Saturday, October 5, 2019
The Residual System in the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words
The Residual System in the US - Essay Example Property asset bubbles occur every time during a normal business cycle and especially during boom times but the severity of the current downturn and subsequent bursting is something unique. Many had compared its deleterious effects to the Great Depression of the 1930s when the stock market collapsed and millions were thrown out of work. à The financial crisis led to a tightening of credit such that businesses find it hard to borrow money to finance expansion plans. This, in turn, caused an economic contraction in terms of employment and industrial production, leading to a vicious downward cycle that has continued until today although it had slowed down a bit. The end result is that once prosperous families find themselves on the breadline when their primary breadwinners lost their once secure jobs. It is as if the whole sky had fallen down on them and their own version of the American dream had turned into a nightmare of waiting in job lines. A cherished dream of self-worth was destroyed by these job losses when a primary sense of achievement is how much one can afford to buy in the first place. An individualââ¬â¢s self-worth was once measured in fame and personal wealth but not anymore today. à Americaââ¬â¢s social welfare system is called a residual-type of the program compared to other Western industrialized nations where they are a central part of government welfare policies. By residual, this means aid is given only to those who were very poor, to those who were chronically unemployed, the sickly or the elderly. In other words, the social welfare programs are intended for individuals who cannot make it on our free market system of competitive employment. Welfare aid is given only temporarily to supposedly those people who were down on their luck and had fallen on hard times.
Friday, October 4, 2019
Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2
Assignment Example Globalization and Agreement or Disagreement on the Issues Wrightââ¬â¢s argument was that globalization is a force that has ultimately contributed to why the 9/11 attacks occurred. Wright is saying that if there were more financial equality in the Middle East, then perhaps there would not be rioting and all kinds of dissent among people in the Arab world regarding savage inequalities. These inequalities are problems like poverty and high populations, and not enough resources. Perhaps one of the greatest issues, however, that concerns the Middle East is how poverty has affected the people. People in these regions feel very upset that they are being ignored. Take, for example, the current situation in Syria. These people, hundreds of thousands of them, have been left to die at the hands of Bashar Assad. The president of Syria thinks that just because he can kill people, he should kill people. He hedged a bet that no one would stop him, and he was right. He is figuring on being able t o kill a lot of defenseless, innocent people just because he can. ... Americaââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"Grander Missionâ⬠and Its ââ¬Å"Deep and Subtle Moral Challengeâ⬠What is Americaââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"grander missionâ⬠? It seems that Americaââ¬â¢s grander mission would be to help those less fortunate than itself. However, that is not always the case, sadly. While in the U.S. we attempt to give aid to those who most need it, unfortunately what the case is is that we are drowning in a budget deficit that threatens to send us off the edge of a fiscal cliff. While Americaââ¬â¢s greater or grander mission is to help those who are less fortunate, we must also realize our deep and subtle moral challenges. Those moral challenges include: taking the moral high ground; having interest in situations where they do not necessarily benefit us financially but are still situations in which people need help; and not benefiting from the suffering of others. One of Americaââ¬â¢s biggest issues is that its leaders only do things that are for their own bene fit or Americaââ¬â¢s benefit. For example, one of the key reasons America does not have a vested interest in helping the Syrians is because they have no oil. They have no resources to offer the U.S. in return for what the Americans would do for them. And, unfortunately, that kind of reciprocity is exactly why the U.S. got involved in Libya and Iraqââ¬âbecause the oilfields there would have jeopardized the oil deliveries to the U.S. and other countries. The key word here is the United States. Anything affecting the United States directly are what we consider our best interests. Unfortunately, that is a selfish policy that our leaders execute while forgetting about people who are suffering elsewhere that have just as valid plights from which they
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Health Literacy Essay Example for Free
