Cisneros’ House on the Mango Street: Beauty Comes from Within

Sometimes it is difficult to live through the travails of what life has to offer for all of us. For some who are unlucky, they have to go through numerous trials and tribulations in order to survive the rigors of poverty, dysfunctional families and societal problems. However, when we learn to see the bright side of everything, we will realize that all these bitter and difficult experiences in life can be beautiful and meaningful for us. Without these, we would not attain success or learn about our mistakes that make all of us better and stronger people. As a quote from Sandra Cisneros’ The House on the Mango Street (1989) goes — â€Å"Butterflies too are few and so are flowers and most things that are beautiful. Still, we take what we can get and make the best of it†, this means that we can all live through seeing things as beautiful and essential. What is important is that we value the things that we have and it is up to us to make our lives better than what we deserve. Sandra Cisneros’ The House on the Mango Street weaves a thought-provoking, coming-of-age tale of a young girl. She is not only struggling to grow up to become a fine lady like usual American girls, but she is faced with shame, guilt and disappointment as her family is embarking on to acquire a new home in America. As the story comes to a full circle, the readers would inevitably commiserate with how the girl dealt with the scenarios she had faced. She did not only have to go through the complicated journey with her family to their new home, but she has to deal with the big disappointment that their new house is not what she hoped for. These difficulties definitely fanned some fire inside her – to become more determined and strive harder in the future. In the end, readers could predict her utter frustration why things are always tough for immigrant people like them in America. In the story, Esperanza’s family has to undergo an awkward transition of looking for a permanent place to live. Readers will immediately infer that the young girl’s family has Chicano roots because the girl enumerated the members of the family in beginning her story — Papa, Mama, Carlos, Kiki and Nenny. What’s admirable about Cisnero’s conversational style of story-writing is that everyone can relate to their experiences. At one point in anyone’s life, we all can identify with the travails of going through a house transfer. Anyone’s initial reaction will be to feel excited of how our new house will look like or who our new neighbors will be. Unfortunately, for the young girl, she is bound to be betrayed by her own expectations. When Esperanza’s father announced that they are getting a new house in Mango Street, she expected that it will be in the usual American neighborhood with homes that have freshly-mown lawns and white picket fences. For the Esperanza, Mango Street is more than street sign — it is her marker that circumscribes the dream that she and her family had brought with them. This new house will simply be one aspect of attaining their dream — to have a more comfortable life in this new place, in this new country. However, when she saw the house in Mango Street, she was disappointed. She becomes aware of her own subjective perceptions as she begins to differentiate her family’s wonderful dreams and society’s ugly realities. Thus, she becomes conscious of her parents’ inability to fulfill their promises of the perfect house. She thought that â€Å"They always told us that one day we would move into a house, a real house† (p. 223). However, the â€Å"real house† the narrator expected would be â€Å"like the houses on TV† Apparently, when the narrator saw the house on Mango Street, it transformed from being a symbol of hope to become a symbol of poverty. The narrator associates this realization with the humiliation she has felt in the past, when her family lived in similar places. However, Esperanza realized that she can go beyond her expectations and she could make herself a better person, despite her roots and the community she’s living in. Esperanza began seeing all the positive things around her to make her a stronger person. You can be poor but you still can do good in your studies and excel to become a successful lawyer. You can be a Latina and not get pregnant to become a young mother, but you can strive to achieve your dreams of becoming a great artist someday. Thus, in the story, we can learn that there is beauty in everything that we have. It is just up to us to use these things wisely to make the best out of it. Works Cited Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York: Vintage Books, Inc. 1989.

