Recipe for the American Dream

Writing 100 October 28, 2009 Essay 2 Recipe for the American Dream Since the establishment of this country, Americans have set their eyes on success. The way we define success has changed along with technology. The American Dream is â€Å"that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. †[1] When repeating this phrase out loud one draws up images of fancy cars, big houses, quality clothes, etc. What Adams fails to mention is that success requires work, furthermore success in terms of fancy cars, big houses and other luxuries require over 40 hours a week of work. The more time one spends at work, the less time one has to spend doing other things. Ellen Goodman’s â€Å"The Company Man†, is a prime example of why spending an excessive amount of time working is harmful to a human being. In providing a comfortable life for his family, the main character neglects to have a presence in his home. The pursuit of the American Dream calls for an unbalanced lifestyle, which alienates individuals from their families. Very early on, Americans are taught to believe that the more one does, the more one receives in return. It is undeniable that this ideology stems from biblical teachings; â€Å"for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. † (Galatians 6:7) This ideology continues to get instilled in every aspect of the average American’s life. The more studying a student does, the better grade the student receives. The more an athlete practices, the better athlete he’ll become. It is not odd that adults keep this ingrained in their minds as they go into the workforce. The more time and energy spent on the job, the more money and benefits an employee will receive. Money is an important ingredient in making the American Dream become a reality, and Americans experience constant reminders of the need to live the dream, through the media and peers. Living the Dream is not a crime in itself, but what gets sacrificed in the process may prove to be more valuable than most of the objects themselves. Christopher Clausen helps readers to understand in â€Å"Against Work† that â€Å"the workaholic†¦neglects his family, withdraws from social life and loses interest in sex. (Clausen 673) Phil, the main character in Goodman’s, â€Å"The Company Man† works â€Å"himself to death, finally and precisely at 3:00 am Sunday morning. † (Goodman 629) Before his death, Phil â€Å"worked six days a week, five of them until eight or nine at night, during a time when his own company had begun the four-day week for everyone but the executiv es. He had no outside extracurricular interests† (Goodman 329), not even his life at home. It is heartbreaking for someone to die leaving their offspring to go around â€Å"asking the neighbors what [their father] was like† the â€Å"day and a half before the funeral. (Goodman 630) Phil is so consumed by his job that his children never have the opportunity to connect with him and get to know him as a person, rather than simply their biological father. His wife admits to â€Å"missing him all these years† (Goodman 629), which shows his absence as her companion. Phil never grasps the concept of balance, which is understandable considering the Dream he makes a reality never puts balance into the equation. â€Å"Working to earn one’s bread is something few people can escape. Working out of moral vanity is sheer self-deception. [2] It is true that the majority of people work because they are conscious of the fact that they will receive compensation for their time spent working. While it is imperative to earn enough to put food on the table and clothing on the backs of our loved ones, it is also imperative keep life outside of work in mind. Although working to obtain a â€Å"comfortable† life, without having to live from paycheck to paycheck demands a lot of time from a weekly schedule, there are benefits to hard work besides earning more disposable income. Some would agree with Voltaire who states that â€Å"Work spares us from three great evils: boredom, vice and need. [3] Work will absolutely remedy boredom, and vice, but people will always have a need for something else. Work satisfies the need of money to provide food, clothing and shelter, but it disregards the need for love, care and affection. Many Americans struggle with finding a balance of work and family. It is far