Engendering violence Essay Example for Free

Engendering violence Essay Violence could occur in various ways and in different levels. It may happen in the form of physical, sexual, verbal and psychological abuse, and could be inflicted by any individual, groups, institutions or nations. Whatever form of violence is inflicted, it could threaten the body of the violated person in the most complex way (Jarvis, â€Å"world of the body†). The society today is not new with the issue of violence. Every now and then, the media is consistently reporting events that are inhumane. Although violence could occur among different people, it has been well identified that the prevailing cases of violence are those that are gendered-based. Before one could fully identify gender-based violence, it is an imperative to clarify various definitions that are centered to the area being studied. It should be well understood that the usage of the words gender and sex are needed to be given identification in order to fully understand gender-based violence. In many cases the words gender and sex are used alternately; however there is a distinction between the two words. Sex is often referred to as the differences in the physical aspects of males and females while gender is known to be the roles of the males and females that are socially-prescribed. Such gender roles are acquired through the process of socialization (Ward, 2002 qtd in Benjamin and Murchinson 3). While the physical differences between male and female is persistently identified to be something that is easily distinguished and could be possessed in common, the gender roles are wide range and could be found in different aspects of an individual’s life and may apply in various aspects such as access to various resources, responsibilities that are public and private or even during the period of courtship. Although gender roles could be altered in the long run, it should be well understood that these gender roles reflect the position of men, women and children in the society (Benjamin and Murchinson 3-4). Based from these roles, gender-based violence could be identified as a form of violence that is done to an individual in accordance to the role he or she played within the society. Although such violence could also be directed among men, gender-based violence is prevalent among women and girls. The violence inflicted to females intends to empower hierarchies and strengthen gender inequalities (Benjamin and Murchinson 4). The term gender-based violence is now taking a new context where in it tends to examine and deeply understand the violence against women and discusses the role of gender in inflicting the violence. The power of gender relations always place women in a more disadvantaged position compared to their male counterparts. Gender-based violence place women at a level where they have less access to resources, information, decision making, benefits and have lesser hold on their rights. Aside from these, gender-based violence are also closely related to violence against women and girls because of the involvement of the idea that women are the subordinate gender in the society (UNIFEM 2-3). In various nations, women and girls are victims of myriads of forms of violence. Most of the cases of violence were not done randomly. The victims became the targets of the perpetrators because of the reason that they are females. Among the many forms of violence, sexual violence specifically rape is the most commonly inflicted among women. All sexual assaults are done out of aggression, despite of the gender and age of the victim. The primary motivation of the assailant to carry out rape is not centered towards satisfying a sexual desire or an issue of sexual deprivation from the past rather the perpetrator inflicts rape in order to express their power over somebody (Groth qtd in New York City Alliance against sexual assault, â€Å"Factsheets†). In most cases of female rape the act of violence was predominantly done by males who all come from socio-economic classes, racial or other ethnic groups. All through out the world, rape is often directed towards women because of their gender, regardless of their age, ethnicity or political affiliation (UNIFEM, â€Å"violence†). In the United States