Illegal Immigration in America

Hendry Miranda Professor Pauline Rodock English 1301 October 10, 2012 Illegal Immigration in America America has always been a country of immigrants. Ever since the birth of this nation, waves of immigrants have come here in search of a happier life. America is known all over the world as a place where people can be free in so many different ways, a place where prosperity is possible for those who work hard and want a better life for their offspring. The dilemma is though, many of those pursuing the â€Å"American Dream† come here illegally, and thus breaking the laws of the very same country they want to live in, right from the beginning.This research exposes some facts about the so heated debate of illegal immigration in America. In recent years America has experienced a record of illegal immigration without precedents. According to the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Service) there are two classes of illegal immigrants. First class corresponds to â€Å"ove r-stayers†, and this refers to those people who at some point legally entered the United States under any kind of visa, and simply stayed once that document expired.Most of this â€Å"over-stayers† are foreigners who came to the United States with student visas, or who came here with tourist/business visas. Even though once they over stay they are considered illegal immigrants, the government has an idea of who those people are because these kind of immigrants need to go through extensive filters in the American embassies of their country in order to get an American visa. On the other hand, the USCIS also has the Illegal Alien classification. These are the people who enter the United States without any kind of legal registry or document.The vast majority of these illegal aliens enter the United States through the Mexican border. Also, most of these immigrants are of Hispanic origins, specifically Mexicans. â€Å"Between now and 2020, the Hispanic population will increa se by 77%, compared to a 69% for Asians, 32% for African Americans, 26% for Native Americans, and 1% for non-Hispanic whites, according to the Alliance for Excellent Education. As a result, by 2020 the nation’s adult population, ages 25 to 64, will be 63 percent white, 17 percent Hispanic, 13 percent African American, 6 percent Asian, and about 1% native American† highlighted in Hardy, page 5). This illegal immigration issue has am impact in every aspect of the American way of life. Many will say and prove that the illegal immigration problem is out of control. It is estimated that more than 20 million people live illegally in the United States. Those who are pro illegal immigration insist that is wrong to label these people as â€Å"criminals† since their only â€Å"crime† is to come to America in search of better opportunities, in search of what for any reason they cannot have in their homeland.They claim that they come here to work, â€Å"to do the job s most American will not do†. Many of these groups believe that amnesty should be granted to those who meet some basic requirements, such as living in the United States continuously for more than 7 years, not having a criminal record etc. Illegal immigration groups have deep roots in many places in America and they have supporter that will do anything in order to protect the â€Å"basic rights† of the individuals that find themselves in this dilemma.A very good example of this, are the so called Sanctuary Cities: â€Å"In the United States, a number of cities in the southwest have declared themselves cities of refugee or asylum for undocumented immigrants. In April 2006, for example, Oakland, California city officials declared that would no longer cooperate with federal officials in conducting raids to capture undocumented immigrants† (highlighted in Carlson, page 267). These cities actually facilitate the stay of illegal immigrants by providing free medical care , no checks for obtaining jobs, no checks for renting a home just to name a few.San Francisco is well known to be a major Sanctuary city for illegal immigrants. Many of the illegal immigrants also use the â€Å"Anchor Baby† phenomenon. Meaning they will have kids in American soil who have the right to citizenship, in the hopes that one day they will obtain citizenship too through their American-born kids. They take advantage of the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to any person born in American soil. This is an outdated law that, after the end of the American Civil War, granted citizenship to the newly freed African American slaves.Illegal immigrants do not pay income taxes but at the same time have access to all the benefits provided by the taxpayers. Also the school systems are overcrowded in many states, thanks to the increasing number of illegal immigrants. In many cases, being an illegal immigrant can actually benefit these people: â€Å"Texas was the first stat e to respond, passing legislation granting in-state tuition rates to illegal students in 2001. California followed later that year. Other states that have enacted such laws include Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Utah, and Washington† (highlighted in Gilroy, page 16).Many anti-amnesty groups explain that opposing the amnesty is not a racial issue, but a matter of doing what’s right. The United States of America is a country of law, and by entering illegally they’re already breaking the law, right from the beginning. It’s not being anti immigration, â€Å"legal† is the key word here. Granting citizenship to illegal alien would encourage more illegal immigration. Not only that, but it will be taken as an insult by all the legal immigrants who did the right thing and followed the rules of the game to be in the United States.Most legal immigrants spend a lot of time and effort in order to get here, in some cases having to pay thousands of dollars and having to wait years for that privilege. The dram act is another attempt by illegal-immigrant supporters to legalize their status. It basically would give a path to citizenship to illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children, brought by their parents and with no faults of their own. They would have to be under the age of 16, have finished High School, free of criminal records and willing to serve in the military for at least two years.While this might sound fair for the illegals, then again it is unfair for those who came here legally and many people see this as another invitation to come to this country illegally. It is true, there must be an immigration reform, and a solution must be found to deal with the millions of illegal immigrants currently in America. Until that happens, the government should do all in its power to stop this issue from becoming bigger. The borders need to be secured and the constitution amended so illegal aliens sto p taking advantage of the â€Å"anchor baby† tactic.America still is one if not the most multicultural country in the world, Works Cited Carlson, D. (2009). The Border Crossed Us: Education, Hospitality politics, and the Social Consturction of the â€Å"illegal immigrant†. Educational Theory, 59(3), 259-277. Gilroy, M. (2009). Battle Continues over In-State Tuition for Illegal immigrants. Education Digest: Essential Readings Condensed For Quick Review, 74(8), 16-20. Hardy, L. (2007). Coping with Illegal immigrants in School. Education Digest: Essential Readings Condesnsed For Quick Review, 72(9), 4-6.

