Alejandro Flores Essay Example for Free

Alejandro Flores Essay Write a 2 – 3 page paper that addresses the following: 1. How do Senor Flores, Senora Flores and Dr. Jean view this situation from totally different perspectives? 2. Why might Senora Flores have chosen to consult an espiritista rather than call the clinic when Alejandro was not getting better? 3. Which of the normative cultural values described in the Lecture might apply to Alejandro’s case? Please explain. The Puerto Rican culture has many beliefs involving individual roles within the family. Many believe that the male(s) of the family should work to provide the basic needs of the household: paying rent, bills, paying for groceries, automotive repair, and the like. Similarly, the female(s) of the house should be the primary house keeper and care giver. Familismo holds a large part in the Puerto Rican culture, and the advice of the elder family members is taken very seriously. Religion also plays an integral role in Puerto Rican culture, and some believe illness is the result of sin, punishment, or spiritual discomfort. These beliefs tie together to create culturally diverse situations regarding patients health care, and must be taken into consideration when discussing treatment plans. Senor Flores views this situation from the machismo perspective. His view is to he should be working to provide the means for his family to survive. By taking time off of work to attend Alejandro’s medical appointments, he feels that he is neglecting his cultural responsibility of working hard to meet the needs of his family as a whole. Additionally, he does not believe that the modern treatment has a positive effect on Alejandro’s condition, and he portrays that he would rather allow his mother-in-law to play a more active role in Alejandro’s care. He feels as though every time he is at the appointments, the clinical staff is ostracizing him and attacking him for smoking. Senora Flores is upset about Alejandro’s health condition, and appears to be reaching out for help in different directions. She does not want to give Alejandro all of the medicine he is prescribed, and is taking her mother’s advice by seeking the help of an espiritista. When she arrived to the appointment late, she was greeted poorly because of the tardiness, and doesn’t understand why the clinic staff is rude with her. Many Puerto Ricans believe that tardiness is accepted, even common, and that having a relaxed attitude regarding time is reasonable practice. Additionally, she is frustrated with the language barr ier that presents itself during the appointments. The clinic is providing her so much information, and she feels belittled by the staff when she may not comprehend all of the information they are providing her. She is concerned that Alejandro will be chastised due to the perception that he is weak and unhealthy. She is worried that nothing she can do will better his condition and prayers are not helping. Dr. Jean is concerned with Alejandro’s progress due to the misuse or absence of medications and the lack of Senor Flores’ interest in tobacco cessation for the sake of his child’s health. She desires to help the family, and has given her personal phone number to be accommodating, but instead Senora Flores confided in a housekeeper instead of the doctor. The family’s tardiness is an issue for Dr Jean, but this doesn’t bother her as much as not showing up for the appointment at all. Senora Flores may have consulted with the espiritista due to the lack of confidence in the medication Alejandro is prescribed. This combined with the clinical staff’s attitude toward her, and the cultural belief that illness can be caused by spiritual discomforts, could lead to Senora Flores’ visit to the spiritual healer. Espiritistas use prayers to attempt to rid the patient of spirits causing the disease. Also, Senora Flores’ mother suggested the espiritista visit, and the words and advice of the elder is highly respected in the Puerto Rican culture. All of the normative cultural values present themselves in this module, but the one that applies the most in my opinion is Fatalismo. In the study, the family seems that the fate of Alejandro’s illness is predetermined and nothing they have done or will do to ease h is symptoms will work effectively. 2010 Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics and Children’s Mercy Family Health Partners Cross Cultural Resource Guide pgs. 28-29 Retrieved on April 15, 2012 From: http://www.fhp.org/fhpdocs/CrossCulturalResourceGuide.pdf ELL Assessment for Linguistic Differences guide for Nonverbal Communication. Retrieved on April 17, 2012 From: http://www.ldldproject.net/cultures/puertorico/differences/nonverbal.html

The influence of sleep on the accuracy of memory Essay -- Health, Fals

