Aristotle's Theory concerning Moral Responsibility Essay

Aristotle's Theory concerning Moral Responsibility - Essay Example Aristotle believes that every human being has a responsibility for his or her actions, something that makes others reasonably praise, blame or even punish him or her; he shows this by pointing out various conditions, which lessen or even cancel this responsibility. He converses force of occurrences, threats, along with coercion, bad character, ignorance and intoxication. Taken together, his version shows the basic concepts involved in being a person who ends up getting reasonably praised or blamed. The primary limitation concerning voluntary action is the force of circumstances. Aristotle gives an example about a ship caught in a storm; in this case, the sailors have to throw goods overboard to avoid the sinking of the ship. Here, the action is not entirely voluntary; therefore the sailors are not to blame for their actions. On the other hand, the storm is not to blame for the undesirable outcome, which is the loss of the goods, since it is a natural event that no one is responsible. Another example is the case whereby my friend accidentally pushes me as a result of getting pushed by a bully; here, she is not to blame considering that it was not here intention to push me, rather, she got pushed, and as a result, ended up pushing me. These cases are extreme instances of the force of necessity whereby we always live and always get forced into our actions by natural facts, though we only notice this when the force happens to be sudden or unexpected (Williams 25). In reality, the interference of other people is what causes us the most grief, which in turn causes problems when it comes to responsibility attributions. This interference tends to take many forms; however, its paradigmatic forms happen to be coercion and manipulation. Concerning coercion, the judgment by Aristotle get balanced since it is dependent on what act my coercer is demanding from me, as well as the threats he is making. On the other hand, there are some actions, which tend to be extremely heino us that we must be blamed for carrying them out, whatever a person gets threatened with, together with whatever blame also tends to be attached to the coercer; hence Aristotle dismisses the thought that a man may be compelled to killing his mother (Williams 45). Apparently, a central issue at stake when it comes to attributions of responsibility happens to be the expectations that people have each other. Although there are some kinds of coercion that we do not normally expect people to oppose, there are also some forms of action that people should never embark on, regardless of such features. In these cases praise, together with blame tends to work on clarifying and to reinforce these expectations through the provision of a form of moral education. What determines appropriate or immoral character happens to be the manner in which a person reacts when he discovers the truth or failing to regret their deeds, then they can be blamed, albeit the original choice being justifiable. Accord ing to Aristotle, our praise and blame is in most cases, not about an individual act; rather, it is about the character of the one who acted. Importantly, not every form of ignorance gets excused since moral knowledge happens to be extremely distinctive from factual knowledge (Echenique 49). However, if a person tends to be morally ignorant, he or she ends up being unable to choose well; here, Aristotle grants that the majority of people of settled villainous character, whether they are morally ignorant or otherwise, are

Meaning of Life and Socrates Essay Example for Free

Meaning of Life and Socrates Essay Socrates was considered by many to be the wisest man in ancient Greece. While he was eventually condemned for his wisdom, his spoken words are still listened to and followed today. When, during his trial, Socrates stated that, the unexamined life is not worth living (Plato 45), people began to question his theory. They began to wonder what Socrates meant with his statement, why he would feel that a life would not be worth living. To them, life was above all else, and choosing to give up life would be out of the picture. They did not understand how one would choose not to live life just because he would be unable to examine it. Socrates felt that if he was unable to examine life, he would not be really living. To Socrates, living meant being able to question the world around him. Examining life gives one freedom. Once one examines himself and understands who he is, he can take control of his life. Socrates believed that the ability to ask, to examine, and to understand would make a life whole. He believed that the purpose of life was to grow, both physically and spiritually. Being able to explore and understand would lead to a deeper understanding of the world around us as well as a deeper understanding of ourselves. (Plato 46) Socrates felt that, above all, one should be a good citizen and always do the right thing (Plato 18). However, many in his time did not worry about doing what was correct. Socrates realized this, and understood that they did not care to look into their actions and beliefs. Their first thoughts were on the goals that they had, such as money and pleasure, rather than the thought of whether or not the goals they held were actually what should have been considered important and right (Plato 26). Socrates knew that, unless they took the time to question their lifestyles, they would never do the right thing. By living a life that was being examined, the citizens would be living a life that was, for the most part, also right. Socrates Personally, I have found great value in examining the wisdom of many acts in my life, yet there are many types of people in this world, and if some do not ponder the wisdom of their actions much at all, must we (or particularly they) conclude their life is less worth living? It seems awfully condescending. The people who don’t examine their lives much probably aren’t examining Socrates statement. If they did, they might object to the interpretation with which it is adopted by philosophers. The live in which I let other people tell me what the questions of life are, the life in which I let other people give me their answers without my thinking through to my own answers, is the unexamined life. Socrates is saying that the life in which I ask my own questions and answer them for myself in a reasonable manner is a more valuable life than the unexamined life. The examined life is so much better than an unexamined life that Socrates is willing to die for that value. Through out generations, mankind has been asking themselves what is the purpose of life. And obviously, it would not easy for one alone to answer or explain what the meaning of life is. Nevertheless, ones life is monotonous if it is meaningless, and it is not monotonous if it has a purpose, a target to go. Thus, the question here is how one knows that his life is worth living or not? Socrates, the father of ancient philosophy, once stated, An unexamined life is not worth living. In order to make one life becomes worth to live, this famous statement strongly addresses that one must exanimate himself first and then others in the society to find the meaning and happiness of life. After reading Platos account of Socrates defense, the Apology, I was completely blown away by the power of Socrates words and ideas. The reading left me thinking about how I felt regarding what he had said about virtue, truth and the quest for both. In class, we discussed Socrates search for virtue and we touched on the topic of this paper: the reasons Socrates believed that the unexamined life is not worth living for man. It is my opinion that he is correct in that view and in this paper I intend to show you why. Like many philosophers alive in his time, it was Socrates belief that virtue could only be attained through examination. Only through exploration can you really understand what virtue is, and begin to act virtuously. Understanding, as well as sharing, this information was very important goal to Socrates. The significance of examining and understanding our lives is far greater than one might think. Understanding and comprehending the behavior of friends, as well as of ourselves, enables us to have empathy and compassion for them. And, allows us not to stand in judgment, which, in turn, allows us to live the moral, noble lives that Socrates spoke of. As one analyzes the â€Å"Apology† by Plato, one is able to analyze and contrast and most people would agree with Socrates when he claims that â€Å"†¦the unexamined life is not worth living†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . From a more personal standpoint I would completely agree with Socrates point of view, due to the fact most of us in society have chosen to live the â€Å"unexamined life† for centuries and as a result we live in a society where one has to live segregated from our freewill as human beings as well as a society that is restrained by rules and other types of social â€Å"walls†. When one reads and is able to contrast