too often the case that individuals choose to pursue riches, while leaving every other aspect of their lives to suffer. It is ironic that Phil and many oth ers like him work to provide the family with a â€Å"better† life, according to American standards, while neglecting everything that makes a life meaningful. A study of Workaholism states that â€Å"spouses and children of workaholics report feeling lonely, unloved, isolated, and emotionally and physically abandoned. †[4] This behavior is reflected in Phil’s wife and children. â€Å"His second child†¦lives near her mother and they are close, but whenever she was alone with her father, in a car driving somewhere, they had nothing to say to each other. † (Goodman 630) Since Phil was absent so frequently, his own daughter feels no connection to him, even when he is present, it is as if she is riding along with a stranger. Phil works his way near the top of his company, but has nothing to show for it. Yes, he earns a great deal of money, but look at what it costs him in the long run. â€Å"He works like the important people† only to have the company president, on the afternoon of the funeral to begin, â€Å"discreetly of course, with care and taste to make inquiries about his replacement. † (Goodman 630) To the company, Phil, and others like him are disposable, like plastic spoons used to mix up the ingredients for turning the Dream into a reality. His hard work at the job did not console his wife, nor did it establish a strong relationship with his children. Phil’s work ethic even steered the youngest of his children away from obtaining a â€Å"serious† job. â€Å"The youngest†¦has spent the last couple of years, like a lot his friends, doing enough odd jobs to stay in grass and food. He was the one who tried to grab at his father, and tried to mean enough to him to keep the man at home. † (Goodman 630) The boy is traumatized by the way his father lived his life. Work is what causes his father to withdraw from his family, and there is no doubt that the American Dream is what spearheads the separation. The need to ensure the family â€Å"happiness† pushes Phil to working toward the top of his career, eventually causing the detachment. It is very easy to get wrapped up in wanting to procure certain material things for one’s family, especially living in America. It is understandable that an individual may want to acquire the â€Å"finer† things in life, but doing so should not take precedence over any other aspects of life, such as one’s family. Once family alliances become solidified in the workaholic father's absence, spouses resent having their turfs violated when workaholics do try to become more actively involved in their families. Older children, too, often rebuff the workaholic's attempts to reconnect with the family because they feel the reentry is too little, too late, or both. â€Å"[5] Too much of one thin g is never a good thing, there needs to be a balance in order achieve more in life. In attempting to take the ingredients for cooking up the American Dream, one needs to consider adding the spice of balance into the recipe, without it, the Dream is bittersweet. Works Cited Sheet †¢ (Adams-Truslow, John). â€Å"What is the American Dream? † The Epic America. 2002. 28 Oct. 2009 http://memory. loc. gov/learn/lessons/97/dream/thedream. html †¢ (Clausen, Christopher) â€Å"Against Work† Occasions for Writing, Di Yanni & Hoy. Eds. New York: Thompson, 2008 672-676. Print †¢ (Goodman, Ellen) â€Å"The Company Man† Occasions for Writing, Di Yanni & Hoy. Eds. New York: Thompson, 2008 629-630. Print †¢ Healthcare Training Institute. Study of Workaholism Part II: Spouses and Children of Workaholics http://www. homestudycredit. com/courses/contentWK/secWK16. html †¢ Voltaire http://www. uotesdaddy. com/quote/302901/voltaire/work-spares-us-from-three-evils-boredom-vice-and-need ———————– [1] Adams-Truslow, John. â€Å"What is the American Dream? † The Epic America. 2002. 28 Oct. 2009 http://memory. loc. gov/learn/lessons/97/dream/thedream. html [2] Clausen, Christopher. Against Work [3] Voltaire http://www. quotesdaddy. com/quote/302901/voltaire/work-spares-us-from-three-evils-boredom-vice-and-need [4] Healthcare Training Institute. Study of Workaholism Part II: Spouses and Children of Workaholics http://www. homestudycredit. com/courses/contentWK/secWK16. html [5] Ibid