The influence of sleep on the accuracy of memory The purpose of this study is to do a memory-for-words that will explore the influence of sleep on the accuracy of memory. The study examines the influence of sleep on false memory. This study is looking at two things: (1) how does sleep improve recognition of words? And if so, it would support the claim that sleep facilitates encoding into LTM. (2) How does sleep enhance a false memory of a word? According to Elizabeth F. Loftus (1996) false memories are often created by combining actual memories with suggestions received from others, it can include words that we learn and having them associated with semantic information. False memories are cause when we fail to recall the correct information. When we store information rarely we retrieve it exactly the way it happened, the fail to recall the information correctly may lead to false memories. Sleep in false memory are measured by recalling words that categorized as studied before, critical words which are the unstudied words, and the critical words which are the one that were nit studied before, but because of the semantic association it may appear during recall process. Stadler, Roediger, & McDermott (1999). A DMR paradigm is the tendency to falsely recall a target word from a list of words concentrated around that word. It lures people to falsely recall items that were never presented Roediger & McDermott (1995). In DRM paradigm, lists of words are constructed so that each word given is associated with a single non- presented word, referring to it as a critical lure. For instance, in this experiment to test participants’ words such as letters, school, study, reading, pen, pencil, paper, and pages, were presented, but its relat... ...he items in the evening and in the following morning 12 hours later after their normal sleeping time, their memory for the items were tested. The non-sleep group studied and practiced the items in the morning 12 hours later after their day of activity their memory was tested. From the results was found that there was no significance difference between the two groups in recalling the words. Limitations in this study that it uses a recognition technic instead of a free recall, low sample size, did not look at gender, as well as ethnicity (language in this case mater, especially when it comes to words that are not so familiar it is hard to recall them). In future studies a bigger sample size would be relevant for a better outcome of the result, do the test in a native language would help participant for a better recall, look at the difference in gender, ethnicity.

Literature Review: Foreign Maid

The problem of maid abuse has been around for a long time, and is no longer new to us. There have been several cases of extreme maid abuse shown in the news through the years. The debate has been further sparked up by the case of Ng Hua Chye, a 47-year-old male tour guide, who was sentenced to more than 18 years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane for manslaughter after his Indonesian maid died following nine months of beatings which left more than 200 injuries. However, these are cases are only a few out of the many that have yet to be uncovered. Are there better ways to improve the working standards of maids? This review aims to look into this problem through the comparison and analysis of several sources that we have managed to get our hands on. This review aims to identify the problems faced by foreign domestic workers in Singapore, whether maid abuse is indeed widespread, and finally what are the possible measures that can be taken to curb these problems effectively. Is maid abuse a widespread problem in Singapore? Cases of maid abuse are hard to track. ‘Given their isolation in private homes, it is difficult to ascertain the exact proportion of migrant domestic workers who face abuse. (Human Rights Watch) However, an independent poll by SIngapore Press Holdings in Dec 2003, revealed that ‘over 80% of FDWs were happy to work in Singapore. ’ (Getforme) This leaves us with a question: Are the statistics given by the government accurate in evaluating the problem of maid abuse? It can be further argued that the results of the polls are not representative of the whole for eign domestic workers population at large. Moreover, most foreign domestic workers who are abused would not be outside answering interviews by the government. Thus, the results of the polls are not accurate in showing the problem of maid abuse in Singapore. Of course, abuse is definitely not confined to serious physical abuse only. ‘â€Å"We only know about the extreme cases of abuse,† [TWC2 member Constance Singam] said, citing everyday practices like getting maids to wash the car, work long hours and wake up to feed someone coming home late. Employers also keep passports and withhold wages. ’ This goes to show that mundane forms of maid abuse and general ill treatment of maids are left unnoticed. As quoted by TWC2 (The Working Committee 2) member Constance Singam, â€Å"Physical abuse was only the tip of the iceberg, with the mundane problems of the domestic workers largely ignored. † This statement is further supported by reports which show stunning statistics. ‘Out of 147 cases of abuse [The Working Committee 2] studied, 68 percent involved physical injuries. ’ Physical abuse is rampant amongst cases of maid abuse, while