Plato’s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave† it clearly shows a great and perhaps the most clear example of the point that Socrates was attempting to make to the jury, in the â€Å"Apology†. For example in Plato’s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave†, Plato makes the reader visualize a cave where there are a great number of prisoners who are restrained and are faced staring at the wall where all they can see is shadow movements that are projected from a fire that is placed right behind these prisoners, and this fire is displaying false images from what appears to be images of the outside world. As the story proceeds, one of the prisoners manages to pe the cave and he walks outside into the real world and is able to see a completely different view of the real world and this prisoner is able to see a completely different image of the outside world, different from the images that the shadows inside the cave were exposing to the prisoners. What Socrates is implying is that if one decides not to discover thyself and attempts to focus more on material interest and the acquisition of personal power, one is capable of abusing this power to an extent where it may result in havoc and possibly the destruction of those who occupy the state, either emotionally or physically and all as a result of decisions that were not taken into consideration before being applied. What I was able to grasp from this quote that Socrates phrased is that one has the wisdom to accomplish anything in ones personal life, but one should able to find our soul and locate the wisdom that one contains inside the mind before one attempts to reach personal obstacles in life. the greatest good of all man is daily to converse about virtue. When the time for the exam came along I decided not cheat in the exam simply because I was going to have to live with a guilty conscious for quite sometime and although cheating on the exam appeared tempting at the time I still needed some time to myself and ponder about the decision that I had to make that was probably going to damage my personal morality as an individual. The part of the phrase that really caught my attention is when Socrates says . What Socrates is trying to make us see is that the more one speaks about virtue the more a person is able to learn about the virtues of ones personal life, or in other words we are able to acquire more knowledge of the human mind and its capabilities. I did not go where I could do no good to you or to myself; but where I could do the greatest good privately to everyone of you , thither I went, and sought to persuade every man among you that he must look to himself , and seek virtue and wisdom before he looks to his private interests, and look to the state before he looks to the interests of the state; and that this should be the order which he observes in all his actions. In my third semester in Santa Monica College I was taking a math class and during the first month of the semester I had already taken two exams and had failed on both, as a result before the day of the third exam arrived I was feeling somewhat nervous due to the fact that I was not prepared to take this exam. So as the moment was arriving for this exam, I began to ponder about idea of cheating in order for the results to go my way. When the escaped prisoner decides to go into the cave and attempts to explain to the other prisoners about what is really occurring in the outside world, the other prisoners decide to gain up on the liberated prisoner, because they were not prepared to see reality for what it really is, so they decided to chose to somewhat live the life of a social slave and not the life of a person who lives a life of freedom nor freewill. Another quote that Socrates applies in this story is when he quotes . The same thing goes for the unexamined life, sometimes we as a human being attempt to achieve a certain level of success in life and sometimes at the expense of others and although we may acquire success, we will always live with the conscious of such guilt that later on in life it is going to comeback and hunt us. The unexamined life is not worth living. (Apology, p. 41) Socrates held him self up to this standard by allowing the courts to take his life because they would not allow him to continue his quest set forth by the Oracle. An unexamined life would be just coasting through and not making any decisions or asking any questions. Socrates could not see a point in living if you were unable to ask questions and challenge your way of thinking. An examined life would be trying to understand your purpose and the current state of things. By examining your life, therefor understanding yourself, you will not be subject to actions motivated by passion or instinct. Socrates demonstrated this when Crito arrived at his jail cell with news that he could help Socrates escape. This was an event where they had to act quickly, however Socrates said Let us examine the question together, my dear friend, and if you can make any objection while I am speaking, make it and I will listen to you, but if you have no objection to make, my dear Crito, then stop now from saying the same thing so often, that I must leave here against the will of the Athenians. I think it important to persuade you before I act, and not to act against your wishes. See whether the start of our enquiry is adequately stated, and try to answer what I ask you in the way you think best. (Crito, p. 51) Socrates examines the situation with Crito instead of acting hastily. This example displays how dedicated Socrates was to his way of thinking, and helps explain Socrates actions in court. Meletus was the catalyst of this case brought against Socrates. Meletuss affidavit said Socrates is guilty of wrongdoing in that he busies himself studying things in the sky and below the earth; he makes the worse into the stronger argument, and he teaches these same things to others. (Apology, p. 25) Socrates says all these claims are false and challenges anyone in the court to speak up if they are true. Socrates was also accused of corrupting the young and of not believing in the gods the city believed in but believing in his own gods. Socrates attacked each of these accusations point by point. To disprove the accusation that he corrupts the young he says They say: That man Socrates is a pestilential fellow who corrupts the young. If one ask them what he does and what he teaches to corrupt them, they are silent, as they do not know. (Apology, p. 29) To disprove the statement that he does not believe in the gods the city believes in, he starts to question the jury. Socrates states Does any man, Meletus, believe in human activities who does not believe in humans? Or in flue-playing activities but not in flute-players? (Apology, p. 32) Socrates sets up these analogies so he can compare them to the statements that he does not believe in any gods. Socrates then applies this analogy to himself by saying. Then since I do believe in spirits, as you admit, if spirits are gods, this is what I mean when I say you speak in riddles and in jest, as you state that I do not believe in gods and then again that I do, since I do believe in spirits. (Apology, p. 32) Socrates in his defense is trying to prove that Meletuss charges are blown out of proportion and they are wasting the courts time. Socrates is posed with the question Are you not ashamed, Socrates, to have followed the kind of occupation that has led to your being now in danger of death? (Apology, p. 33) Socrates replies Whenever a man has taken a position that he believes to be best, or has been placed by his commander, there he must I think remain and face danger, without a thought for death or anything else, rather than disgrace. (Apology, p. 33) Socrates is saying when you dedicate your life or you strongly believe in a belief or subject no matter what the danger, you should still stand behind your beliefs. By doing this, you live an examined life. In Socrates case, if he were to accept the punishment of never practicing philosophy he would be living an unexamined life because he could just set aside his beliefs and move on through life. Socrates explains his passion for philosophy by saying Gentlemen of the jury, I am grateful and I am your friend, but I will obey the god rather than you, and as long as I draw breath and am able, I shall not cease to practise philosophy, to exhort you and in my usual way to point out to any one of you whom I happen to meet. (Apology, p. 34) The way Socrates explains himself to the jury, I see a man who truly believes in what he preaches. He demonstrates that he has lived an examined life, and even with the threat of death and an opportunity to escape death, he sticks with what he truly believes is right. He questions everything and will not accept ignorance. However I feel that since Socrates was at the age of 70 his fear of death was dramatically reduced. I think if he were younger he would have taken the opportunity Crito presented to escape, so he could continue his quest. Now the hour to part has come. I go to die, you go to live. Which of us goes to the better lot is know to no one, except the god. (Apology, p. 44).