Health Literacy Essay I. Background Child health is an essential indicator of the quality of life in developing countries. Mothersââ¬â¢ literacy is often positively associated with improved child health and nutritional status (Glewwe, 1999). The possession of literacy increases the ability of a mother or a family to acquire more knowledge. Improvements in child health are considered as the consequences of enhanced of motherââ¬â¢s knowledge. In short, literacy affects health, and health affects educational achievement (Grosse, 1989). Because the correlation between literacy, health, wealth and well-being is becoming increasingly important, it is crucial to include health literacy as skills required for an adult ââ¬Ëto functionââ¬â¢ in a community (Kickbusch, 2001). Health literacy has been recognized as a key outcome measure of health promotion interventions (Nutbeam, 1996). It can be categorized as basic/functional health literacy, communicative/interactive health literacy and critical literacy. Each level has different ââ¬Ëautonomy and personal empowermentââ¬â¢. Individual attention is focused on developing the skills and confidence to make choices that enhance individual health outcomes (Nutbeam, 2000). As the highest level, critical literacy ideally will be achieved in which people have this capability to search for information, assess the reliability of that information and use that information to have a better control over their health determinants (Nutbeam and Renkert, 2001). Following this health literacy concept, Nutbeam and Renkert (2001) define motherââ¬â¢s health literacy as ââ¬Ëthe cognitive and social skills which determine the motivation and ability of women to gain access to, understand and use the information in ways that promote and maintain their health and that of their childrenââ¬â¢. In terms of literacy, Indonesia has a relatively high of literacy rate of 90% (UNICEF, 2007). However, people with adequate literacy for dealing withà familiar concepts and practices, such as household management can discover a considerable difficulty to understand unfamiliar issues, such as health care information (Kalichman and Rompa, 2000). For mothers, health literacy skills are important factors in predicting child health outcomes. Indonesia as a developing country still faces many child health problems. Infant, neonatal and under-5 mortality rate was relatively high (26, 17 and 34 per 1000 live births, respectively) in 2006. Child immunization coverage is still considerably low with measles coverage of 66. 2%, MCV (80%), DPT (75%) and hepatitis (74%) among one-year-olds (WHO, 2009). Many studies show that low literacy is related with several adverse health outcomes (DeWalt, 2004). One of the ways to improve child health is likely by improving motherââ¬â¢s health literacy. Many recent studies have examined the impact of motherââ¬â¢s health literacy on child health (Sandiford, 1995). However, there are few studies focused on the barriers to motherââ¬â¢s health literacy. This study will investigate barriers are there to improve motherââ¬â¢s health literacy on child health and find solutions might overcome the barriers. II. Objectives 1. To investigate the level of motherââ¬â¢s health literacy in province of Aceh (functional, interactive or critical health literacy of mothers toward child health care, participation in child care programme in villages or sub districts, health seeking behaviours, efforts to gain access to health services). 2. To explore what barriers are there to improve motherââ¬â¢s health literacy on child health 3. To evaluate solutions that might overcome the barriers in order to enhance motherââ¬â¢s health literacy. 4. To create a model of intervention to improve maternal health literacy III. Methodology This research will be conducted in quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative methods will investigate the data about the mothersââ¬â¢ functional, interactive and critical health literacy toward the child health care, the utilisation of primary health care by mothers in terms of health seeking behaviour, child immunization coverage and monitoring of childrenââ¬â¢s nutritional status. The data will be collected by using structured questionnaires. The functional literacy will use the structured questionnaires of Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA) (Baker, 1999) and Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) (Bass, 2003) while the interactive and critical health literacy questionnaires will be designed by modifying the existing researches that study of maternal health literacy. Then, the results will be categorized by scoring into Inadequate, Marginal and Adequate health literacy. Before the questionnaire is used for the investigation, the validity and reliability tests will be performed. In the qualitative stage, I will conduct personal interviews and focus group discussions to find out the barriers and solutions to improve maternal health literacy. Semi-structured personal interviews will be used for mothers and health care staff (physicians, nurses and midwifes) from villages and sub-district health services. Respondents will be interviewed individually and privacy will be maintained during the interview. For focus group discussions, they will be purposively selected to ensure the maximum variation to ensure a diversity of views about barriers to improve mothersââ¬â¢ health literacy within the sample. For each group, initial contact will be made by a gatekeeper such as co-ordinator of village motherââ¬â¢s association, wife of head of village and village midwife. All groups will be facilitated by the researcher, recorded with the participantsââ¬â¢ permission and will be fully transcribed. Sampling strategy Participant will be recruited from women who have children (younger or older children) in disparate geographical areas (social/cultural/ethnic mix) to look for contextual difference and from different level of education (no education, basic, advanced and higher education). The sample will be recruited purposively from the population data of department of health in Aceh. Women who are willing to participate, speak either Indonesia or Acehnese, and are articulate will be purposively selected for the qualitative study. For the quantitative study, respondents will be selected using the multi-stage random sampling method. All respondent selected will be assured that participation is voluntary. Data analysis The recorded interviews will be transcribed word for word into the language of the interview (Bahasa Indonesia, but Acehnese will be used as many people in rural areas cannot speak bahasa) and then translated into English. Categories for analysis of data will be identified at the beginning. The transcripts will be analyzed and allocated from each subject to various categories. Data will then be analyzed according to these categories. The quantitative data will be analized using SPSS statistical software version 19. 