Christmas vs. Halloween

Holidays are a time where families can come together and celebrate things that mean a lot to them. Spending time with your family is important to folks and holidays are the perfect way to gather the whole family up to celebrate something special. Every year we have tons of fun giving and receiving from others. Being a kid, the best part of all is receiving. Whether it be candy or video games or maybe even some socks from mom, it's amazing no matter what. All holidays are exciting to me but two of my favorite are Christmas and Halloween.But which holiday is the best? Almost all holidays have fictional characters that represent them. Let's start with Christmas. The absolute best part of Christmas for me was waiting to hear that big fat man in the red suit in my living room; Santa Clause of course! We would make â€Å"reindeer food† at school with oats and glitter and throw it in our yard at night. I remember so well throwing the food handful by handful saying each of the reindee r's names as I threw it across the grass. â€Å"Here's for you, Rudolph. â€Å".. And this is for you Comet! † I think all kids have this image of the North Pole in their minds. I could always picture Mrs.Clause baking and all of the elves building toys up there. It makes the idea of Christmas that much more exciting. Halloween, on the other hand, has an entirely different approach. These characters are a lot more intimidating. A great deal of these fictional characters are also followed by a scary story, like The Headless Horseman galloping on his horse looking for a new head to call his own! When I think about Halloween I think of the Hocus Pocus witches flying by on their broomsticks in the sky, ghost flying creeping around corners, black cats running across the streets, and monsters hiding underneath my bed.Putting all of these characters into this holiday makes it so amusing and really keeps people on their toes. Every holiday has some kind of tradition. During Christma s time, the main tradition is to put up a Christmas tree and decorations with your family. Hanging up garland, draping ornaments up and down the tree to make it look like your own, throwing lights up on the house, placing your Christmas letters from family on top of he fireplace, dangling bows around every corner, and of course putting the final star or angel on the top of your very own Christmas tree.To follow more tradition, we also buy and wrap gifts for our loved ones. It is a time of year that we can really show our appreciation by giving. And don't forget about that yummy Christmas dinner! So much is cooked and prepared for the dinner; turkey covered in brown gra'. y to all of the mouthwatering sides like carrots, sweet potatoes, and green beans along with some homemade sweet bread rolls. It's almost like a second Thanksgiving! Halloween is not so sweet. One main tradition is finding the perfect pumpkin for you and your family and carving it together.There's so many possibilit ies when carving a pumpkin because you can choose anything you woul d like. IVe seen anything from funny faces to hideous monsters. One thing people do on Halloween and the weeks before it is go to haunted houses with friends and family! There's nothing better than going into a place that is trying to scare the heebie-jeebies out of you! Most people take their children out â€Å"Trick or Treating†. Kids dress up in their avorite character and go door to door to gather candy from others in their neighborhood. Halloween continues to be extremely popular with kids of all ages; 85 to 90 percent of U. S. children go trick-or-treating or engage in other Halloween festivities every year, and many adults also Join in on the fun. † (Harris) Although it has become very unsafe over the years, it is a tradition that will never die down. Kids will always want their candy! Color themes are a big part of any holiday. Christmas is celebrated with the colors green, red, and white. Green Christmas trees, red mistletoes, and white snow.Nothing can beat these bright colors when theyre all in one decorative room together. Halloween uses more dark colors like black, purple, and orange. When you think of monsters and darkness you don't exactly think of rainbows and sunshine. Colors can affect any point of view. Nobody is going to be scared of a hot pink monster with blue polka dots! Bring on the creepy dark colors! The meaning of a holiday is what matters most. â€Å"Christmas is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ and a widely observed holiday, celebrated generally on December 25 by millions of people around the orld. (Wikipedia) Not only is it a time to come together as a family, but a time to come together religiously as well. To celebrate what you believe in is important to almost anyone. Halloween began to celebrate the dead. â€Å"Halloween is a yearly celebration observed in a number of countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows; Day. It initiates the triduum of Hallowmas, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead. † (Wikipedia) The holiday may be scary but it is meant to be a celebration for our loved ones.In my opinion, Christmas is the best holiday. I love nothing more than to come together with my family to share gifts and love. This holiday is a very happy and cheerful holiday overall and it can really bring out the best in people. â€Å"This truly is the happiest time of the year, and a rush of excitement takes over every December. Everything seems a bit brighter this time of year, so one can never take a December day for granted. † (Bell) I celebrate it every year with the people I care most about and will carry on the tradition for as long as I can.