Education and Lifelong Learning Essay

1. Understand own role and responsibilities in the lifelong learning. (1.1) Having been requested to produce a brief on my roles in teaching and professional values whist teaching in this role. I have to deal with variety of personnel from different ability groups and cultures. I often have to deal with ever changing legislation such as the Joint Service Publications (JSP’s) regarding subjects taught at the training wing, as well as the JSP’s we have to work in line with the Royal logistic Corps Training and Development Team (TDT) which gives up to date changes regarding our codes of practice. some of my roles in teaching the CLM courses are teaching Military Discipline which gets updated regularly from the Army Act 2006, my other key area is Health & Safety which is governed by not only the Health and Safety at work Act 1974 (HASWA) but has its own JSP for the Ministry of Defence (MOD). (1.2) As with any organisation the MOD must comply with the Equality Act 2006, as for my role in promoting Equality and valuing Diversity as mentioned earlier the Royal Logistic Corps has a very versatile group with personnel from all over the commonwealth and also having many different religions. We adapt our lessons and exercises in line with the needs of personnel who may require a different learning style than that being used with extra time given to anyone that may have dyslexia or any other learning difficulty, if a soldier requires time off for religious beliefs they will be given extra tuition for the teaching periods missed, concessions will also be made if a soldier wears headdress as part of their religion with time given before and after an event such as firing on a range where they must wear a helmet for safety reasons. Before all students arrive at the training wing they must be at a set standard as directed by the RLC which will include being at the right basic skills level for the course and at the right fitness level they are also required to carry out an initial assessment on the first day of the course to see what standard the students are at, if the student gets low marks on some of the subjects covered they might be placed as an at risk student which means they may require additional tuition during the course but this information is kept between the instructors and the student involved with constant updates being given throughout the course. Whilst the training sessions are laid down the instructors will adapt the lesson so the students understand the subject by involving them in group discussions and are encouraged to ask any questions throughout the lessons. (1.3) In my role as an instructor I am responsible for the day to day running of the training wing and am solely responsible for certain lessons such as Military Discipline, Health & Safety and Tactics which involves keeping up to date with all the relevant legislation and the upkeep of the classrooms. I also coach and mentor the Junior Non Commissioned Officers in all the CLM lessons which involves evaluating them during lessons to ensure the subjects are being taught correctly and in line with the RLC’s policy. (1.4) In my role regarding identifying and meeting the needs of the learners I take great care in seeing what sort of standard they are at when they first arrive on the courses by interviewing each student after they have carried out their initial assessments and asking them if they require any additional support during the course and what expectations that they may have regarding me as there instructor. If I feel that the student is going to struggle as their assessments were not up to the standards required during the course they are informed that they are an at risk student but does not affect them in any way if there standard improves and will be given regular evaluations and updates on their performance. 2. Understanding the relationship between teachers and other professionals in lifelong learning. (2.1) Some of the boundaries I face as an instructor in the Military are maintaining a professional relationship due to other instructors having a different outlook on a subject or not doing enough research, at times the Military seem to want a subject taught even if the instructor is not qualified which puts more demands on them. (2.2)Some of the areas of referral we use for the learners are met by having all the correct equipment available during any period of teaching with no time restrictions placed, all learners are given clear guidelines and targets that will need to be met. (2.3)In my role I have certain responsibilities regarding the relationship with other members of the training team and also do all correspondence with other outside agencies that are with our evaluating area such as keeping all internal evaluations are kept up to date with the current policies and keep are lessons up to date and accurate. I am also responsible for maintaining and evaluating all learner feedback and amending lessons that the students feel need changing this is a long process as I need lessons checked by the Training and development team before I can use them. 3.Understand own responsibilities for maintaining a safe and supportive learning environment. (3.1)When maintaining a safe and supportive learning environment this will ultimately depend on the type of lesson being taught but classroom layouts will change depending on the needs of the learners, all lessons are kept short or are broken down so the learners have regular breaks so not to lose concentration. We also do a lot of interacting within the groups to make the learner feel that are giving input to the lessons. In regards to the Health & safety of the learners all classrooms are laid out as per the HSE’s guidelines with all lighting, seating and blackout blinds fitted all classrooms have fixed projectors and whiteboards for interaction with mobile whiteboards for learners when they are broken down into smaller groups. A brief is given at the start of each course to ensure the learner understands that the instructors are to help and should be approached if they feel something is wrong. (3.2)To promote appropriate behaviour and respect for others I impose certain ground rules at the start of each course so the learners understand what is expected of them during the course. They are brief on all Health & Safety regulations what to do and were to go in case of a fire, that no anti-social behaviour or offensive language will be tolerated and they must be punctual so not to waste the teacher’s time or the other learner’s time and to ensure they don’t interrupt during the lesson if someone else is speaking. They are briefed on classroom etiquette by ensuring the classrooms are left clean and tidy at all times and all mobile phone are turned off our on silent unless a learned has an important call to make then they are asked to leave the room. All learners are briefed to have the upper most respect for all other learners and teachers throughout the course.