0 (SPSS, Inc, Chicago, Ill). IV. Significance Indonesia is a developing country with a population of nearly 250 million. Low literacy and high fertility coupled with poor economy translates into high morbidity and mortality. Women and children are the most vulnerable segments in terms of health. It is important to improve maternal health literacy and other factors related to health services in order to increase child health care. It is a multi sector program that involves many stake holders including health department, medical education and community. It is important for medical education institution to educate their graduations of health promotion and health education against the current trend of medical education that is more likely to be a curative and specialist view. V. Others USA is a developed country and well known for its reputable universities especially for public health subjects. Health system in the US is different from Indonesia that will allow me to learn more about health education especially maternal health literacy in the US health system. The project will be conducted in three years. The detail of timeline can be found in the table below. Table 1. The timeline of research No| Years| Year 1| Year 2| | MonthsTasks| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9| 10| 11| 12| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9| 10| 11| 12| 1| Refine research question| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2| Preparation of proposal| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 3| Literature review and process the local and university ethical issues| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4| Produce the questioners | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 5| Data collection| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 6| Data analysis| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |. No| Years| Year 3| | MonthsTasks| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9| 10| 11| 12| 6| Data analysis (continued)| | | | | | | | | | | | | 8| Writing initial draft| | | | | | | | | | | | | 9| Proof reading | | | | | | | | | | | | | 10| Revision and hand in| | | | | | | | | | | | | References Baker DW, Williams MV, Parker RM, Gazmararian JA, Nurss J. Development of a brief test to measure functional health literacy. Patient Education and Counseling. 1999, 38:33-42. Bass PF, Wilson JF, and Griffith CH. A Shortened Instrument for Literacy Screening. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2003,18:1036-1038. Glewwe. P. Why does motherââ¬â¢s schooling raise child health in developing countries? evidence from Morocco. The Journal of Human Resources. 1999; 34 (1): 124 ââ¬â 159. Grosse R. N. Literacy and health status in developing counties. Annual Review Public Health. 1989; 34: 281 ââ¬â 97. Kickbusch I. S. Health literacy: addressing the health and education divide. Health Promotion International. 2001; 16 (3): 289 ââ¬â 97. Nutbeam D. Achieving ââ¬Ëbest practiceââ¬â¢ in health promotion: improving the fit between research and practice. Health Education Research. 1996; 11 (3): 317 ââ¬â 26. Nutbeam D. Health literacy as a public health goal: a challenge for contemporary health education and communication strategies into the 21st century. Health Promotion International. 2000; 15 (3): 259 ââ¬â 67. Nutbeam D and Renkert S. Opportunities to improve maternal health literacy through antenatal education: an exploratory study. Health Promotion International. 2001; 16 (4): 38 ââ¬â 88. Kalichman S. C and Rompa D. Functional health literacy is associated with health status and health-related knowledge in people living with HIV-AIDS. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. 2000; 25: 337 ââ¬â 44. The World Health Organization (WHO). WHO Statistical Information System (WHOSIS) for Indonesia. 2009. Retrieved on Jan 7, 2009. Available from: http://www. who. int/whosis/data/Search. jsp? indicators=[Indicator]. Members DeWalt D. A et. al. Literacy and health outcomes. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2004; 19: 1228 ââ¬â 39. Sandiford P, Cassel J, Montenegro M and Sanchez G. The impact of womenââ¬â¢s literacy on child health and its interaction with access to health services. Population Investigation Committee. 1995; 49 (1): 5 ââ¬â 17. Health Canada. Toward a Healthy Future: Second Report on the Health of Canadians. 1999. Retrieved Jan 7, 2009. Available from: http://www. phac-aspc. gc. ca/ph-sp/report-rapport/toward/pdf/toward_a_healthy_english. PDF Provincial health office Aceh province. Health profile of Aceh province in 2007. Banda Aceh-Indonesia. 2007. Rahmad Y. 2008, menurunkan angka kematian ibu dan bayi. The Globe Journal Banda Aceh. 2008. Retrieved Jan 8, 2009. Available from: http://www. theglobejournal. com/detilberita. php? id=1586 Serambi news, Di aceh masih banyak perempuan buta huruf. Serambi Indonesia. 2/12/2008. Retrieved Jan 8, 2009. Available from: http://www. serambinews. com/old/index. php? aksi=bacaberitaberitaid=59771rubrik=1topik=13 The United Nation Childrenââ¬â¢s Fund (UNICEF). Statistics Basic Indicator for Indonesia. 2007. Retrieved on Jan 7, 2009. Available from: http://www. unicef. org/infobycountry/indonesia_statistics. html.