alone, it was reported that a woman is raped every two minutes. Just in 1995, the number of women who were raped or sexually assaulted reached over 354,670. The risk factors for initiating rape were accounted for early sexual experience, stereotyping which include the negative attitudes of males toward females, consumption of alcohol and the acceptance of rape myths (â€Å"American rape statistics†). In addition, during war and civil conflicts gender-based violence such as rape and sexual abuse were done in order to attack the morale of the enemy including men and women. For others gender-based violence was also conducted as â€Å"spoils of war. † (Benjamin and Murchinson 5) During the 1994 Rwandan genocide, sexual violence, especially rape was directed or encouraged by the Hutu Militia groups in order to strengthen their goal of destroying the whole Tsutsi clan. At this point in time, the violence was directed towards the Tsutsi women due to their gender and ethnicity. Furthermore, the sexuality of the Tsutsi women was also regarded by the Hutu’s, who were the genocide perpetrators, as a medium that could be used by the Tsutsi community to infiltrate the community of the Hutus. Because of this reason, the propaganda of sexually violating the Tsutsi women became prevalent in order to dehumanize and subjugate the Tsusti community as a whole. Aside from the Tsutsi women other Hutu women were also targeted for rape by their own tribesmen because they were associated with Tsutsi men who are considered as an opposition (Norwojee, â€Å"Shattered lives†). During the conflict in Bosnia-Hercegovina, Muslim women were raped and sexually abused as a part of the so-called â€Å"ethnic cleansing† for the establishment of the Greater Serbia, which is said to be ethically pure. On the basis of investigations, it was estimated that over 20,000 women became the victims of rape and sexual abuse. It was also documented that the rape was directed among the women in order to impose humiliation among the victims, their families and the community where they belong (WomenAid International, â€Å"EC investigative mission†). Much has been written about the prevalence of rape and rape reporting among females. However, it was stated earlier in the study that gender-based violence could also occur among males. In the case of rape, males are often disregarded about the issue because of the social context that males are the initiators of the sexual act, or if not they are considered as the dominating gender and that the women should be take the submissive role (Gagnon and Simon, 1973; Schneider Gould, 1987 qtd in Duncan and William, â€Å"Gender role,† 1). Despite this traditional sexual script, male rape is also very much similar to female rape. The most common perpetrators of male rape are also males, yet on a larger scale, the involvement of female as accomplices or perpetrators were also reported. In 2002, it was documented that out of eight rape victims, one of those involves a male (RAINN, 2003 qtd in Stanford’s men against violent group, â€Å"male rape†). More often than not, male rape is one of the many violence issues that are least discussed in the society. This is because such issue is often interpreted as an extension of the life in prison and is often regarded as a part of the homosexual subculture (Kaufman et al. , 1980 qtd in Pino and Meier, 1). However, what people do not recognize is the fact that male rape survivors include not only homosexuals but also heterosexuals, teenagers, homosexuals and children. Case research even suggested that males also experience the same reactions felt by females. Alongside with the feelings of depression, anger, self-blame, guilt, sexual dysfunctions, vulnerability and emotional distancing, male rape victims also have to endure unsympathetic attitudes from people even their friends, family and acquaintances (Brochman, 1991 qtd in New York City alliance against sexual assault, â€Å"Factsheets†). Likewise, it was also reported that males are more likely to become victims of multiple aggressors, yet the assailants could inflict sustained physical trauma and male victims could be held as captives for a longer period of time compared to their female counterparts (Kaufman et al. , 1980 qtd in Pino and Meier, 1).

