Carnival Major Aspect Of Trinidadian Culture Social Policy Essay

Carnival Major Aspect Of Trinidadian Culture Social Policy Essay What is culture? According to La Belle and Ward (1996), a current definition of culture encompasses the shared attributes which delineate one group as separate from another ( p. 28). A slightly more specific definition for this very broad term comes from Frantz Fanon who says that a â€Å"culture is first and foremost the expression of a nation, its preferences, its taboos, and its models† (2004, p.177). From this standpoint we will examine Trinidadian culture or more specifically the significance of Carnival, an integral part of Trinidadian culture, as an outpouring of expression which originated with the French Roman Catholic aristocracy and later was influenced by slaves and former slaves. We will also examine the role it plays in inspiring national pride and uniting the Trinidadian diaspora. According to Mr. Walcott we have lost much of our historical legacy and it is from this loss and the consequent necessity for something to fill that void that the innovation of our cu lture (i.e. Caribbean culture) materialized (Walcott, 1974, p. 6). I disagree with Mr. Walcott on this point. I believe that a great deal of history was lost yes, whether it is because it was irrelevant as he says or not is in itself immaterial for the purpose of this discussion. It is my opinion that culture was not simply an upwelling of inventiveness due to large gaps in historical memory, but also an amalgamation of what historical heritage was left behind regardless of the fact that it was in tatters. If we take Carnival as an isolated part of culture, this point can be proven as we examine the origins of Carnival and see for ourselves that it began in Trinidad with a French Roman Catholic tradition of the aristocracy (Zavitz & Allahar, 2002) in the pre-emancipation era as a last prelenten celebration, which symbolized the abandonment of propriety. It was transformed with the advent of emancipation from a celebration in the form of masked balls, song, drama and dance which indi rectly, covertly and subversively confronted issues of social restrictions of class and race, since most wore masks, into a fusion in the post-emancipation period of West African religious practices and beliefs and the pre-existing French celebration (Nurse, 1999). The initial celebration of Carnival by the recently freed slaves was in the form of re-enacting a scene that they had become all too familiar with and which they had named ‘Cannes Brulà ©es’ or burning cane (Carnival). This is one instance of creation such as that which Mr. Walcott speaks of, however we can clearly see that the entirety of the Carnival practice, once taken as a whole, contains old and new elements, old from both French and African historical celebrations separately and new from the synthesis of new ideas based on experiences and the mixing of two cultures together, one forcibly oppressed for many years, and the other, living in extravagance comparatively. Let us now take a look at what Carni val is, what it symbolizes presently for the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. Carnival as seen by the spectator and masquerader alike is not viewed as anything static. â€Å"It is a dynamic and fluid process† (Green, 2007, p. 206). It is a vibrant, exuberant, triumphant, colourful display on the one hand of freedom from one’s inhibitions as passed down from the originators of this festival, in which fast-paced, up-tempo music urges revelers to jump and gyrate in time with the syncopations of the melodic ‘soca’ music (Green, 2007, pp. 207-208). Feathers, beads, staffs, headbands, bright dramatic make-up, sequins, beads and all manner of shiny things bob and weave with the rhythm of the uninhibited who proudly bare their costumes and newly fit bodies for cameras and tourists alike. Big music trucks patrol the streets with thousands cavorting to the tune reverberating from the massive speakers that take up the entire truck-cab and face in all directions. This maddeningly spectacular display of peacock-like feathers, glitter and lithe bodies strutting to the beat, begins on Carnival Monday morning with ‘J’Ouvert’ which means opening of the day and continues right through into ‘Las’Lap’ on Tuesday night until the stroke of midnight (Scher, 2002, p. 461). This is the part of Carnival that is marketed, packaged and sold to the masses every year. The package includes the enticement of watching steel-bands vie for the title of champion in the Queen’s Park Savannah, during Panorama, the most renowned steelpan competition during the Carnival season. It is not to say that this is all that Carnival consists of, however when considering the diasporic culture of expatriate Trinis, as they are called, and their descendants, these are the images that bring to life that longing for the homeland and have inspired stirrings in the soul to return to Trinidad, just to participate in this festival of colour an d unadulterated elation. The term diasporic mentioned refers to the dispersion of a community away from its homeland to more than one peripheral region, which remembers or has some cultural connection to the homeland and is not fully acknowledged as a member of the current country (Clifford, 1994, p. 304).