The Hawthrone Studies And Their Implications
The Hawthrone Studies And Their Implications According to Hucyznski and Buchanan, In the United States, during the 1920s and 1930s, the Hawthorne studies were to lead to the creation of the human relations movement and a highly influential school of academic and practical management thinking. The Hawthorne studies revolutionised the way in which the management of an organization deals with its human resources and the relationship between the different levels of the human resource chain. The Human Relations Movement originated in the United States of America and was the outcome of the Hawthrone Studies. The Movement and its basic theories were developed primarily by Elton Mayo. These experiments were conducted in the Western Electric Hawthrone Works in Chicago from the early 1920s to the 1930s. The Hawthorne Studies involved the examination and measurement of the affect of physical working conditions such as lighting, humidity, cleanliness, etc. and psychological factors such as managerial leadership, payment systems, working hours and respites between work on the output and productivity of the workers and on employee motivation. The most significant discovery from the Hawthorne experiments was that workers were not so much impacted by physical working conditions and remunerations, or by changes thereof, than they were by the very fact that they were being observed. When workers became aware that they were being supervised, they felt that they were an imperative part of the organization. They felt the need to perform better. This raised employee morale and motivation and in turn increased employee productivity. Thus, the term Hawthorne Effect was coined and used widely to denote the improvement or modification of the behaviour of a subject under study due to the fact that it was being studied. Subsequent studies that were conducted revealed that informal groups and informal social conventions within the organisation played an important role in determining the work habits and opinions of the workers along with the organisation and conduct of work. Course of the Experiments Changes in Lighting: The initial step in the experiments was the gauging of worker productivity against changes in the intensity of lighting conditions. Two groups were selected, lighting being changed for one, but kept constant for the other. However both groups were under the impression that lighting was changed. Mayo observed that output rose in both cases. Relay Assembly: This was the most crucial aspect of the experiments. These were conducted mainly on a small group of six women to test their responses to certain changes, over a period of five years. First, Mayo attempted to find a correlation between fatigue and monotony and productivity. Changes were made in the work hours, break timings, lunch timings, piece works and physical conditions to assess the workers responses to each. Next, a group was employed in assembling relays. The effect of changes was evaluated to see how these changes influenced the production and rate of relay assembly. Throughout the experiments an observer or supervisor was made to record the events and incidents, to direct the women and provide help and information where needed and to listen to their feedbacks and complaints. The most startling observation that was made during these experiments was that the output reached the maximum point when all the incentives, breaks and piece works were taken away from the workers and they were returned to working 48 hour six day weeks. This defied the notion that physical, economic and material benefits affect productivity to the highest degree. Here social factors were at play. The women worked sincerely and to the best of their abilities as a result of being free from any type of coercion. The sense of importance they were endowed with urged them to improve performance. The women under investigation were given the liberty to choose their own techniques of putting the relay parts together. It was noticed that each of them followed different patterns and introduced innovative techniques to avoid monotony. The freedom of movement accorded to the women encouraged them to work responsibly, without inhibitions and incited them to execute tasks in an enhanced manner. Interviews: Interviews were conducted with the workers to establish their attitude towards their work. It was uncovered that the relationships that existed between the workers and their supervisors and management were highly significant. Bank Wiring Observation Room: A sample of 14 workers were taken from the production line and observed for six months. No changes in working conditions were implemented. It was noticed that workers developed their own procedures and methods to protect their interests. Production was constant, even after changes in compensation. Counselling: Counselling sessions were held to discern the problems and complaints of workers towards their jobs. Inferences The results of the experiments led Mayo to draw the following conclusions: Work is a group activity. Workers should be considered a part of the group, but also as individuals. The status of the worker within the group, the recognition of his work and a sense of belonging impacts his productivity more than working conditions or pay scales. Workers are motivated by the attention and importance given to them by their supervisors. The relationship of the worker with his superiors and with the management was imperative to his performance and efficiency. Social and emotional factors play