Blood Flow and cardiovascular Disease, non lipid cardiovascular risk Essay

Blood Flow and cardiovascular Disease, non lipid cardiovascular risk factors - Essay Example Blood, returning to the heart from all over the body, flows into the right atrium. The blood flows from the right atrium into the right ventricle, which in turn pump it out to the lungs for oxygenation. Then the oxygenated blood returns to the left atrium. From the left atrium, the oxygenated blood flows into the left ventricle which pumps the oxygen-rich blood into the arteries. Pumping or contraction of the left ventricle should be very powerful to keep flowing of the blood throughout the whole body. The strength of the heart muscle depends on the oxygen and nutrient supply coming from the coronary arteries. The walls of these arteries are strong, elastic and flexible. The heart muscle is supplied by three major coronary arteries. Two of them arise from a common stem, called the left coronary artery which supplies the left side of the heart. It divides into left anterior descending branch which supplies the front part of the heart, and the left circumflex branch which supplies the left lateral and back side of the heart. The right coronary is separate and supplies the right and the bottom parts of the heart. The inner layer of the coronary arteries is quite smooth allowing blood to flow easily. With aging, cholesterol and calcium content in the walls of the coronary arteries increases, making them thickened and less elastic. The prolonged effect of risk factors with the consequence of aging, damage of the inner layer of the arteries becomes predominant, especially in the coronaries. This change is called atherosclerosis which is a progressive hardening of the arteries caused by the deposit of fatty plaques and the scarring and thickening of the artery wall. Inflammation of the artery wall and the development of blood clots can obstruct blood flow and cause heart attacks or strokes.[1]Nieminen and colleagues concluded that coronary artery disease is a major cause of heart failure.[4]The deposits or plaques may increase in size and block the arteries. If