The May 6, 2010 Flash Crash Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The May 6, 2010 Flash Crash - Essay Example On the contrary, the contemporary market is characterized with higher demand as compared to the supply. Financial innovations enable changes in the financial market by introducing new ways of trading assets. One of the newest financial innovations entails trading from computer to computer through use of complex mathematical algorithms that are hard for humans to comprehend. The recent financial crisis resulted in increased unemployment, which is an indicator of the increased inefficiency of the stock market. This paper agrees with Stiglitz opinion that that Flash Crash will lead to less investment in information, which is harmful to the markets price discovery function hence the financial market. The paper will oppose the opinion that Flash Crash could be a positive feedback loop of the trading environment. Computer trading has become a common phenomenon, which has increased the speed of trading making it impossible for humans to intervene in times of occurrences such as flash crash. Additionally, the explosive trading speed results in undermined efficiency since the market becomes incapable of allocating resources efficiently. Flash Crash entail trading from computer to computer through use of pre-programmed algorithms. ... During the Flash Crash, a contract could be traded for more than 27,000 in a period of about 14 seconds (U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission & U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, 2010; Stiglitz, 2012). According to the SEC report, computer generated algorithms, which are used for high frequency trading comprise more than 70% of trading in U.S. equities. On the SEC joint report on the flash crash of 6 May 2010, the American shares fell by 10% within a few minutes, which resulted in many questions regarding the credibility of nanosecond trading, which characterizes computer to computer trading. The computer based trading does not make use of price discovery but uses algorithms that makes it possible for dealers to extract information regarding expected price of securities through observing patterns of prices and trades. The dealers are thus incapable of making sound decisions. High frequency trading undermines the stability of the market. During the flash clash, high frequency trading firms started by absorbing sell pressure but eventually started forceful selling, which resulted in increased orders in the market and creation of feedback loop. Eventually, the high frequency trading firms began to buy and resell to each other e-mini contracts resulting in decreased net buying irrespective of the increased volume of e-mini contracts. Buyers using traditional trading methodologies refused to buy the extra E-minis resulting in the fall in trading funds. This was because dealers could not comprehend the transactions and feared taking risks. Therefore, computer based trading is inapplicable since there are no clear models on how it operates (Stiglitz, 2012; Mackenzie, 2006). High frequency trading resulted in liquidity crisis when automated trading systems

Using writing for meaning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Using writing for meaning - Essay Example Living in poor families decreases a child’s expectations of their life. This may lead to a cycle of poverty whereby generation after generation lives in poverty. As adults, these children are likely to be unemployed, homeless and involved in antisocial behaviors like crime and substance abuse. In order to break this cycle, there is need to invest in education through which development of skills is possible. Children who live in households with an income of less than 60% of the national average (below poverty line) are referred to as poor children. However, child poverty should take into account whether a child has access to a good education, good home and a stable family. Child poverty constitutes the greatest threat to the well being of children and families. This is because it affects the social, educational and personal development of a child. In the UK, about 3.5 million children are estimated to be living in poverty. Poverty Unemployment, low paid work and inadequate benefits are the causes of poverty in the UK today. According to Child Poverty Action Group; in 2009/10, 42% of all families below UK poverty line contained no working members while 58% contained at least 1 working member and jobless individuals entitled to benefits and tax credit only received 65% of the amount they required in order to live above the UK poverty line (n/d). Statistics show that a child is likely to be at risk of poverty if they live in a household where there is only one parent. This could be attributed to the possibility of the parent feeling isolated and stigmatized by the community. They are also likely to be in poor physical and mental health leading them to be socially excluded. Children from ethnic minority groups are likely to be poor as majority of these families have no working members. Disability is also a cause for child poverty. This is because it is costly to take care of a disabled member of a household and i t is therefore