Bad Habits

Nose Picking Everybody picks their nose at times. Not everybody picks their nose in a public place where others might see them. Many people really dislike seeing someone pick their nose. It’s particularly offensive when the nose picker picks with relish, as though he were embarking on an exploring expedition to some unknown land. If you need to pick your nose, you should do it in private to avoid upsetting anybody else. Bear in mind that your car is not a public place. If you decide to pick your nose on the commute to work, people in other vehicles on the freeway will see you digging for gold. . Gross Eating A lot of people cannot abide bad table manners. They get offended if someone chews with their mouth open, talks while eating, clangs the cutlery against their teeth, or makes vile noises when masticating. Nobody wants to hear the noise of food slopping around inside your mouth, or listen to a sound that is reminiscent of someone stirring a pot of soggy semolina. Nothing you have to say is so important that it justifies showing other people the chewed up piece of steak you are currently attempting to eat. If you are eating in the presence of other people, it’s worth using some manners if you don’t want to annoy anyone. 3. Repetitive Noises Some people have the bad habit of making some kind of repetitive noise. For instance, you might tap your foot, flick your teeth, hit your pen against the side of the desk, sniff, or make a funny throat clearing sound. If a person has to listen to another individual make the same noise again and again day after day, it can start to get on their nerves fairly quickly. The repetitive noise you like to make may comfort you on a subconscious level, but it isn’t soothing for anybody else. 4. Stinking Farts Everybody has to pass gas at some point, but that doesn’t mean that other people want to smell the contents of your colon. Nobody likes to smell a fart. This is particularly true of a fart that is smelled in the public domain. Nothing is worse than walking down the aisle in a department store and finding yourself immersed in a cloud of someone else’s ghastly rectal gas, or standing in an elevator that smells like a recently-used toilet. If you have to break wind and you know you’re probably going to stink, go to the bathroom or at least do it in an empty space. 5. Constant Interruptions Some people just love to talk. They love to talk so much that they cannot let anyone else finish a sentence, or watch a movie in peace. When you are trying to say something and someone else cuts in all of the time, it gets annoying very quickly. If you interrupt someone in mid-sentence, you might as well tell them to shut up because what you have to say is more interesting. When you talk during a movie, you stop other viewers from being able to relax and enjoy it. Is what you have to say really so important that it’s worth annoying others and giving the impression that you are thoroughly rude? 6. Shouting Down the Cell Phone Cell phone technology is not new. It is now unusual not to have a cell phone. Thus most people have encountered at least one individual with an inclination to shout conversations down their cell phone while in a public setting such as an airport departure lounge or a restaurant. Cell phone shouters can be very irritating when you are trying to relax and enjoy your day. It almost seems as though they think their personal business is so enthralling that everybody wants to hear about it when the truth is that nobody else cares. When you must answer your cell phone in public, try to move to a quieter setting. For instance if you are in a restaurant, go outside to take your call. If you cannot go anywhere else, at least try to keep your voice down. 7. Mindless Chatter There are some people who are obviously uncomfortable with silence. In fact silence makes them feel so uneasy that they feel compelled to fill it with the sound of their own voice, even though they don’t have anything remotely important or significant to say. For a person that likes their own space and revers peace and tranquility, such mindless chatter can be incredibly vexing. If you sometimes feel inclined to converse about nothing in particular, or repeat something you said ten minutes ago just because nobody has said anything for a while, then don’t. Go and read a book or find something else to do. There is such a thing as companionable silence.