there is also a large portion of foreign domestics workers in Singapore that suffer other ‘mundane types of abuse’. Thus, we can conclude from the evidence given above that maid abuse is indeed a widespread problem in the Singapore society. Problems that foreign domestic workers (FDWs) face Maids in Singapore face many problems, as asserted by the HRW. Women migrant domestic workers in Singapore suffer grave abuses ‘including physical and sexual violence, food deprivation, and confinement in the workplace. ’, ‘Migrant domestic workers earn half the wages of Singaporean workers in similar occupations, such as cleaners or gardeners. Unpaid wages is a growing complaint. And that ‘authorities have excluded domestic workers from the country's main labor laws. ’ (HRW) However, Getforme disagrees by saying, ‘Foreign domestic workers receive full protection under Singapore’s laws, including the Employment of Foreign Workers Act. All employers must provide adequate rest and meals and ensure work safety, proper housing and prompt salary payment. ’ (Getform e) Although it is evident that the Singapore government has tried to protect the welfare of foreign domestic workers, whether employers and employment agencies will follow suit is a different case. Studies conducted by the Human Rights Watch have shown that foreign domestic workers have more problems that do not meet our eyes. As quoted by the HRW, ‘key labor conditions, such as wages, hours of work, and salary deductions are left to employers and agencies, while domestic workers have little or no bargaining power. ’ Foreign domestic workers in Singapore also suffer from economic problems. Apart from physical abuse by their employers, many of them have to pay huge debts to the employment agencies. HRW shows this problem in its article, ‘Many domestic workers labor without pay for months to settle debts to employment agencies,’ Second, many of these FDWs lost their freedom as they were ‘confined to their workplace’, claimed HRW. Some employers prevent domestic workers from having weekly rest days, forbid them from talking to neighbors, and sometimes lock them in the workplace to prevent them from running away or having boyfriends. All these facts disagree with the Ministry of Manpower, which states that all employers must provide adequate rest and meals and ensure work safety, proper housing and prompt salary payment. Ultimately, it does not matter what the government does, as the people who have actual contact with the FDWs are the employers and the employment agencies, who are often the ones to make lives difficult for FDWs. Therefore, we do not believe it wrong to say that the problems that domestic workers face are indeed very serious. Solutions to curb maid abuse So, what are ways that can curb the problem of maid abuse more efficiently and improve the standards of working maids? There are some resolutions stated in our sources, while there are conflicting views at the same time. The HRW proposes that Singapore follow the example of Hong Kong in terms of their treatment of FDWs, ‘where the law stipulates a minimum wage and at least one rest day a week, the Singapore government does not provide a standard contract for maids. ’ (TWC2) However the Ministry disagrees with this arrangement as it is impractical to lay down minimum standards of working conditions due to the FDWs’ ‘unique nature of employment’ in households. Moreover, the introduction of such a standard will ‘inconvenience many households’, for example households with the elderly and need constant care from the domestic workers. However, the MOM has indeed taken several measures to protect the welfare of domestic workers. These include creating mandatory orientation programs for employers and domestic workers, prosecuting cases of unpaid wages and physical abuse, as well as introducing an accreditation program for employment agencies. The MOM has paid particular attention to the rosecution of cases involving unpaid wages and physical abuse. Employers who breach work permit conditions can be punished with a fine of up to $5,000 and a jail term of up to 6 months as quoted by the MOM. Also, employment agencies are to ensure that employers are to have at least 8 years of education such that they understand ‘[FDW’s] rights and protection provided under Singapore law. ’ Therefore, it will be very wrong to say t hat the Singapore government has not provided with measures to curb the problem of maid abuse. However, are these measures enough to curb maid abuse? Although, the cases of maid abuse have been decreasing, the cases have become more serious. The Ng Hua Chye case happened after the Singapore government enforced stricter penalties. Moreover, there is no way to be sure that the employers and employment agencies do know if households are going by the law. A ministry spokesman said that as domestic workers ‘work in a home environment, which varies from household to household, it would be difficult to enforce any coverage under the Employment Act. ’ Thus, it is clear to us that prosecution is not enough to solve the