Compare, Contrast and Evaluate the Sociological Perspectives on the Ro

The role of education is to educate individuals within society and to prepare and qualify them for work in the economy as well as helping to integrate individuals into society and teach them the norms, values and morals of society. Yet there are three sociological theories that differ greatly between them on the role of education. These are Functionalism, Marxism and Liberalism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Functionalists view the role of education as a means of socialising individuals and to integrate society, to keep society running smoothly and remain stable. Emile Durkheim, creator of the Organic Analogy, was a functionalist during the 1870’s. Durkheim believes that society can only survive if its members are committed to common social values and that education provides these to children and young people as well as raising awareness of their commitment to society. Durkheim also believed that schools teach young people that they must co-operate with their peers and be prepare to listen to and learn from their teachers. Individual pupils eventually learn to suspend their own self interests for those of society as a whole, work together and that success in education, just like in society, involves commitment to a value consensus. Similarly, Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore, functionalists during the 1970’s, believed that education is strongly linked to social stratification by members of society and that education ‘sifts, sorts and allocates’ people to their correct place in the economy and society. By rewarding the most talented and most dedicated by allowing them into the highest paid and highest status jobs, education performs the function which is always necessary to Functionalists – differentiating all members of society so that the system runs smoothly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Like the functionalists, Marxists agree that education is functional in that it maintains the dominance of certain powerful groups in society. Unlike the functionalists, however, Marxists do not believe that it works for the benefit of all. Instead Marxists argue that the education system sustains one small group’s ideas about appropriate forms of schooling and assumptions about what knowledge is. The system also maintains different levels of access to knowledge for different groups and thereby prohibits the widespread dissemination of knowledge to everyone. Bowles and... ...cess in the economy of an individual is not always linked to success in school as well as the hidden curriculum being to restrictive as it does not allow society to gain a sense of self. The Marxist view that when the working class develops a class consciousness and realise that they are being exploited they will gather together to create a social revolution and overthrow capitalism and seize back the ruling class wealth and assets, does not apply to modern British society as there are very few people as the underdogs Marx describes are very few as the majority of society is fairly well off. Equally, the Liberalist view of the role of education is not applicable to modern British society as the majority of children are not yet ready for the responsibility to teach themselves, nor is society on a whole ready to accept the liberalists views on education. For these reasons Marxism is most applicable to modern British society as it takes into account the hierarchy within society and the inability to apply meritocracy due to our capitalist society. Therefore Marxism is the theory that has the most in common with modern British society and the theory most likely to apply to our society.

Couples Should Cohabit Before Marriage

Tanya Givans Mrs. Lamptey English-099 02-09-2010 Couples Should Cohabit before Marriage In the beginning of a relationship, there is a lot of excitement, giddiness, infatuation, lust and romance. As the relationship grows stronger, there are important decisions that need to be made. One in particular is the living arrangements of the couple. There are couples that decide to live together before marriage to see if their partnership will work. Some people are appalled by the fact that a couple would move in together and live as a married couple, because they believe it to be ungodly and that ex and children should only be a result of marriage. However, there are people who do not believe in religion, nor do they care if you live together before marriage or not . Couples should live together before marriage because they will learn more about themselves and each other before taking such a big step. Couples living together prior to marriage will find out if they are financially compatible . Once a couple makes the transition of moving in together, they will see how easy or hard it will be to manage their money. The fact of having one household instead f two will make it easy also all utility, water, grocery, and rent will be split in half. Living together before marriage will help a couple find out if maybe one is too frivolous with their money, and if the situation could be controlled before taking the next step into marriage. For example, maybe the boyfriend will get his paycheck go out to the bar spend and all of his money then come home broke. As a result, the girl is stuck paying the bills for the month. The financial burden of taken care of oneself is hard, but if a partner is irresponsible with their money, it can get expensive. Couples that live together before marriage also will learn more about themselves. After a couple has moved in together, they will have all of these expectations of each other. For example, my husband and I lived together before we were married, during this time we gave up our single lives. There was no partying at the clubs, hanging out with friends, or any nightlife what so ever. So being in this relationship meant that we would be totally devoted to each other. Giving up your single life to join with your partner means losing freedom, and a sense of ones self. Living together before marriage can help one to realize what a relationship is about, and if giving up their single life is what they are willing to sacrifice to share a lifetime with their partner. Marriage should last forever, so living together in advance can help a person realize if this is the life they want. Couples will learn more about their partner when living together before marriage. Hopefully, before a couple moves in together they will know if one another has any manners, bad habits or if one likes to fight. For example, when walking into the kitchen nd your boyfriend is moving the dishes out of the sink before he urinates in it. This would be disgusting and behavior like that is not acceptable. Or, after using the restroom he does not wash his hands. The lack of hand washing could actually be harmful especially if he prepares the family’s dinners. There are also more serious issues like when your partner is angry, will he or she get physically abusive. If a coupl e, has an irreparable problem in the relationship while living together then they can simply move out. Living together teaches a couple about their partners, and tolerance of each ther. In conclusion, some people may say that their religious practices do not allow them to live together before marriage, but I say couples should live together before marriage because they will learn more about themselves, their partners, and it is more convenient financially. Toleration of bad habits and the loss of one’s individualism will come with the territory of living together or being married. So if there are problems in the relationship now that cannot be fixed then it is safe to assume their will be problems if the couple foolishly decides to marry. .