Back Pain Disability Treatment Research Proposal

Back Pain Disability Treatment - Research Proposal Example The title is concise in that it provides information in brief. From the title, there can be idea of the objective, but no idea about the content is available. However, the proposer clearly indicates the research approach used, which is randomised controlled trial. All studies can be categorized as experimental, quasi-experimental/pre-experimental, or non-experimental in design. From the title it appears that the researcher wants to design an experimental study with the purpose of determining the clinical outcomes of physiotherapy and related patient preferences for treatment of back pain. This is a clinical trial, and these studies are designed to determine whether the hypothesised clinical intervention will be effective. In this case, the trial was conceived since in mechanical back pain, surgery is never offered as an option of treatment. This trial was proposed with the purpose of comparing two treatment strategies, namely, physiotherapy for back pain chosen by patients and physiotherapy for back pain offered by the physiotherapist in alleviating back pain of the patients. If one goes back to examine the title again, this comparison through randomised controlled trial is not explicit in the title, so there is an obvious confusion on the ai m, purpose, and objective of the study. This study has been proposed to be done in a single physiotherapy department, and therefore this is not a multicentric trial. This reduces the authenticity of the findings in terms of internal and external validity. As a result the reliability will be compromised, and hence evidently there would be lack of generalisability of the outcomes. Thus, applications of the findings in the clinical practice would be severely limited even through the study is able to generate some valid results (Rumoren and Sunday, 2006). Brief Synopsis of the Project Low back pain is a problem with considerable disability with direct cost implications in terms of NHS resource utilisation. Due to its common occurrence, many patients present to GP and utilise other health and social care resources. It is also an important cause of disability, and thus there are implications of work hour losses. From the NHS point of view, low back pain has been demonstrated to represent both public and private costs. Other than the conventional treatment modalities, it is now known that prompt physiotherapy is an acceptable service for these patients. For the physiotherapists, the problem remains which could be the best form of therapy, which the patients choose or what the physiotherapist advises. In many cases, low back pain has no associated organic problem, and thus recovery cannot be ascertained by any investigative objective means. Moreover, pain has a subjective element. Therefore assessment of recovery can be done with a validated instrument, and if this va lidated assessment instrument is used to compare the responses of two groups of patients with two different interventions, then a trial with randomisation and clinical control would be the best way to determine the intervention of choice in such cases. This part of discussion indicates that the proposer has chosen a clinical problem, the decisive plan of action on which is unknown. The clinical problem here is low back pain and the appropriate physiotherapeutic

Unit 3 Discussion Big Ideas in Science Research Paper

Unit 3 Discussion Big Ideas in Science - Research Paper Example So the sooner one reveals a theory the more time it gives to the world to explore it. 2. Skepticism can be faced by presenting facts and reasoning understood by the scientist. It would be ideal to detail the process of the whole theory the idea behind it and the reason why it occurred. Any theory needs to have a solid scientific reasoning to be approved. According to (Oskin,2013) â€Å"Wegeners theory of continental drift was soundly denounced by geologists. Part of the opposition was because Wegener didnt have a good model to explain how the continents moved back and forth†.It is necessary for the theorist to prove that the previous theory was wrong and reason for it. The scientific detailing of a theory can avoid the scientist being labeled a crack pot. 3. The best way to explain the continental drift is by analyzing the plate tectonics with GPS. GPS is Global Positioning System which works with the help of satellite devices. According to (Garmin ,1996) â€Å"The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system made up of a network of 24 satellites placed into orbit by the U.S. Department of Defense†. It shows that the earth’s plates are floating on the surface and it makes it clear that they are moving all the time. Event the devices that project 3D image of seismic activity is important for supporting Wegner’s theory. One of the evidence which can be shows is the presence of Negroid races in many parts of continents. It can be seen that there is Negroid races in India and other Asian countries and even the topography and vegetation is somewhat similar. The wild life and aquatic animals remain somewhat similar and this can be because the animals shared a common ancestor and had few changes due to evolution. The evidence can be collected by visiting some parts of continents and showcasing its inhabitants and geographical nature. Patrick is quiet right that Wegner has not revealed the theory too soon

FINAL EXAM PAPER. strengths and weaknesses in american society between Term Paper