problem. Certain governmental policies which pertain to FDW and their employers, act as double-edged swords. They could be changed or abolished for the better lives of maids in Singapore. A fine example of such a policy would be the S$5,000 security bond imposed on employers who hire migrant workers. Purposed to control illegal immigration as well as to ensure employers have sufficient money to pay their maids their due salaries during their employment period, this policy directly led to employer’s restricting their migrant workers’ movements, as they will have to forfeit S$5,000 if their maids run away. Some employers even go to the extent to give their maids no weekly rest days and limited freedom of movement (e. g. locking them up at home). Other policies such as the monthly levy of approximately S$200-295 which employers of domestic workers have to pay also directly or indirectly result in the deprivation of the rights of migrant workers. In this case, not a cent from the money collected by the Singapore government in a stated attempt to regulate unskilled labor migration is used to provide better services for the migrant workers. Thus, modifying governmental policies for the benefit of FDW can also serve as a potential solution. Conclusion In conclusion, the problem of maid abuse is widespread in our society, as domestic workers in Singapore suffer from a variety of abuses and problem, ranging from physical abuse to financial problems. However, governmental policies are not effective enough to curb the problem of maid abuse, as it is difficult to enforce the law in every household. Moreover, laws are to protect the interests of victims, not just to punish those who broke the law. Thus, more actions has to be done to solve the problem as it has been proved that deterrence is not exactly effective enough to protect the welfare of domestic workers. Therefore, we believe that the problem of maid abuse is serious, that domestic workers do face many problems, and that governmental policies are effective in solving these problems only to a small extent. References 1. http://www.thinkcentre.org/article.cfm?ArticleID=2721 2. http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/12/07/singap12125.htm 3.http://www.getformesingapore.com/previous2005/061205_manpowerministryrespondstohrwsreportonmaidsinsingapore.htm 4. http://www.littlespeck.com/informed/2002/CInformed-020728.htm 5. http://www.singapore-window.org/sw03/030727af.htm 6. http://hrw.org/reports/2005/singapore1205/singapore1205web.pdf

The Theme of Hucks Development - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1339 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/05/15 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Huckleberry Finn Essay Mark Twain Essay Did you like this example? The theme of Hucks development from a young boy to a young man is heavily portrayed in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by its author Mark Twain. The gradual growth and maturity of Huck since he was a young boy helps to build on theme and depicts him as a young protagonist. Generally, it gives a clear picture of his adventures with Negro Jim and the Mississippi river. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Theme of Hucks Development" essay for you Create order Hucks growth is mostly embodied on the independent choices that he makes through changing his attitude that helps and contributes to his moral growth. Just like many other young men he is split between the societal status quo and the beliefs it holds and making conscious decisions on his own (Twai, 2003) From being uncivilized Huck continuously learns the art of following his instincts to make the right decision and not allowing both the internal and external factors to play the major role in shaping his decisions. The paper will categorically analyze three scenes that show how Huck development from being a young boy to a young man is progressively depicted in the novel. Scene 1: Hucks interaction with Negro Jim During the first parts of the play Huck is portrayed to be very immature and mostly complies with the societal standards that had been set. Before meeting with Jim, Huck suffered from inferiority complex that had resulted from living with a drunken father whom was also abusive. During this point and stage it was very difficult for him to have any concept of morality since he was very young. After meeting with Negro Jim he undergoes several events that enables him to make his own judgments and also become a critical thinker as well. At first Jim is not so clever and intelligent but he is very honest and trustworthy and always aims to help others. He played an important role in teaching Huck the true definition of friendship and loyalty which helps him to undergo a transformation in his early stages. First Jim loves his family very much and hence treats the little man as his own son. This helps to bring out real change and transformation considering the fact that, Huck always felt alon e and came from an abusive family that did not care a lot. This helps to build his trust and loyalty