a vital part in determining productivity of workers. The workplace is a social system and the workers are influenced by internal and external social demands. Informal groups within an organisation have a strong bearing on the attitudes and behaviour of the workers. Group cooperation needs to be planned and cultivated. According to Wilson and Rosenfeld, George Elton Mayo stressed the following: Natural groups, in which social aspects take precedence over functional organizational structures. Upwards communication, by which communication is two way, from worker to chief executive, as well as vice versa. Cohesive and good leadership is needed to communicate goals and to ensure effective and coherent decision making. Thus, Elton Mayo looked at the organisation of work from a totally new perspective. He stressed on the social, rather than technical organisation of work. The inferences made by Elton Mayo led to the development of the Human Relations Movement. The implications of Mayos perspectives on modern day organisations are immense. The propositions laid down by Mayo were radical and changed the way in which organisations view their workers and their productive capacities. Mayos suggestions are the premise of human relations and their management in various organisations, even today. Importance of Human Relations Movement for Todays Organisations Mayo and his ideas have made organisations recognise the fact that apart from monetary and material rewards, social satisfaction and a sense of belonging is also important for the workers of the company. In order to guarantee that a worker will perform to the best of his ability, not only his economic but also emotional and social needs must be taken into account. Companies integrate the propositions of Elton Mayo and the Human Relations Movement perspective into their human resource management techniques by recognising the workers need for acknowledgement. As observed, workers tend to be more productive when they feel that they are an integral part of a group or the organisation and when their work is appreciated. The management of modern day organisations involves these perspectives to motivate employees and boost their morale. When an employee senses that the organisation is taking an interest in him, he will be motivated to enhance the execution of his tasks. Workers also perform better when there is internal stimulus, from within the working group rather than when there is pressure from management. Thus, the management must ensure that too much pressure or control is not placed on the worker. Instead group dynamics should be studied and control should be accorded to each group correspondingly. The propositions, laid down by Mayo have also taught organisations the importance of relationships. By maintaining healthy and positive relations with the workers and strengthening the relations at each level of the organisation, the management can further augment employee motivation, satisfaction and productivity. Mistrust or animosity should not be allowed to develop between the workers and their superiors. Communication is also an essential aspect of keeping a worker motivated. There ought to be adequate two-way communication between supervisors and workers. Instructions should be properly and unambiguously given to the employees. Further, employees feedback should be given due recognition. Their problems, complaints and suggestions should be heard and taken into consideration. Mayos suggestions also help organisations comprehend the importance of teams in the workplace. Groups and their functioning play a crucial role in the operation of the organisations. The integration of group or team goals with the goals of the company can aid the latter in ensuring greater efficiency. Freedom of movement should be conferred on the workers as it has been perceived that workers tend to do better when they have the independence to function according to their own methods and techniques. Thus, the Hawthrone Studies and the Human Relations Movement, spearheaded by Elton Mayo have made remarkable contributions to the administration and management of the human resources of an organisation. Since then, there have many developments in this field. Nonetheless, even modern day organisations choose to consider and implement Mayos notions and perspectives when dealing with the organisation of work and management of workers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Relations_Movement
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Smoking: I Can Stop Whenever I Want :: essays research papers
Smoking: I Can Stop Whenever I Want Good afternoon, I can stop whenever I want. Does that sound familiar to you? if it does you are probably part of the 80% smokers who are teens. And studies show, that young smokers are likely to start doing drugs, selling drugs, and so forth. Young smokers start smoking at 12 or 13 just to get a taste of what it's like. Some of them find it disgusting and unhealthy and some find it cool usually because their peers introduced it to them. Tobacco use kills about 420,000 smokers each year. Recent studies also indicate that about 53,000 non smokers die each year from second hand smoking. You surprised heh? You shouldn't be, because all of those anti tobacco commercials on Television and on every single pack of cigarettes isn't there for nothing. It's there to prevent all of you teens to get hooked on cigarettes or even think about starting to smoke. Smoking is legal almost everywhere in the world, but it shouldn't be because Marijuana smoking