FINAL EXAM . strengths and weaknesses in american society between 1900 and present - Term Paper Example The 20th century started with the passing of the Gold Standard Act, which controlled the value of the dollar (McCulley 39). In 1901, inclusion of Cherokee, Seminole, Muscogee, Chickasaw and the Choctaw boosted cultural diversification of America. In 1907, America experienced a state of economic panic caused by a fall in the stock market (U.S. Department of the Treasury 1). The incidence affected the country’s economic performance. The year 1924 saw the granting of citizenship to Indians through the enactment of the Indian Citizenship Act (Sadiq 11). The year 1991 saw the involvement of America in the formulation of the treaty of Versailles, which positioned her as an influential country in the world. The American art industry saw which covered the civil war and the aftermath consequences. The film also  featured  the  incidence during the  assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Arnold Schoenberg influenced the music industry through the development of the twelve-tone music composition method. The year 1917 saw the buying of a war bond by the America as an initiative to support war against the central powers. Eliot, T.S. wrote the poem â€Å"The Waste Land† poem, which covers the cultural problems that resulted after the World War I. The poem marked a revolution in the art sector of the country. The Great Depression started in 1929. The consequences of the incidence were increased unemployment and the massive closure of many of the U.S banks. Franklin Roosevelt advocated the New Deal in 1933, whose aims were to set up programs to solve the economic state of the country (Boyer et al. 737). The primary social occurrence of this period was the increased support of the isolationism. Due to the profound negative effects of the world war, the Americans thought that it was wise to withdraw from their involvement in the European issues. In 1938, Mexico expropriated foreign oil companies operating in the country. As a reaction to

Social Psychology - Exprerimental Psychology Essay

Social Psychology - Exprerimental Psychology - Essay Example Experimental psychology, Patrick McGhee has decribed as the most dominant form of psychology in north America and Europe. Whether or not this dominance is desirable, secure or important is another issue. In the perspective of experimental social psychology, the most scientifically efficient, intellectually rigorous method for understanding human social behaviour makes for the making of three assumptions viz: Experimental psychology can be viewed as the first of the three individual "visions" of social psychology. This "vision" when applied in to the understanding of Liv Ullman does not really explain anything about her success as a film star, but then goes to make us understand her person to the point of why she did what. When put under experimental psychology, the social psychology of Liv Ullman can be understood. The reasons for her being a committed UNICEF goodwill ambassador who has also travelled wide for the organisation can be explained. She is Norweigian, born in Tokyo and has a half Swedish daughter with Swedish Ingmar Bergman. Her vast travel experience may have contributed to her being multi-lingual which may have been useful to her in her many travels across the globe in furtherance of her humanitarian service as a UNICEF goodwill ambassasdor. The fact that she has continued in th... The fact that she has continued in the movie industry as a director (even after retiring as an actress) is a confirmation of the experimental psychology. She will definitely be more comfortable in the movie industry than any other industry. Her role in the movie Scenes from a Marriage, which turned her into a feminist and cultural icon in the 1970s and also placed her as one of the most respected actress of her time was directed by Ingmar Bergman. The position the film put her may have influenced her going into humanitarian service. Her cross-cultural background- born in Tokyo; raised in Norway; married and worked with a Swede, whom she has a child for; and now married to an American- have all contributed to explain her many travels on humanitarian purposes as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. Looking at this first "vision" of social psychology, it can be said that in understanding Liv Ullman, it is useful. But there are questions that it does not exactly provide answers to. Like how she became so good an actress and so much critical acclaim that has not yet been seen since the 70s. Her sense of security, even when she is not with the ones she loves, or in strange land have not been explained using this "vision". The second "vision" is humanistic and experiential. What this seeks to do is to blend the study of personal and social life in the actualities of lived experience. It tries to look at the lived world and the behavoiur of an individual to the experiences of this world. This vision regards people's experience and the meanings they attach to their actions and that of others. It believes behaviour has to be interpreted to be made meaningful. Thus the behaviour which is objectively observable and analysable is