Caste and Sri Lankan marriage

Caste and Sri Lankan marriage In the modern day Sri Lankan society, the concept of caste with its pre-historic background plays different roles is human life, and its role becomes dominant at the juncture of the typical Sri Lankan marriage. The research will open up doors to show the typical Sri Lankan community being traditional and outdated, the concept of caste is still one of the major determinisms of leading a happy and successful marriage life. The society we live today is complex and all of us have to live with different ideas and attitudes. These diverse ideas and attitudes come into light in different occasions and stages in our lives. The concept of Caste is a phenomenon unique to the countries in the Indian Sub Continent and it is fossilized in the society. Gender, age, caste, ethnicity and class play major roles in the establishment of the Sri Lankan society. While gender, age, caste and ethnicity are decided by ones birth, class is decided by ones ability. In the present Sri Lanka society, caste does not play a significant role. Caste, which is decided by birth comes into action in different occasions and stages in ones life in different ways and caste becomes a dominant figure in the Sri Lanka context when it comes to marriages. According to Robert Knox,  [1]  Sri Lankans are very selective and careful about marriages. It is a tradition not to get married to a person from a lower caste. Sinhalese would never sacrifice their dignity for an unsuitable marriage even it brings out wealth. A person from Colombo might hear that caste is not as important as it was in the past and that it is subjected to deterioration. Nevertheless, the following extract suggests that it is not so.  [2]  Sinhalese are highly concerned about the concept of caste and boundaries around it and that at least in the dry zone the concept of caste and boundaries around it are significant The above description indicates though caste is not highlighted in the surface level, it becomes a very important concept for the Sinhalese in practical situations. According to E.R. Leach,  [3]  The deterioration of the caste system leads to the deterioration of an establishment. Marriages between different ethnicities can still be seen in the society . E.R. Leach helps one to identify the modern nature of the caste system. The notice on marriage proposals on week-end Sri Lankan newspapers highlight caste consciousness still plays a major role in the contemporary Sri Lankan society. Careful studies show the concept of caste which hails from the colonial period has undergone slight changes after the independence in 1948. As job opportunities are allocated based on academic qualifications, the caste system faces its deterioration. After the changes brought up to the constitution in 1997 and the society being exposed to the open economy made the modern society look into matters based on money. It is evident that the nature of caste has changed, but it does not indicate that the identity one gains through caste has totally been rejected. It clearly depicts the caste consciousness of the traditional Sri Lankans comes to the surface in marriages. CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY AIM The aim of the research is to study the role played by the Sri Lankan caste system in determining a marriage and the importance of a caste to lead a happy and successful marriage life. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Although caste seems on old fashioned and unscientific basis for determining whether two people are compatible for marriage, historic evidence shows that it is a predictor of maintaining success. THE RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS Caste system is a reliable determinism of successful marriages. SCOPE OF THE STUDY The sample is a randomly selected set of twenty married soldiers from the Sri Lanka Army representing different areas around the island and different castes. METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION 10. The collection of data and information for this research will be highly based on the following. Interviews done with the twenty soldiers. Questionnaires given to the twenty soldiers. Books related to the research topic. The Internet. 11. The books related to the research topic and the information gathered through the Internet opened avenues to identify the caste system in Sri Lanka and it led to write a review of literature on the nature of the Sinhala marriage in chapter three. While the fourth chapter describes the impact of caste in determining the marriage of the selected sample, the fourth chapter deals with impact of social, economic and family conditions on deciding a caste. The conclusion is done at the fifth chapter. CHAPTER 3 BACKGROUND CASTE SYSTEM AND THE NATURE OF THE SINHALA MARRIAGE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF CASTE 12. The caste system is perhaps the worlds longest surviving social hierarchy .A person is considered a member of the caste to which he or she is born and remains within that caste until death, although the particular ranking of that caste may vary among regions and over time. 13. The caste system in Sri Lanka is a division of society into strata. Ancient Sri Lankan texts such as the Pujawaliya, Sadharmarathnavaliya and Yogarathakaraya and inscriptional evidence show that the hierarchy prevailed throughout the feudal period. Caste as we know it today appears to have been introduced to Sri Lankans by Prakrit language speakers from North India. The introduction of Buddhism in the third century BC blunted the edge of the system to a certain extend. However, there is a reference to king Abhayas son, Saliya choosing to lose caste by marrying Ashokamala, a Candala or outcaste woman, in the second century BC, indicating that caste taboos remained in place. 14. Studies based on caste have allowed the society to come up with different definitions on caste, and these definitions have allowed people to identify the impact of caste on marriage. The concept of caste, the nature of its expansion and the definitions put forward under different areas pave a pathway to understand this concept. 15. According to Peiris Reif,  [4]  The cruel nature of our ancestors led to the origin of a caste system. Thirst for power and land made them fight with each other. As a result, a need arose to appoint a leader who is physically and intellectually balanced to resolve the conflicts. 16. The sources indicate that Aryans from India during their visit in the fifth century have brought down their caste system to Sri Lanka. The legend shows that the ancient Sri Lankan society had different castes such as Raja, Bamunu, Welanda and Govi and the base for these was provided by the different castes like Brahmans, Shathriya, Vaishya and Sudra in ancient India. THE CONCEPT OF CASTE AND DEFINITIONS OF CASTE. 17. Caste is a phenomenon in the society and culture. According to Edmancy Leach, A caste cannot stand on its own. It has a close bond with its members through a network. 18. Mr: Amarasekara Daya in his book titled, The Sri Lankan Society elaborates L.L.Kroebers (an anthropologist) ideas. Caste is a unit. It consists of indigenous sub units. Such a unit enjoys the privileges of the society. Based on that, we can differentiate one sub unit form another sub unit. 19. Mr: Amarasekara further elaborates on caste by bringing forward measuring instruments introduced by Hutton, an anthropologist. They are,  [5]   Caste is an indigenous concept. There are specific boundaries between different castes. A caste is a collection of situations which depicts bureaucracy. It is accepted that through food, physical relationships, customs and by touching a member of a privileged caste by a member of a discriminated caste will corrupt the privileged caste. Caste is related to traditional occupations. Caste is decided by birth. Caste in totality, is a system based on prestige. 