isn't. Cigarettes are addictive and they usually lead the smoker to marijuana use or to other kind of drugs. That's why I think that young teenagers shouldn't start smoking at young age. All of you people out there who think that they can stop whenever they want, well I have news flash for you. 1 out of 10 smokers succeed in quitting smoking in United-States. Everyone thinks that they have an iron will and they keep on delaying the time to stop, I'll just stop as my new year resolution, I'll stop in a month, a week, a year. Smoking is really hard to quit, it's an addictive habit and you really need an iron will to stop it. There are also a few consequences I think I should mention from ciggarette smoking. First of all, as you all know, ciggarette smoking turns your teeth yellow so you can forget about those perfect teeth with the crest smile. The second consequence is, smoking costs around 4 $ a day for a normal smoker which comes up to 2500 $ per year, think what you could do with all that
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Contrasting Silkos Yellow Woman and Chopins Story of an Hour :: comparison compare contrast essays
Contrasting Silko's Yellow Woman and Chopin's Story of an Hour On the surface, the protagonists of Silko's "Yellow Woman" and Chopin's "Story of an Hour" seem to have little in common. Yet upon closer inspection, both stories relate tales of women who are repressed by the social tenets that define their roles as wives. From the viewpoint of Western society, the narrator of "Yellow Woman" might be considered immoral for her willing sexual encounter with a stranger. However, the stories related by her grandfather of the Yellow Woman demonstrate within her culture a more accepting attitude of her brief interlude: "Yellow Woman went away with the spirit from the north and lived with him and his relatives. She was gone a long time, but then one day she came back and brought twin boys."(188) Her grandfather certainly liked telling the stories and seems to have admired the Yellow Woman on some level. Other societies do not share the Western idea of moral sexual behavior. The Egyptian ruling class, for example, sometimes married brother to sister, and other cultures have incorporated fertility rites into their belief systems. Even within our own society, marriages to cousins, which are considered wrong today, were not uncommon in past centuries. Given that her attitude regarding sex and marriage might diff er from the Western norm, the central conflict of the story seems to be the narrator's desire for freedom to choose her own destiny versus her more Westernized view of her role as wife and mother, a role that is traditionally subservient to the husband in Western society. There is the sense that she finds her daily life dull, though perhaps not unhappy, and when a chance encounter turned sexual, she again takes on a subservient role to a male. Her inability to make sense of her conflicting feelings causes her to appear weak and lacking in character and portrays her in a negative light. By contrast, Louise Mallard, the protagonist in Chopin's "Story of an Hour", is a moral woman and loving wife, at least by Western standards. Her life is defined by the accepted social ideal of a husband's will as final. She is so inured to this concept that only upon hearing the news of his death does her true feeling of something "too subtle and elusive to name" (199) come forth. What she acknowledges to herself is that her marriage is not happy for her and she often resents her subservient role and "a kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime".
Things Fall Apart: Egwugwu Mask
The Egwugwu were a significant part of not only Umuofia, but the Ibo culture as a whole. They represented the spiritual ancestors of Umuofia. They were similar to the ââ¬Å"justice systemâ⬠of today. The Egwugwu were seen as wise and ultimately the most respectable members of the clan.They would review a case of the people and agree on a ruling they felt was ââ¬Å"justâ⬠. For example, Achebe writes about the Egwugwu judging the case of Uzowulu and his constantly abused wife from page 88 to 94. Even though there were some people who did not agree with the decisions of the Egwugwu, they never dared to speak out against them.Achebe tells the reader the origin of the Egwugwu when writing ââ¬Å"â⬠¦the spirits of the ancestorsâ⬠¦emerged from the earth. The Egwugwu houseâ⬠¦faced the forest, away from the crowd, who saw only its back with the many-colored patterns and drawings done by specially chosen womenâ⬠on page 88. This explains the reader the secrecy and importance of the Egwugwu. They were so sacred that the house they came from couldnââ¬â¢t even face the rest of Umuofia.For my project, I created a mask similar to the one Achebe describes on page 90. This spirit is portrayed to ââ¬Å"[have a] springy walk. He looked terrible with the smoked raffia body, a huge wooden face painted white except for the round hollow eyes and the charred teeth that were as big as manââ¬â¢s fingers.â⬠( Achebe 90).I have added clay shaped as teeth to my mask to represent the ââ¬Å"charred teethâ⬠(Achebe 90). Additionally, I was unable to find horns as Achebe also tells us the spirit has, so I have added feathers instead. This mask would be used anytime the Egwugwu is out in public. The spirits are unable to remove theses masks because doing so would be ââ¬Å"murderâ⬠(Achebe 186). Also, I have added scorings to the mask to show the detailed markings carved into actual tribal masks.
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