Saturday, November 9, 2019
Christmas Carol Essay
A Christmas Carolââ¬â¢ focuses on a very mean character called Ebenezer Scrooge, who unnaturally receives a chance to make amends for his actions towards his clients. Life in Britain in the 1800ââ¬â¢s was very dark and gloomy, also its population was increasing rapidly. At this time and age, Britainââ¬â¢s industrial revolution was in full flow, thus making Britainââ¬â¢s population explode. Charles dickens had uncountable financial problems and was in in huge dept. In addition to this, in the fall of 1843 dickens and his wife were expecting their fifth child. Supporting his large family was difficult for Dickens. Requests for money from his family and a large mortgage had left Dickens seriously short of cash. In a way Dickens most cherished and most read books was created as a result of his own desperate need of money. Charles Dickens routinely walked the city streets, 10 or 20 miles at a time, observing the life. The descriptions in his writing seem like an exact replica of what he observed and experienced during these times. Evidence of this shown in the text. Descriptions such as ââ¬Ëa squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching,ââ¬â¢ may show how Charles Dickens might have behaved when he had his desperate money problems. In this essay, I will be discussing the development of Ebenezer Scroogeââ¬â¢s character in Christmas Carol whilst going through each stave. Stave 1 clearly introduces Scroogeââ¬â¢s character to the reader. At the beginning of the stave, the first description we see is where it says: ââ¬ËThe register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker and the mourner. Scrooge signed it. ââ¬Ë From this text the reader can already comprehend that scrooge is a man who only takes credit for himself and that he despises spending money on other people. Another description presented by the text tells the reader that there is something about Scroogeââ¬â¢s life style that makes him very unpopular with the locals. ââ¬ËNobody ever stopped him in the street to say, with gladsome looksââ¬â¢ ââ¬ËMy dear Scrooge how are youââ¬â¢ This makes it crystal clear that scrooge is obviously not a nice person, thus making the locals shun his presence. Scroogeââ¬â¢s cold and cruel actions to people result in Marleyââ¬â¢s Ghost appearing in Scrooges home. The ghost warns Scrooge that if he does not change his way of life, he will end up loosing everything and becoming just like Marley, who is dead and bound up in chains. In the second section or stave 2 of the novel, even though Marleyââ¬â¢s ghost had gone, its presence was having an effect on Scrooge. ââ¬ËMarleyââ¬â¢s ghost bothered him extremelyââ¬â¢ Since no one has ever been close to changing Scroogeââ¬â¢s personality, this text shows a slight alteration in Scroogeââ¬â¢s character. In this stave, Scrooge is visited by another ghost who says to represent Christmas past. This ghost shows Scrooge his early life and how much he has changed. After Scrooge has witnessed his passed life and actions, Scrooge is moved with regret. ââ¬ËI wishââ¬â¢ Just these two words are very significant as they show a huge positive development in Scroogeââ¬â¢s character, which suggests that Scrooge is willing and hoping to change his cruel ways, and diminish descriptions of himself such as: ââ¬ËTo see a heightened and excited face would have been a surpriseââ¬â¢ Scroogeââ¬â¢s life is full of negative descriptions like this and he wished to make amends for his past actions. Scrooge then says something to the ghost that is very, very unusual: ââ¬ËThere was a boy singing a Christmas Carol at my door last night, I would like to give him something. ââ¬Ë This is probably the first time that Scrooge has ever shown any affection for anyone, which shows that the presence of the ghosts are developing Scroogeââ¬â¢s character in a divine way. In stave 3 of the novel Scrooge is visited by yet another ghost who says to represent Christmas present. This ghost shows Scrooge how other families, such as the clerkââ¬â¢s and the Cratchits. Scrooge sees that even though the Cratchits are very poor, they can have a high quality of life and be happy at Christmas. Earlier on in the novel Scrooge says a cold blooded thing concerning one of the Cratchits son called Tiny Tim who looks very frail and scrawny and much too vulnerable to the hands of death: ââ¬ËIf he be like to die he had better do it and decrease the surplus population. ââ¬Ë Scroogeââ¬â¢s cold heart was so uncaring, that he thought that the death of a person was a benefit or an advantage to people. However, when the ghost showed Scrooge this family, his reminiscence of his past sayings had a different effect on him: ââ¬ËScrooge hung his head to hear his own words quoted by the spirit and was overcome with penitence and grief. ââ¬Ë Now that Scrooge has viewed that people can be happy without a lot of money, his former way of thinking has now disgusted him. Scrooge has now probably for the first time accepted that his way of life is detestable and needs to be changed: ââ¬ËAll the things that ghost has shown him came upon his mind. He softenedâ⬠¦ ââ¬Ë ââ¬ËIf he would have listened he might have cultivated the kindness of life. ââ¬Ë This shows a further development of Scroogeââ¬â¢s character as his hard headedness had been softened and also, he now desires to have a personal quality of kindness. In stave 4 of the novel Scrooge is visited by the last of the three ghosts who represents Christmas future. In this stave scrooge is shown a group of people who are discussing a very unpopular mans death. Scrooge is puzzled by the conversation of the group until the ghost silently exposes the secret when he shows Scrooge a gravestone with his own name on it. The description of the