20. W.M. Waister, an anthropologist bringing out his views on caste says that keeping laundry, making gold and silver jewellery were the duties of the discriminated castes and these services were rendered only to a privileged segment of the society. 21. Though a man from a privileged caste can keep a woman from a discriminated caste as his mistress, he is not allowed to take meals with her. As Mr: Bryce Rayan elaborated people were allowed to share the same well for drinking water and eat together with farmers from different castes in the paddy field, but at a wedding, people from Govi caste were never allowed to sit with people from other castes at the table. This clearly indicates the effect of caste on marriage. MARRIAGE 22. The concept of marriage differs from country to country, society to society and culture to culture. Marriage simply means the joining of the two sexes who maintain a socially approved or accepted sexual relationship for reproduction. Since marriage is given so many definitions it is believed that studying all these definitions will help one to understand the concept of marriage. 23. According to Mr: Tuder Silva  [6]  Marriage is the union of two or more people of both sexes for a socially accepted sexual relationship for the purpose of reproduction. Marriages are of two types, monogamy and polygamy. The above definition gives an idea of a marriage. According to a statement by the British Anthropology Society, Marriage is a unit which authorizes the children the rights of their biological parents. 24. According to Mr Kumara Hemantha  [7]  Marriage is a special bond between two elders of both sexes based on norms, ethics, rules and regulations. Both the elders maintain a sexual relationship for reproduction. Further, marriage is a unit made up of a husband, wife and their children. 25. The society and time are the deciding factors of rules and regulations of a marriage. 26. The ancient traditions of marriage and the caste have a dinosaur effect on the relationship between the Sinhala marriage and the caste. The Sinhala society by Mr: Ralph Peiris is a suitable example for it. Through his book he talks about the different types of marriages, different methods of getting married, reasons for a marriage and the openness of marriages in ancient Sri Lanka.  [8]  Marriage to a person out of the caste was strictly prohibited. The ancestors did not want their sons and daughters to marry a person with a lower status though that person is from the same caste. 27. The above description shows that the ancient society considered caste an important factor in the marriages, and it also indicates that the Sinhala marriage is a lose bond. 28. According to Robert Knox, in 1600s caste had a prominent place in the Sinhala marriage. Further, he elaborates that caste was given priority than wealth in ancient Sinhala marriage. 29.  [9]  Caste discrimination is there because of the system of family. The need for a family arose to provide security and satisfy different needs of people. Therefore people began to think about their castes in marriages. TYPES OF CASTES IN SRI LANKA 30. According to Bryce Rayan in his book, Caste Discrimination in Sri Lanka, Relationships between different castes began due to the nature of occupations and breaking up of the society into small units. Jana Wanshaya which is the oldest text on caste discrimination shows that there are twenty six different castes in Sri Lanka.  [10]  They are, a. Govigama b. Salagama c. Kamburu d. Waduwo e. Hannala f. Rada g. Ambettayo h. Sommarayo i. Durawo j. Kumbhakarnayo k. Karawo l. Weddo m. Berawayo n. Hakuro p. Hunno q. Pannayo r. Samanno s. Welwaduwo t. Gahalayo u. Paduwo v. Malakarayo w. Kinnarayo x. Rodee y. Olee z. Indrapalanagayo aa. Chandalayo 31. According to Mr. Kalinga T. Silvas research on castes,  [11]  there are fifteen castes in Sri Lanka. Though there is a compromise about the top and the lower levels of the caste system in Sri Lanka, there are several arguments about the middle level. According to Mr. Silva, Sri Lanka is divided into two parts as up country and low country. While people from Patti and Gahala castes live in the up country, people from Karawa, Salagama, Durawa and Hunnu live in the low country. Order ( This is not yet been finalized ) Name of the Caste Traditional Occupation Percentage of Sinhala population Level 01 Govigama Radala Land Owners 0.001 01 Govi Farmers 49 Patti Herdsmen 0.001 02 Karava Fishermen 5 02 03 Salagama Cinnamon Peelers 04 Durava Toddy Tappers 3 05 Hunu Quicklime Industry 0.002 06 Achari / Galladu / Navanandana Traditional Artisans 0.0005 3 07 Hena / Rada Traditional Washmen 3 08 Wahumpura / Hakuru Traditional Makers of Jaggery 12.5 09 Kumbal / Badahela Traditional Makers of Pots 2.5 10 Dura/ Wellandura/ Bodhi pannadura Safeguard Srimaha Bodhi 0.001 11 Nakathi / Berawva Traditional Dancers and Astrologers 3 12 Bathgama / Padu Servants and Porters 18 13 Gahala Traditional Drum Beaters 0.001 4 14 Kinthara Weaving Mats 0.3 15 Rodi/ Hulawali Traditional Beggars / Traditional Makers of Ekel Brooms 0.001 Other* 1.493 * Castes which belong to the other category are Porava, Kara, Olee, Palee, Barber and Ganthara and the number is very low. 33. Mr. Kalinga Silva in his analysis says,  [12]  Though caste is subjected to deterioration, that in the Asian community it becomes dominant at three occasions. Marriage is one of them. A survey conducted with estate workers who have an Indian origin indicates that caste is a major determinism for 90% of their marriages. Climbing up the economic and social hierarchy is the second occasion the caste becomes important. The concept of caste is highlighted at this occasion. 34. Usage of the concept of caste as a weapon in the political battle field is the third occasion where this concept becomes prominent. The following extract taken from Jamnis Tiggins studies about Sri Lanka shows the way, the concept of caste dominated the Sri Lankan political arena. W!;a l=mdÆh uq;a l=mdÆh .fà   l=mdÆhg ckaoh fouq' 35 This was taken from a leaflet distributed during an election campaign and Gama here means a caste. CHAPTER 4 DATA REGIONAL REPRESENTATION AND CONCEPT OF CASTE 36. The following table shows the randomly selected set of twenty soldiers from the Sri Lanka Army representing different regions around the island and different castes to conduct a research on the role played by the Sri Lankan caste system in determining a marriage and the importance of a caste to lead a happy and successful marriage life. Husbands caste Wifes caste Number of families Govigama Govigama 09 Karawa Karawa 02 Bathgama Bathgama 01 Hakuru Hakuru 01 Govigama Hena 01 Govigama Salagama 01 Govigama Padu 01 Padu Govigama 01 Karava Salagama 02 Achari Govigama 01 Total 20 37. The sample represents 45% of Govigama, 10% of Karava, 5% of Bathgama, 5% of Hakuru and 35% of mixed castes. Chart 4.1 Cast of sample 38. The regional representation of the sample is as follows. Srl no Husbands caste Wifes caste Region 01 Govigama Govigama Mahiyanganaya 02 Govigama Govigama Bibile 03 Govigama Govigama Badulla 04 Govigama Govigama Padaviya 05 Govigama Govigama Welioya 06 Govigama Govigama Hakmana 07 