Free Essays - An Impression of An Essay on Man :: Alexander Pope Essay on Man

An Impression of An Essay on Man  Ã‚   The beautiful poetry of Alexander Pope in "An Essay on Man," has many deep meanings in it, but they are almost always hard to find if you only read through it once. Only by reading it several times and taking it apart, line by line, can you truly understand everything that pope is trying to get you to understand. Separated into ten stanzas, each one stating a clear part of his argument, and all relating to his main purpose of showing mankind that God is superior to all, and everything is for reason. I have paraphrased the first stanza as follows: First of all, we can only understand what we already know about God and man. For man, we see only his place on earth, and that isn’t much to reason with or refer to when compared to God’s knowledge. While God knows of infinite amounts of worlds, he is the only God that we know of. God, who can see everything, who can create a universe with many other worlds, who knows how our solar system works, who knows what other suns with planets there are, who knows what types of people live on those planets around every sun, He knows why we are made the way we are. But in this frame of mind, with all of the ways we are connected to God, or ties, strong connections, dependencies and gradations, have you really looked through your soul, or is only part of the truth enough for you? Is the Great Chain of Being, which everybody agrees on and many people support, something that God planned, or was it created by man? This first stanza is showing mankind that, while we claim to know the way everything works, we really don’t know anything in comparison to God. The first line in the second epistle, "On the Nature and State of Man With Respect to Himself, as an Individual," is, "Know then thyself, presume not God to scan; The proper study of mankind is Man." This line is saying that we have to know ourselves, we can’t just assume that God will tell us, and that the only way we can know about mankind is to first know about ourselves. Free Essays - An Impression of An Essay on Man :: Alexander Pope Essay on Man An Impression of An Essay on Man  Ã‚   The beautiful poetry of Alexander Pope in "An Essay on Man," has many deep meanings in it, but they are almost always hard to find if you only read through it once. Only by reading it several times and taking it apart, line by line, can you truly understand everything that pope is trying to get you to understand. Separated into ten stanzas, each one stating a clear part of his argument, and all relating to his main purpose of showing mankind that God is superior to all, and everything is for reason. I have paraphrased the first stanza as follows: First of all, we can only understand what we already know about God and man. For man, we see only his place on earth, and that isn’t much to reason with or refer to when compared to God’s knowledge. While God knows of infinite amounts of worlds, he is the only God that we know of. God, who can see everything, who can create a universe with many other worlds, who knows how our solar system works, who knows what other suns with planets there are, who knows what types of people live on those planets around every sun, He knows why we are made the way we are. But in this frame of mind, with all of the ways we are connected to God, or ties, strong connections, dependencies and gradations, have you really looked through your soul, or is only part of the truth enough for you? Is the Great Chain of Being, which everybody agrees on and many people support, something that God planned, or was it created by man? This first stanza is showing mankind that, while we claim to know the way everything works, we really don’t know anything in comparison to God. The first line in the second epistle, "On the Nature and State of Man With Respect to Himself, as an Individual," is, "Know then thyself, presume not God to scan; The proper study of mankind is Man." This line is saying that we have to know ourselves, we can’t just assume that God will tell us, and that the only way we can know about mankind is to first know about ourselves.

Common College Diseases Essay

College students are young, lively and generally healthy individuals, but just like any population, they are prone tocertain health problems. Not only do college students have some of the worst eating, exercising and sleeping habits,they also have to deal with stress from school, relationships and job hunting that takes a major toll on their health.Here are the 8 most common college diseases: 1. Depression : Depression is a growing issue that even college campuses are dealing with more and more. An alarming 44 percent of college students reported feeling symptoms of depression during college andmany do not seek treatment for their mental illness. Depression can be brought on by a number of factors,including anxiety from school or work, the loss of a loved one, a troubled relationship and early childhoodtrauma. College students have a high risk of being depressed because their hormones are often out of whack and imbalanced at this age, and they face a great deal of pressures and obstacles while in schooland away from their parents. 2. Meningococcal Meningitis: Meningococcal meningitis is a rare but often deadly bacterial infection that isspread through air droplets and direct contact with infected persons. When the disease attacks, it will shutdown major organs and prevent blood flow to the limbs, often causing tissue to die and extremities to beamputated. From a national perspective, meningococcal meningitis is a rare disease that strikes fewer than 3,000 people every year. However, it tends to thrive on college students living in the dorms becauseof the close-quartered arrangements and their often weak immune systems. 3. Alcohol and Drug Addiction: Alcohol and drug abuse has, and continues to be, a health problem amongcollege students. College students have higher rates of alcohol and drug addiction than the rest of thepublic, with nearly 2.7 million full-time college students abusing drugs and alcohol at least once a month. As students relish in their newfound freedom, they are more likely to try drugs and alcohol with friends for the first time. Although alcohol is still the preferred drug of choice by most college students, there has alsobeen an increase in marijuana and prescription drug abuse. 4. Sexually Transmitted Diseasesc: With the increased amount of sexual activity and unprotected sexhappening in todays colleges, its no wonder why sexually transmitted diseases are rampant amongcollege students. An estimated 20 to 25 percent of college students have been infected or are carriers of STDs. Sexually active young adults have high rates of STDs because they do not use adequate protectionand often do not seek medical attention. Chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes and HPV (Human Papillomavirus)are some of the most common STDs among college students. 5. Eating Disorders: Eating disorders continue to be a major concern among college students today. Inaddition to the classic eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, there are a number of other eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS) that have become more rampant in college, suchas caloric restriction, drastic weight loss, excessive exercise, binging and purging. Disordered eating iscommonplace in college, when students are eating on their own and trying to avoid gaining the â€Å"freshman15.† 6. Obesity: Eating disorders continue to garner attention in college, but many students are troubled by theother end of the spectrum  ± obesity. Today, more than 30 percent of college students are consideredobese or overweight by the American College Health Associations standards. A combination of unhealthydiets, limited physical activity and poor lifestyle choices has caused many college students to becomeobese or overweight. 7. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): We hear a great deal about the amount of studentsabusing Adderall and other psychostimulant medications in non-medical ways, but there is a growingnumber of college students being tested and diagnosed with ADHD, as well. The growing number of diagnoses can be attributed to several reasons, including the pressures of college studies, poor academic