Analysis Of Ernest J. Gainess A Lesson Before Dying

One of the many challenges associated with writing is that of writing style. It can help highlight the work when used effectively, or the opposite, if used ineffectively. Some have an intuitive grasp on matter while others struggle. In his book â€Å"A Lesson Before Dying†, author Ernest J. Gaines effectively conveys his story through his stylistic choices. He does this through Jefferson’s diary in chapter 29, Grant’s observations and thoughts throughout the story, and the â€Å"third-person perspective of chapter 30. These things elevate the immersion of the story and gives further insight into what Gaines is trying to convey. The whole of chapter 29 has a severe lack of any punctuation, correct spelling, and grammar. It is tough to read, but it†¦show more content†¦These things give us more information about Grant himself and the world he’s living in. For example, Grant thinks to himself: â€Å"Had Jefferson ever hit a home run?... You had to hit it just right, and that took timing and luck. Lily Green hit as many as anyone else†¦ But her luck ran out before she was twenty. Killed accidentally in a barroom in Baton Rouge.† (Gaines, 198) This one quote shows us that Grant is connecting the current events to the past events which is a recurring theme in the story. Grant first wonders about Jefferson and his time in school and then reminisces about his own time in school. Many from Grant’s generation is already dead. This is significant because a theme in the story is that of progression and change. Grant is trying his best to break out of a vicious cycle of racism by educating the younger generation. When Jefferson is sentenced to death Grant is devastated because he thinks nothing is changing. This is proven when Grant thinks to himself: â€Å"What am I doing? Am I reaching them at all? They are acting exactly as the old men did earlier. They are fifty years younger, mayber more, but doing the same thi ng those old men did who never attended school a day in their lives.† (Gaines, 51) This inner monologue reveals crucial information about the true subject of the story. It is not just a story about a one-time incident in a small town; it is painting a bigger picture of what racism is. Gaines expertlyShow MoreRelatedA Lesson While Living by Ernest Gaines1639 Words   |  7 Pages A Lesson While Living In a society where hardships occur daily, it is vital to have something to hold on to as an anchor. This reliance or commitment is in the form of friends, family, or even tangible possessions; however, humans sometimes have to fulfill deeds for others instead of continually thinking of themselves. Given these obligations, there results both a need and a desire to complete certain tasks for other individuals, for a community, or even for a higher power. In his novel, A Lesson

Standardized Testing And The Classroom Environment

My English class when I was a high school junior was characterized by exactly what people complain about when they belittle standardized testing and the classroom environment it creates. Namely in the area of teaching to and gaming the standardized tests. New York had used its state based and standardized Regents curriculum for the entire time I was in my pre-college education and the peak of the English Language Arts curriculum was in my junior year of high school. To pass high school and get your diploma, the state mandated that you take and pass your English 11 Regents exam. It focused on general multiple choice questions based off of randomly selected passages, short answer questions, and one longer critical lens essay. The only part of the exam that used information taught in the classroom was the critical lens essay in which you had to take two works of literature that you have read and use them to analyze a given quote. Because of how important this exam was, it was offered tw ice in the year for us (which was unheard of in other classes) once in January and once in June. About a month and a half before the January test, my teacher stopped everything we were doing and went into â€Å"test prep mode†. This meant that all class time and activities were purely devoted to running through different parts of the test repeatedly until we effectively had memorized how to do that part of the test. After learning the layout of the multiple-choice section for theShow MoreRelatedStudent Assessment - The Importance of Standardized Testing Essay1149 Words   |  5 PagesThe point here is that standardized testing is necessary to evaluate students and programs achievement or ability. In my opinion it is a good basic start to understanding the development of human- kind in many aspects. For example, in a school setting, standardizing tests are used to measure developmental stages or reading levels, just to name a few. 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