Govigama Govigama Kanthale 08 Govigama Govigama Horana 09 Govigama Govigama Puswellawa 10 Karawa Karawa 11 Karawa Karawa 12 Bathgama Bathgama Puttalam 13 Hakuru Hakuru Kegalle 14 Govigama Salagama Kamburupitiya 15 Govigama Hena Veyangoda 16 Govigama Padu Kurunagala 17 Padu Govigama Matale 18 Achari Govigama Ambanpola 19 Karava Salagama Elpitiya 20 Karava Salagama .Galle SRI LANKAN MARRIAGE AND THE IMPACT OF RACE AND RELIGION ON IT 39. Eighteen soldiers of the sample emphasize the importance the importance of equality between races 90%in marriage. The nature of family and demands of the society have made them think that way. As the majority of the sample represents the rural areas of the island, they think that if they do mix marriages they would be neglected by their parents and relatives, and thereby end up in unsuccessful and unhappy marriages. Chart 4.2 Marriage and races 40. Eighteen (90%) soldiers representing the sample think equality between religions is very important to have successful marriages. According to them, the Sri Lankan village is based on temple, and when the husband and wife are from two different religions it is impractical to go to two different religious places simultaneously. Further, they believe that it is hard to practise diverse observances under one roof. Chart 4.3 Marriage and religions SRI LANKAN MARRIAGE AND CASTE 41. Sinhalese believe that race and religion are important factors in marriage. Typical Sinhalese confide in equality between castes in their marriages. While thirteen (65%) soldiers of the sample believe their partners should be from the same caste, seven (35%) soldiers do not believe so. Chart 4.4 Marriage and caste 42. Arranged marriage is still commonly practised in Sri Lanka, but an increasing number of young people today refuse arranged marriage. In arranged marriage caste becomes an important consideration. In love marriages the couple thinks only about matching their races, religions, ideas, views and interests. For them, caste is a minor matter and the survey shows that most of the couples have received the blessings of their parents. 43. The marriage proposals on weekend newspapers highlight the fact that caste is a major determinism in arranged marriages. The following table is taken from a survey conducted by Mr. Daya Amarasekara on marriage proposals in newspapers. Caste Male Female Total Percentage Govi 31 48 79 675 ] Karawa 06 07 13 110 ] Durawa 03 02 05 43 ] Salagama 02 02 04 35 ] Deva 02 02 17 ] Rajaka 02 02 04 34 ] Wellala 01 02 03 25 ] Hetti 01 01 09 ] Other 01 03 04 34 ] Total 46 69 115 1000 ] 44. According to the table, the majority is Govigama and the minority is Hetti. Mr. Amarasekara tells that this table depicts the spread of castes all around the island. 45. When asked from Sri Lankan women about their views on marriage and caste it is evident that women from higher castes do not want to get married to men from lower castes. These women do not want their children to be treated differently by the society because of their fathers surnames. OTHER FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE MARRIAGE 46. Another factor which influences modern marriage is the economy of each individual. The research shows that people are interested in getting married to people from the same economic level or above. People expect to lead simple and comfortable marriage lives by getting married to a person from the same economic level or above. 47. Most of the women in the modern society prefer to get married to men who are more educated than them. CHAPTER 5 DATA ANALYSIS MATCHING CASTE AND ITS INFLUENCE TO A SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE LIFE 48. While thirteen soldiers out of the sample have married women from the same caste seven soldiers have married from different castes. The following table depicts the present status of the marriage lives of the thirteen soldiers whose spouses are from the same caste. Srl no Husbands caste Wifes caste Region Present status of marriage life 01 Govigama Govigama Mahiyanganaya Unsuccessful 02 Govigama Govigama Bibile Successful 03 Govigama Govigama Badulla Divorced 04 Govigama Govigama Padaviya Planning to get divorced 05 Govigama Govigama Welioya Unsuccessful 06 Govigama Govigama Hakmana 07 Govigama Govigama Kanthale 08 Govigama Govigama Horana 09 Govigama Govigama Puswellawa 10 Karawa Karawa 11 Karawa Karawa 12 Bathgama Bathgama Puttalam Unsuccessful 13 Hakuru Hakuru 49. According to the table, the marriage lives of the two families representing Govi caste (Row 1 and 5) and the family representing Bathgama (Row 12 ) are unsuccessful. 50. The following reasons have made their marriage lives unsuccessful. a. According to the soldiers from rows 1 and 5, their marriages are a failure because of their wives illegal affairs. Since these soldiers come home once in every two or three months, there is enough freedom and opportunities for their wives to have illegal affairs and this has ended their marriages in divorces. b. According to the soldier from row 12, the reason for his marriage being unsuccessful is the mismatch of ideas between himself and his spouse. He says that his wife never agrees with his suggestions and works according to her own plans and ideas. They have decided to get divorced after being married for eight years because of mismatch of ideas. 51. The above study shows that though the castes match, these people have decided to get divorced because of external forces. This is a very common phenomenon in the present day Sri Lankan society. 52. The following table shows the present status of the marriage lives of seven soldiers of the sample who have married out of their castes. Srl no Husbands caste Wifes caste Region Present status of marriage life 01 Govigama Salagama Kamburupitiya Unsuccessful 02 Govigama Hena Veyangoda Unsuccessful 03 Govigama Padu Kurunagala Unsuccessful 04 Padu Govigama Matale Unsuccessful 05 Achari Govigama Ambanpola Successful 06 Karava Salagama Elpitiya Successful 07 Karava Salagama .Galle Successful 53. Though the families from rows 1,2,3 and 4 have done their best to lead a happy and successful marriage lives, the insults by the parents and relatives of the party which represents Govi caste have made their marriages scatter. In family gatherings, the partners who represent the lower caste have been subjected to inferiority. Two females who represent Govi caste in rows 4 and 5 have been outcasted by their families because of their marriages to males from lower castes. 54. Parents and relatives of the soldiers in rows 1 and 2 totally ignore the presence of their daughters in law at family gatherings and even invitations to special occasions are sent only to the male partner. This indicates how embarrassed the wife becomes in front of her husbands parents and relatives. 55. The couples from rows 5, 6 and 7 lead happy and successful marriage lives though they are from two different castes. Parents and relatives of both the parties have mutual understanding and they respect each others ideas, views, attitudes and interests. 56. The research unveils that people from Govi caste are interested in dominating the society, and the interest on the concept of caste by the other castes are very low when compared with Govi caste. 57. However, the caste consciousness of the Sinhalese in arranged marriage is at a higher level. CHAPTER 6 SUMMARY 58. The objective of this sociological research is to study the role played by the Sri Lankan caste system in determining a marriage and the importance of a caste to lead a happy and successful marriage life. The ancient traditional Sinhala marriage and its relationship with caste and the role played by caste in present Sinhala marriage were studied in depth to come to a conclusion. 