The Cherokee Removal Through The Eyes Of A Private Soldier

â€Å"The Cherokee Removal through the eyes of a private soldier† In the year of 1828, the president Andrew Jackson was appointed to the office of the American government with this the fact of the remaining Indians tribes were important which were named â€Å"The Five Civilized Tribes† including the Cherokee and with the pass of the â€Å"Treaty of Etocha† forced the Cherokee out of the land of Georgia also known as the â€Å"Trail of Tears† where thousands upon thousands of Cherokee were killed during the extraction of the Cherokee’s land. The Narrative was a very interesting Article explaining the Trail of Tears through the point of view of a white privileged soldier. He first explain his personal relationship with the Cherokee how his relationship with then connected him to the atrocity. This also falls into comparison with the ideological mindset of Eurocentric soldier this one different soldier was purposely used within the context of the narra tive to appeal to the reader’s moral and ironic symbolism of what the soldier meant. He explained the events taking place post extraction because he was the messenger in which they spoke from, with having talent of speaking to them in their native tongue, witnessed the doom of the Native Cherokee Indians being taken from the village and into the Trail of Tears. He then slants the entirety of his narrative by expanding the psychotic images he saw since he was so close to the Indians he understood the true horror of the incident. So this articleShow MoreRelated Andrew Jackson Essay3457 Words   |  14 Pageswould not be in anyones favor to question the validity of the his words, but to understand them with unrestrained faith in those words will help to insure complete insight into the book. Moreover, this book stresses the immortal fact that Jacksons private life had as much irony and agony as his political/outside life did. With those factors understood, Jacksons life and the times he lived in, will become clear to all. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The important point to understand about most thingsRead MoreElvis Presley Family History : 1669-19353943 Words   |  16 PagesElisabetha, 14, Anna Gertrud, 12, Andreas, 6, Antoni, 4, and (son) 1-1/2. Andreas Preslar was born in Germany in 1704 and died 1759 in Anson, North Carolina, USA. He was to marry Antje (Anna) Wells of Staten Island, New York, in 1727, they moved through New York through PA to Maryland and then to Anson Co. NC. Antje Wills was born 1697 in Southold, Suffolk, New York, USA and died 1765 in Anson, North Carolina, USA. (Some sources list Andreas (Andrew) Preslars year of bith as 1701) There were two sets ofRead MoreRevisiting, Revising, and Reviving Americas Founding Era6252 Words   |  26 Pagespresident in 1789, the story has a happy ending and the curtain comes down. This time-honored script renders the road from colonies to nation clear, smooth, and straight, with familiar landmarks along the way, from Bostons Massacre and Tea Party through Lexington and Concord, then on to Bunker Hill and Yorktown before reaching its destination: Philadelphia in 1787, where the Founders invented a government worthy of Americas greatness. Those Founders are equally familiar. Washington and Thomas JeffersonRead MoreEssays for the American Pageant, 14th Ed.11068 Words   |  45 PagesNative Americans into slavery. Both brought terrible diseases to the New World, though the Spanish impact was more devastating because of earlier arrival. The Spanish attempted to integrate Native Americans into their colonial societies through intermarriage and through the establishment of agri cultural communities with Native American workers. The English separated themselves from Native American life to a greater extent and relied mostly on trade for economic gain. 2. Evaluate the extent of settlement