Company analysis - Bancolombia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Company analysis - Bancolombia - Essay Example The different culture and characteristics of the three banks participated in the merger were not easy to be managed. The recent retirement of the firm’s CEO would set the future of Bancolombia in risk, if the new CEO would not be able to understand the firm’s culture but also the employees’ needs. Table of contents Executive Summary 2 Problem Statement 4 Supporting Evidence 4 Key decision criteria 7 Recommendations 8 References 11 Appendices 12 Problem Statement The development of the problem statement in regard to this study requires the reference to a series of events that led to the formation of Bancolombia, as in its current form. Bancolombia is an organization resulted from two mergers. In its initial form, Bancolombia resulted by the merge between the Banco Industrial Colombiano (BIC) and the Banco de Colombia. The above merger took place in 1998 and led to the establishment of Colombia’s most powerful firm in the banking industry (case study, p.3). Bancolombia, the firm resulted by the above merger, reached a market share of 11.5% (case study, p.3). ... The identification of effective HR management practices was of critical importance in Bancolombia, as a business entity established in 1998. In the context of the second merger, a similar issue has appeared. The second merger took place between three firms of the Colombian banking industry: Bancolombia, Conavi and Corfinsura. These firms used different approaches in regard to the management of their HR: a) in Bancolombia, emphasis was given on cooperation for ensuring that organizational targets in regard to profitability are met; the ‘Added Value System, (ADV), a customer profiting strategy’ (case study p.4) was used in Bancolombia to achieve this target. In addition, managers in Bancolombia have promoted a scheme called ‘Cultural Transformation Workshops’ (case study p.3) for ensuring that employees in Bancolombia are fully aware of the culture of the firm; b) in Conavi, employees’ needs were highly valued; in fact, ‘high job stability and con tinuous interaction between employees and managers’ (case study p.5) have been the key characteristics of the firm’s HR strategy; c) in Corfinsura employees had to deal mostly with ‘large corporate clients’ (case study p.5); therefore, most of the firm’s employees were experts in investment banking services (case study p.5); Bancolombia, in its final form, had to deal not only with investment banking services but also to retail services. This problem has been highlighted by managers in Bancolombia, after the firm’s merger with Corfinsura. According to the above, this study’s research problem could be described as follows: would Bancolombia be able to secure high employee performance taking into consideration the important differences in the HR strategies of the three firms participated in the

Should Gay Marriage Be Made Illegal in the U.S Essay

Should Gay Marriage Be Made Illegal in the U.S - Essay Example The essay "Should Gay Marriage Be Made Illegal in the U.S.?" discusses the issue if it is appropriate or legal to legalize the love forever with marriage for two people of the same sex as times have changed and with the ever changing personality people have come express their feeling for the same sex. Gay couples began to demand equal civil rights, including the right to the legal protections of marriage, in the early 1970s. The first legally recognized same-sex partnership was in Denmark in 1989, but the first legal gay marriage wasn't until 2001, in the Netherlands. Since then, countries and states within countries have reacted to gay marriages conducted in other countries by passing laws that prevent foreign gay marriages from being recognized. In the US, San Francisco marriages conducted in 2004 during a brief period of rebellion against state law were later declared void by the state of California. Washington state banned gay marriage in the Defence of Marriage Act 1998 and reinforced the act in 2001. Till date, this has been a debatable issue and has also found that the New Jersey and Massachusetts state court systems are each considering cases that could legalize same-sex unions. The then President Bush, Senator Tom Daschle, and other politicians have stated their oppositio n to legalizing gay marriages. Even the Vatican had launched a new initiative opposing gay marriages. No doubt the common belief is that children do best when they are raised by their own mother and father.

Choose an environmental topic, analyse the message about the issue Essay

Choose an environmental topic, analyse the message about the issue that is being constructed in the media source you have selected - Essay Example Such a broadened understanding in turn helps in effective policy formulation and resolve issues in an amicable manner. The depiction of environmental issues by the media has increased significantly, over the last couple of decades. Various environmental groups as well as government departments have been relying on the media heavily, for promotion of their self-interests as well as for raising awareness regarding the depletion of sources and encouraging the public to support their cause. Such an alliance of the media and the environmental groups / and or other groups endorsing environmental issues; often raises significant issues related to government policy formulation, risk to public life, etc. among others. This paper aims to study and analyze the issue of â€Å"oil sands pollution† in Canadian waterways as represented by the Canadian print media – especially the newspapers. For this purpose articles from some select newspapers such as The Globe and Mail, Edmonton Journal, The Gazette, and The Vancouver Sun are chosen for analysis. Dryzek has identified several discourses associated with environmental problems such as - Survivalism, Environmental problem solving, Sustainability, Green radicalism, Administrative rationalism, Democratic pragmatism, Economic rationalism and Sustainable development. The articles discussed below, will seek to identify and analyze some such discourses and assess their relevance and impact, generated by the print media. In this article the writer has discussed about the rising level of pollution around the Athabasca River and its tributaries on account of emissions from oil sands. In order to lend credibility to the arguments presented in the article the writer has included a research paper presenting contradictory views of the energy industry and the Alberta government regarding the underlying causes of this issue. The writer has directed