59. The sample of randomly selected twenty soldiers from the Sri Lankan Army representing different regions and castes help to discuss in detail a sensitive topic which people very rarely speak in public. Interviews with the sample assisted to reveal the following facts. a. Race and religion have played a dominant role in deciding the marriages of the sample. Sinhala and Buddhist back grounds of the sample have motivated the sample to avoid marriages with different ethnicities. 60. Caste plays a major role in Sinhala marriage. People from Govi caste want to maintain their authority while other castes make less efforts to maintain authority. It is evident that Govi caste is considered as the top caste but no conclusion has been made about the positions of the other castes. It is evident that people from higher castes reject people from lower castes and people from lower castes always try to select partners from higher castes in marriages. 61. In the past, most of the marriages were arranged ones , but today many are love marriages. In the modern society, people are interested in finding their own partners according to their level of education, interests, economic status, regional differences and attitudes. Though it seems that caste is not considered as a major determinism in marriage, it becomes prominent when one look at the reactions of parents and relatives of a higher caste partner who has selected a lower caste person. Though the system of caste is subjected to decay it has a dinosaur effect in marriages, and leading a happy and successful marriage life. 62. The research also reveals that when compared with men, women are more interested in marrying a person from the same caste or a higher caste. As the surname of the father automatically goes to the children, women make sure that they do not marry men make from lower castes. The women also do not like to live with the parents and the relatives of their husbands because they are scared of the insults of the husbands parents and relatives. 63. The above facts depict that caste plays a major role in the Sri Lankan marriage, and the attitudes of parents and relatives of the two partners are important in deciding a marriage. CHAPTER 7 RECCOMANDATION 63. The study shows that in marriages, the concept of caste is dominant. As the citizens of a democratic society, people have been given the rights through the constitution to live freely within the accepted rules and regulations of the government. Caste is not a barrier to a person to get proper education and move up the social hierarchy. Further, a person has the legal authority to change ones surname which is a determinism of his or her caste. 64. Though caste is considered in marriage, it is not a barrier to have love affairs and sexual relationships. A person from a lower caste who is at the top level in the

Police Use of Excessive Force Against Asian Americans :: Argument Argumentative Persuasive

Police Use of Excessive Force Against Asian Americans On July 13, 2003, the death of Cau Thi Bich Tran, a 25 year-old Vietnamese mother of two, stirred up the hearts of many in the Asian American community. According to the police, officer Chad Marshall and his partner responded to a 911 call from Ms. Tran’s neighborhood claiming that an unsupervised toddler was roaming the streets. The policemen arrived at Tran’s home and were let in by Dang Bui, the father of the two boys, who did not know what was going on at that time. Chad Marshall entered the house and in less than a minute, had shot Ms. Tran through the chest. The police claim that Ms. Tran yelled at Marshall to get out and grabbed an Asian vegetable peeler to throw at him. Marshall then ordered the petite woman to drop the â€Å"weapon† several times. Dang Bui argues that this wasn’t the case. He witnessed no order from the policeman to drop the weapon nor did the officer identify himself. Dang Bui also noted that Ms. Tran spoke very limited English and would not have been able to order the police to leave her house. Cau Thi Bich Tran’s killing has left many in the Asian American community not only outraged but also cynical about law enforcement. The incredibly short amount of time the policemen took before killing Ms. Tran leads us to believe that the police were careless and did not take the time to investigate the situation, but rather jumped to conclusions, resulting in the death of an innocent person. Chad Marshall saw the six-inch peeler Ms. Tran was holding as a threat and instantly killed her to protect himself. Instead of retreating, using voice commands, tasers, baton or pepper spray, Officer Marshall chose to escalate the situation by applying deadly force. After the killing, the court did not indict Officer Marshall. The question arises as to why he did not exercise other options rather than shooting her dead on the spot, and why we can let such a person casually wander the streets to protect others. This case shows that the San Jose police lack language skills and cult ural sensitivity, and they are allowed to kill with impunity, taking no responsibility for their own actions. Police Use of Excessive Force Against Asian Americans :: Argument Argumentative Persuasive Police Use of Excessive Force Against Asian Americans On July 13, 2003, the death of Cau Thi Bich Tran, a 25 year-old Vietnamese mother of two, stirred up the hearts of many in the Asian American community. According to the police, officer Chad Marshall and his partner responded to a 911 call from Ms. Tran’s neighborhood claiming that an unsupervised toddler was roaming the streets. The policemen arrived at Tran’s home and were let in by Dang Bui, the father of the two boys, who did not know what was going on at that time. Chad Marshall entered the house and in less than a minute, had shot Ms. Tran through the chest. The police claim that Ms. Tran yelled at Marshall to get out and grabbed an Asian vegetable peeler to throw at him. Marshall then ordered the petite woman to drop the â€Å"weapon† several times. Dang Bui argues that this wasn’t the case. He witnessed no order from the policeman to drop the weapon nor did the officer identify himself. Dang Bui also noted that Ms. Tran spoke very limited English and would not have been able to order the police to leave her house. Cau Thi Bich Tran’s killing has left many in the Asian American community not only outraged but also cynical about law enforcement. The incredibly short amount of time the policemen took before killing Ms. Tran leads us to believe that the police were careless and did not take the time to investigate the situation, but rather jumped to conclusions, resulting in the death of an innocent person. Chad Marshall saw the six-inch peeler Ms. Tran was holding as a threat and instantly killed her to protect himself. Instead of retreating, using voice commands, tasers, baton or pepper spray, Officer Marshall chose to escalate the situation by applying deadly force. After the killing, the court did not indict Officer Marshall. The question arises as to why he did not exercise other options rather than shooting her dead on the spot, and why we can let such a person casually wander the streets to protect others. This case shows that the San Jose police lack language skills and cult ural sensitivity, and they are allowed to kill with impunity, taking no responsibility for their own actions.