and even realize the importance of friendship. Overcoming the slavery mentality where the society never cared about each other was an attitude change that Jim wanted to impact on Hucks. During their adventure a fog separates the two and Jim is filled with a lot of joy to see Huck alive again. At this point it is clear that Jim was willing to sacrifice a lot in order to ensure that his friends safety was maintained. Jim also has a strong sense of self-esteem that makes him to believe that everyone is equal in the society despite their background. Even though after the fog that separated them, Huck later fooled him, he gained his respect and trust. Therefore, this scene is of ultimate importance in helping to shape the young man mentality and also how he treats others. At first he did not reciprocate by treating his friend well and even fooled him; however this paved way for his later transformation in life after he was able to make individual decisions. The external factors of coming from an abusive family would have been the major contributors of his actions but he learned that he had to control them, and do the right thing to people and the society as a whole. Scene 2 Hucks instincts are tested: His Role model Tom sawyer is a gang member There is always a very thin line between a teenagers decision to do good or bad. There are always faced with a big dilemma and more so if their role models and people they look up to succeed by doing evil. During these scene Tom Sawyer was Hucks role model and he was a member of a local gang that killed and terrorized people. In order for someone to be enrolled as member they have to agree with the group rules where you are required to kill your family members if you break any of the rules. One of the boys however realized that Huck did not have a real family and hence would not have anyone to kill incase he broke any of the group rules. It was therefore very unfair to them in case he joined them. However, Huck had to find his way in into the group and therefore he offered Miss Watson to be killed in order to join the group offering an innocent person to be killed in order to join a gang is very unethical and hence at this very point his immorality was at the peak. He had to make a c onscious decision to do good or bad and this was a vital point of his moral transformation. Huck also encountered a major dilemma when he and his friend Jim were sailing on small boat came across a wrecked steamboat that had three criminals. At this very point Huck decided to sail away and left the three criminals stranded. However he realized that he had left them to die and even if they were criminals they also deserved to be offered some help. Huck also thought that he may also become a murderer one day and probably find himself in the very same situation and need some help as well. This is the very first occasion that he considers what how actions could probably affect other people and hence he decided to call the captain who investigates the wrecked steam boats and helps the three men to get out of the situation. Although these three men were murderers he could not justify their death and hence the right thing to do at this point was to help them and leave the rest to them to decide. His moral progression from being a young boy to a young man had taken place in this sc ene. His major role was to make a conscious decision based on his instincts of whether to do good or evil to the men. If he left them to die their deaths would be on him justifiably because he was the only one who saw them but never did anything to solve the problem. This improved his moral judgment and problem solving capability as well. Scene three: Friend versus society differentiation by Huck Through the entire book both Jim and Huck are good friends and Jim plays a major role in his moral progression and helping him makes right decisions. His loyalty to him is undivided and always wished Huck well. However, upon arrival to Cairo Huck is faced with moral dilemma that differentiates a boy from a man. He either had to keep his promise to his friend Jim or turn him in as a runaway slave. There was a thin line between complying with the societal standards and fighting for his friends freedom. Jim had been a loyal friend all along but the society could change anytime and leave him alone. At this point he felt guilty and does not think it is right to help Jim steal his family considering he was a slave. However, he was finally able to make the right decision, that proved that he had progressed from being a boy to a man. He states that he would rather go to hell but get his friend the ultimate freedom. At this point he was able to set his own moral standards that were different from societal expectation. The ability to become a critical thinker and make the right decision was proving that he had finally progressed from being a boy to a man. It would be very unfair and ethical if he complied with the society and left his all time friend Jim alone to suffer and his family to die in slavery. This was the true test of his loyalty and moral intelligence.