster, not quite animal or machine, with no particular function or origin. Whimsical, purposeless and estranged from everything around it, it is out of place in a much deeper sense that just being ‘lost’.The environment described by the illustrations also resists any simple reading. A treeless industrial metropolis full of excessive plumbing, mysterious and dehumanising architecture, green skies and cheerless citizens. Nobody pays attention to this ‘lost pet’ despite its disruptive presence, every citizen is too busy in their daily routine to notice. The text is written as a matter-of-fact anecdote, told by the boy and addressed to the reader, presented as a kind of â€Å"what I did over summer† story (hence the use of hand-written text on strips of note paper).Significantly, t he creature in question is never physically described, and there is very little said about the environment in which the story unfolds; this is where the illustrations take over. Read by itself the text would sound as though it is about a lost dog in a quite familiar suburb or city, but the pictures reveal a freakish tentacled animal in a surreal a treeless world of green skies, excessive plumbing, concrete and machinery Another short story written by Henry Lawson that displays this connection with the land is â€Å"the loaded dog†.It tells a story of three men that are working on a gold field and leave a explosive lying around. This explosive is then picked up by their dog, who chases them with it lit in its mouth. Unlike â€Å"the drovers wife† Lawson’s ability to balance the harshness of the wish with the larrikin characters. Allows him to make the story entertaining but also life threatening. The visual image of the men following each other being chases by th e dog with an explosive in its mouth is an example of this humour Lawson uses throughout the story to conceal the bush during the tory. Lawson uses the almost dried up creek as an example of the ruthlessness the bush has on it occupants. The men usually use the fish as their main source of food but because it has turned into a â€Å"chain of muddy waterholes.. six to seven feet deep† they are fearing they will starve. So they come up with a plan to catch the fish using an explosive. A dog is also present in â€Å"the loaded dog† but it does not have a protector role like the one in â€Å"the drovers wife† rather Lawson mainly convey â€Å"Tommy.. big, black†¦ retriever dog.. as their four legged mate† this mate ship is the only thing that is positive in the story, although Lawson uses him as the main cause of all the trouble and excitement. Henry Lawson short stories are both visual texts that have contributed to the Australian myth and have become a voice for the individuals of the 1890’s. His stories still have a meaning of heritage and belonging for today’s society. Shaun tans â€Å"the lost thing† provokes questions

The Individual Markings of the Black Swallowtail

The black swallowtail, one of North America’s most familiar butterflies, frequently visits backyard gardens. They are a very common sight and youve likely seen the butterfly and caterpillar quite often, especially near your vegetables.   How to Identify Black Swallowtails This large butterfly has black wings with yellow markings and a wingspan of 8 to 11 centimeters. The male displays a row of bold yellow spots, while the female’s spots are faded shades of yellow and blue. The black swallowtail’s colors mimic those of similar species, such as the giant or pipevine swallowtails. To identify the black swallowtail, look for a pair of black dots centered in larger orange circles on the inner edge of the hind wings. The black swallowtail caterpillar changes appearance each time it molts. In the last few stages of growth, it is white and green with black bands and yellow or orange spots. The black swallowtail is also known as the Eastern black swallowtail, the parsley worm, and the parsnip swallowtail. The last two names refer to the insects proclivity to feed on plants in the carrot family. Black swallowtails fall into the Papilionidae family, which includes other swallowtails: Kingdom – AnimalPhylum – ArthropodaClass – InsectaOrder – LepidopteraFamily – PapilionidaeGenus – PapilioSpecies – polyxenes What Do Black Swallowtails Eat? The butterflies feed on nectar from flowers. Caterpillars feed on plants in the carrot family, which includes dill, fennel, parsley, and carrots. Life Cycle Like all butterflies, the black swallowtail undergoes a complete metamorphosis. The life cycle has four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Egg - It takes 3-5 days for eggs to hatch.Larva - The caterpillar has five instars  (the stage  between molts).Pupa - The chrysalis stage lasts 9-11 days, or over the winter.Adult - Northern areas have one or two generations; southern areas may have three. Special Adaptations and Defenses The caterpillar has a special gland called an osmeterium that emits a foul odor when it is threatened. The orange osmeterium looks like a forked snake tongue. Caterpillars also ingest oils from the host plants  of the carrot family; the foul taste of the chemical in their bodies repels birds and other predators. The chrysalides of the black swallowtail can be green or brown, depending on the color of the surface to which they are attached. This form of camouflage keeps them hidden from predators. The adult butterfly is thought to mimic the pipevine swallowtail, which is distasteful to predators. Habitat and Range of Black Swallowtails You will find black swallowtails in open fields and meadows, suburban yards, and roadsides. They are most common in  North America east of the Rocky Mountains. Their range extends south all the way to the northern tip of South America and they are also present in Australia.