The Human Experience

The Human Experience is a very touching movie. Throughout the movie we encounter all kinds of problems. There are many themes of forgiveness and healing in the movie. This movie is not only full of emotions, but it also helps you reflect on your life, and the actions we make as a humans. We find forgiveness and healing in our life’s by reflecting in our actions, and by taking action and actually trying to be better persons. In the movie we see all kinds of people in need of healing in their hearts. The two most common themes of healing we see in the movie are emotional and relational healing.Jeffrey Azize is in need of both emotional and relationship healing. When he was little his relationship with his father was not good. Jeffrey father was an alcoholic. Jeffrey remembers seeing his father more under the influence than sober. Jeffrey is in need of that love of his father. Jeffrey needs to learn how to forgive his father in order to have a better relationship with his father. At the end of the movie, we hear Jeffrey saying â€Å"Have you ever had a moment where you feel like everything is just right in the world? Time stops, and the stars are in line.It was the first time in a long time I could feel peace in my heart†. He felt at peace after going through all those experiences. He witnessed a lot, which made him forgive his father. He was able to heal. The Human Experience made me realize that there are bigger problems in our world. It taught me that I shouldn’t take anything for granted. Just like the homeless guy said â€Å"One day you might have a home, but the next day you might be on the streets†. This made me reflect on my life, it made me realize that I’m also in need of healing.It made me think of how ungrateful I am and how I never say thank you for the smallest thing. This movie taught me that I could make a difference, by doing something small like donating my time or donating things I don’t need to those wh o are in need. Overall this movie was amazing. I could watch it a million times, and every time it would have the same or bigger impact in my life. In my life I personally need a lot of healing. I’m in need of both emotional and relation healing. I’m one of those persons, who don’t forgive others.If you hurt me in some way I might say I forgive you but at the end I really won’t. I also have a lot of trust issues. It’s hard for me to trust someone, especially if they’ve hurt me before. For me trust is like a paper, once it’s crumble it can’t be perfect. I know that everything happens for a reason, but sometimes I wish I knew what that reason was. I guess that I need to learn how to forgive others, and to trust people. I need to open up more. Overall our society needs a lot of healing. Our society is really not acceptable.It makes me sad to see the way society is structured. Our society is truly ugly. The ugly truth about our soc iety is that no one cares unless you’re pretty or dying. Every day I ask myself what’s wrong with the world? We see that a lot of people are victims of our society, but we don’t do anything to change. Every 40 seconds, someone dies from suicide. Suicide is mostly seen among teens because they are being bullied for not looking or acting a certain way. Society no longer knows the meaning of beauty.It’s hard to grow up in a world where you never feel like you’re pretty enough. In this society you need to have designer clothing, you need to be size 0, you need to have a clean face, you need to wear makeup, you need to have perfect eye vision and perfect teeth; if you don’t then you’re automatically called ugly. We are the ones that are destroying our world. We are the ones bringing all that sin into this world. We all need emotional healing. We are in need of that love. Another kind of healing this society needs is that they need to accep t the way they are.Everyone is unique in this world. I see the world like a big food bowl; we are all different which makes things more interesting. We need to be happy with the way we look, and embrace it. Helping others is the best gift to help you heal. Helping others makes you realize that you should never take things for granted. By helping others I realized that doing something so simple like reading a book will bring a lot of smiles. Not only do you make someone smile but it also helps you reflect in your life. I have learned so many things about me by helping others.I learned about my trusting issues by helping others, and slowly I’m healing. Step by step I’m learning how to trust people. It’s not a big change, but in order to change you need to take small steps, and that’s exactly what I’m doing. My faith with God was shattered, but by healing I’m putting back the pieces together. I’m learning how to trust God, and leaving ev erything on his hands. I’m truly healing. Over all everyone needs healing. It’s not only me, but millions of others that are in need of healing.If you are not content with yourself, it’s obvious you need some kind of healing. If you can’t accept yourself, what makes you think that you can accept others? If you criticize yourself what makes you think that you won’t criticize others. In order for society to heal, we need to heal our soul firsts. By helping others, you realize your needs, It’s all a big circle. You need to help others, one you help them you see where you need healing, after healing yourself you realize that society needs healing, once you heal yourself you’re able to help society become better.

Biological Underpinnings behind Child Abuse

Biological Underpinnings behind Child Abuse Infants at the period between birth and one year and toddlers between one and two year old normally grow very first with their physical or bodies changing in a intense and quick manner. Bodily growth is normally taken to refer to changes in biological structure that is experienced in children as time continues to pass.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Biological Underpinnings behind Child Abuse specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Among the vital and very critical elements that determine the development of bodily growth in toddlerhood and infancy are brain and bodily adjustments; expansion of reflexes, feelings, motor skills, sensitivities and learning abilities; and health matters. The period between birth and the fourth week is normally known as the â€Å"postnatal period†. The majorities of babies weighs around 5.5 to 10 pounds, and are around 17 to 22 inches long. With male infants, they are a little bit longer and heavier compared to their female counterparts. Babies who are delivered either two or more weeks after their supposed date are termed as post mature babies. Both post mature and premature infants are normally critically prone to complications such as illness, mental or brain damage, or even transience, than when they are fully developed babies (Achenbach Edelbrock, 2003). Physical development particularly occurs during the period between birth and the age of two years. At the age of six months the infant is normally expected to weigh at least double and triple when one year ends. Likewise, the baby’s length or height also grows to around 10 and 12 inches with the baby’s quantity changing during the first two years. The dimension of the baby’s head is also seen to decrease in quantity from on third of the whole body at birth, to a quarter at the age of two years and to an eighth by the time adulthood is reached. Since babies at the infant age are not in a p osition to endure on their own, infants have particular innate skills for endurance and adaptive reasons.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Reflexes are involuntary reactions to stimulus that make it possible for infant babies to retaliate to the surrounding prior to any learning occurrence. Some like grasping are just temporal behaviors that vanish after some time and in due course become part of voluntary reactions. A lot have been asserted and even published concerning the significance of socialization in the ultimate human natures during adulthood. According to historical thoughts, there have been very few studies and enquiries into the biological impacts of which individuals later become. A puzzle presented to illuminate the extent to which socialization is impacted by individual’s hereditary and biological factors and the degree of social surrounding one is born into and which bringing up process occurs (Achenbach Edelbrock, 2003). The heritable qualities are claimed to be a proportion of individual’s personality, identity, and biological characters which originate from hereditary or socialization surrounding factors. In the chronicle of social science the claim of a â€Å"blank slate† or â€Å"tabula rasa† has won wide advocacy. This was a hypothetical assertion that human beings are normally delivered without mental or academic abilities with every thing they learn being recorded before them by their fundamental and secondary socialization providers. The notion of full nurture has been opposed by numerous scholars, purely because this theory has failed to provide empirical evidence. Human brain is considered the most complicated known device in the whole universe. Indubitably theories that depress rear as a dichotomy or that associate environment or genetic factors with behavior without considering the superseding br ain will at large emerge being either very wrong or simplistic.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Biological Underpinnings behind Child Abuse specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, such a paradox does not imply that individuals should fuzz up the matter by asserting that it is merely just extremely multifaceted to reason out about, or that other presuppositions should be considered a priori as irrefutably true, indubitably false, or extremely detrimental to point out. As with recession, terminal illnesses, detrimental atmospheric troubles, individuals have no choice but make attempts to unravel the multiple causal factors (Achenbach Edelbrock, 2003). Musical talents, genius aptitude levels, athletic talents, several brainpower forms, heterosexuality, homosexuality, compliance, and other features have been associated with biological/physiological and environmental aspects (Achenbach Edelbrock, 2003). Inferences re ached by numerous scientists at this moment that the organic features are only associated with, not causally deterministic to whatever adult outputs or aftermaths. From a sociological point of view, the focal point is largely on environmental factors responsible for Marxism, structural functionalism, and social exchange symbolic interactionism hypothetical bases of biological versus socialization and children maltreatment studies and policy intervention. This is to say that socialization consideration is importantly credible due to biologist hitherto failure to discover any causal factors in individuals’ human nature applicable to raising kids into adults in a society/community that will reveal desired qualities. A tremendously and abnormal cruel surrounding many children grow up in during childhood should be taken into critical consideration. They are uncommon since the majority human infants will not naturally endure if they are not taken proper care for by their older guar dians, that is if instead of being properly nurtured they meet maltreatment.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More A single most initial documented research or study in the field of social psychology concerns an isolated young one who was reported on by Davis Kingsley during 1940s. Kingsley outlines and comprehensively explicated two analogous cases of Isabelle and Anna. Anna was just five years of age at the time of her realization. The little girl stayed for many years in isolation in a garret and kept hardly alive. This girl child unfortunately learned only a few fundamental skills for survival while living which resulted to her death only at the age of ten. Isabelle also encountered isolation; nonetheless, in this case she had the companionship of her mother who unfortunately emerged to be mute and deaf. During the time of her realization, she was only six and rapidly she learned the fundamentals in human social capabilities and skills required which rendered her capable of eventual school attendance. Kingsley attributes the distinction in output to nutrition and the reality that Isabelle ha d little social relationship with her mute and deaf mother. In very rare occasions, human untamed young ones have endured and documentation of their untamed childhood can be provided. The most cases discussed and attract attention of many scholars include: children brought up in isolation, those brought up in confinements and finally children brought up by wild human beings. Deceptions of untamed children which are untrue are also refuted or negated. To develop untamed is perhaps the most brutish version of child maltreatment since the crucial preliminary socialization fails to happen (Achenbach Edelbrock, 2003). This is an implication for pubescent untamed children lack of sense of identity or self concept; a proto-type of manifold associations and vital others, collections and society; and eventually a discrepancy where acculturation and socialization ought to be. Usual functioning of the infants’ various systems of the body is very nontrivial to its temporal and permanent health. Less than one percent of the infants undergo trauma during birth, or injuries occurrence at the same time (Achenbach Edelbrock, 2003). Studies done using longitudinal approach have outlined that infant trauma, underweight at birth, and early illness can negatively impact future bodily and psychological health but generally only if these infants grow up in poor environmental surroundings. Most children have a tendency of being rather hardy with capability to recompense for less than conceptual situations early in existence. Nonetheless, occasionally children are delivered with or are subjected to circumstances that posit profound confronts. For instance, â€Å"phenylketonuria† is a hereditary metabolic condition in which a child is said to have inadequate â€Å"phenylalanine hydroxylase†, the indispensable enzyme in elimination of surplus â€Å"phynelalanine†, a very crucial amino acid, from the bodily system (Achenbach Edelbrock, 2003). Therefore, mal nutrition, poor medical care and personal hygiene subject a child to trivial health risks. It is thus, the responsibility of parents to ensure that their babies are provided with perfect balanced diet meals, maintained proper hygiene and enough and necessary medical care. These are for instance, appropriate inoculation which is very essential in prevention of such communicable illnesses as measles, rubella, mumps and polio. References Achenbach, T., M. Edelbrock, C., S. (2003). Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist. Burlington: University of Vermont Press.