ghost in the beginning of the stave definitely offers a hint that Scroogeââ¬â¢s future will be cold and dark just as his past life: ââ¬ËShrouded in a deep black garmentââ¬â¢ ââ¬ËIt seemed to scatter gloom and mysteryââ¬â¢ These phrases are fitting descriptions of a ghost that will bring news that is associated with death. The tone of this stave is also set with words such as; ââ¬ËShadowââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëdark room. ââ¬Ë These words give further evidence that a death orientated future awaits Scrooge. Scrooge is horrified when he sees his own gravestone, but to further upset him, he sees that his death is ââ¬Ëun-watched, un-wept and un-cared for. ââ¬Ë the phrase ââ¬Ëneglected graveââ¬â¢ shows that no one cared if Scrooge died because of the extent of the his cold-hearted actions towards people. This event made Scrooge release all of his emotions. ââ¬ËI hope to live to be another manââ¬â¢ His future death makes Scrooge resolve to change his way of cold way of life into a much more kind, new man. Stave 5 shows the finale of Ebenezer Scroogeââ¬â¢s development of character. In this stave Scrooge is shown to be a completely different man. For example, instead of sacking one of his employees for being late, he raises his salary another example is that the story says that Scrooge became like a second father to Tiny Tim. In this stave there is also evidence that points to the outcome of the story as the mood of the novel suddenly changes from a dark and gloomy mood to a more happy mood. Words such as ââ¬ËBrightââ¬â¢ and ââ¬ËGolden sunlightââ¬â¢ show that something marvellous and positive is going to happen to Scrooge and his character. These hints are fulfilled when the text says: ââ¬ËGlowing with good intentionsââ¬â¢ Obviously from this, the reader can see that Scrooge is a changed man, and is exploding with good deeds and emotions, and instead of planning to do evil he is planning to do something obliging. Language devises such as similes are also used to show Scroogeââ¬â¢s development in character: ââ¬ËAs happy as an angelââ¬â¢ This simile is used to further emphasize the alteration in Scroogeââ¬â¢s personality. Since Angels are portrayed to be perfect heavenly creatures it is obvious to the reader that Scrooge has made some miraculous changes from being a cold hearted, uncaring and evil man into a loving, kind and angelic new man. In my personal opinion, I believe that the presence of the ghosts were like stepping stones to the development of Scrooges character. It seemed to me that the lessons taught by the ghosts became more and more severe as Scroogeââ¬â¢s mind gradually softens.
Thursday, November 7, 2019
buy custom Division of Health and Human Development essay
buy custom Division of Health and Human Development essay Although health indicators show remarkable improvement among the general populations of Americans, minority groups of Asian and African-American descent still face challenges posed by the heavy burden of preventable diseases, disabilities and deaths. In several studies carried out, it emerges that African-American people are more vulnerable to cancerous diseases than other persons of different races. Heart disease is also a serious cause of death among the different minority populations. Also, white women who are less vulnerable to obesity and overweight than their colleagues from minority populations are less prone to diabetic ailments. In this little piece of writing, I wish to examine the Cultural Beliefs held by the minority groups which may be a major contributor to their numerous health woes. In light of the perceptible health disparity that negatively impacts on the lives of many American citizens in the ethnic and racial minority, preventive measures have been attempted and still require to be put in place and be implemented in earnest so as to assure the affected groups of a meaningful life. With respect to this cause, and in order to effectively deal with the matter, a thorough scrutiny of the way these people live and their general perception of health matters if fundamental. In essence, the culture plays a major role in anchoring many pracices that may be the major contributors of the existing impasse. Indeed, there are various cultural beliefs that the people hold so dear yet they play a role in sustenance of the health disparity problem. One unfortunate practice that has always been perpetuated by a large proportion of the minority population is paucity of commitment to immunization programs. It is estimated that about thirty per cent of African-American adults are less likely to have been immunized against the major diseases that are too strong for the bodys natural immune system. Such individuals remain vulnerable to diseases that would have effectively been prevented at an early age. In another observation in 2003, sixty nine per cent of older white persons received influenza vaccines compared to the low forty nine per cent and forty seven per cent of older African-American and Hispanic adults, respectively (Department of Health Human Services 2007). Besides, the issue of poor child care is a common issue which brings about high infant mortality rates among the minority groups. For instance, infant mortality rate for African-American mothers with over thirteen years of education was almost three times that of the non-Hispanic White mothers in 2005. The implication of this is the lack of emphasis on utilization of modern prenatal, post-natal and antenatal care on tthe part of the African-American mothers as compared to their non-Hispanic white colleagues. In fact, African-American mothers were two and a half times as likely as non-Hispanic white mothers to begin prenatal care in the third trimester, or even completely fail to receive it (Census Bureau 2008). It is also notable that most of the persons belonging to the minority groups do not practice general healthy living in terms of what they eat. They rely heavily on junk foods that only make them susceptible to different kinds of diseases such obesity and overweight. Crime is also rampant in most of the areas inhabited by the minority groups and the youths are most affected. With such forces in play, health indicators like life expectancy would definitely their unprecedented lows. In simple terms, the health disparity that exists among different American racial and ethnic groups is determined largely by the lifestyles embraced by each one. However, educative measures and sound policies are necessary weapons in the fight against such an enormous war against health disparity in order to guarantee all Americans of health living. It lies in the hands of all the stakeholders in the Health Sector to make an effort to ensure that affected individuals are conformant to the modern ways of living and health practices that guarantee better health for all. Buy custom Division of Health and Human Development essay
Monday, November 4, 2019
Acceptance of refugees
Acceptance of refugees After World War II, the United Nations was instituted and one of their tasks was to set up universal regulations and laws to define the status and rights of refugees. The U.N. High Commission for Refugees organized in 1951 received a three-year mandate to solve postwar refugee problems and was renewed thereafter for five-year periods. Nevertheless, new scope of responsibilities, definitions and restrictions followed with the institution of new conventions and proposals. As of today, the number of refugees remains at an increasing rate and laws have never been stricter and tougher. The refugee crisis remains an ongoing and delicate issue. It encompasses a global predicament that leaves humanity physically and emotionally scarred. Laws that deal with refugee issues are firmer and concerning from different political groups. There were so many real and reel concerns that has been raised and the negative reactions from different nations has become contagious. Throughout history, acceptance of refugees revolved around issues of morality, economics, security and political delineations. We have yet to bypass these obstacles to continue to preserve the unity that has once been restored. Anne Frank is an ordinary girl living her prime as a teenager in a place that other girls of her age would never imagine to be; a place void of fun, dignity, freedom and normalcy. In spite of the living situation she and her family is in, Anne kept abreast of the horror outside of the four walls of the hidden annex and put her perception and unfaltering hope into writing. The diary that was given to her as a gift on her 13th birthday linked the dreads and fears of her own and the outside world during her time. She hang on to that flicker of hope that someday, it will all come to pass. Little did anyone know that a thirteen year old girl will turn out to be a representation of a universal message and her diary an instrument of appeal for equality in dignity and acceptance of each other regardless of our differences. One would have thought after witnessing and/or reading about the horrors of the one of the most devastating part of history, that the world has learned its lesson. The holocaust may now be a thing of the past, a part of history; however, there still are many Anne Frank and her family in different parts of the world being judged, discriminated upon and maltreated. Desperately trying to search for humane treatment, they chose to seek shelter in other nations hoping for a newfound home. Anne Frankââ¬â¢s legacy through her diary stirred an awakening on one of the most distressing part in history and a reflection on how we can make a change to prevent its recurrence. Anne Frank finds freedom in her diary. It is in her writings that silence is broken and autonomy sets in. Reading between the lines, one can find a soulful account of the joy, fear, hope, desperation and a plea. Anne Franks story calls for respect to dignity and equality. Having the courage to face our fears will set the trend in breaking the stigma attached to the refugees. No one ever has to face being judged and discriminated upon based on gender, race, beliefs and faith. The best gift you can give the future is to do something worthwhile in the present. The Catalyst program of Regis supports humanitarian causes through downright expression in words and deeds. We reach out to different countries in need raising funds and awareness to ensure optimization of health and education for those in need. With passion for a great cause, we hope to expand the mission and express the vision worldwide. Together, let us open our minds and listen to our hearts in promoting an attitude of universal acceptance and continue to advocate for the preservation of democracy and human rights for all.
Saturday, November 2, 2019
The power of the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
The power of the US - Essay Example The US is indeed an economic powerhouse with the US dollar being one of the worldââ¬â¢s most stable currencies and has a very high exchange rate compared with most currencies. The US is a destination country for immigration, it has open policy for people who want to immigrate, and multiple nations come up because of its diverse culture. The USA works together with most of the other world powerhouses to help promote world peace and stability. It works closely with world organizations such as the U.N and N.A.T.O. The US Marines often work closely with other world countries that need assistance in military strategies and tactics. For a number of years, US has offered chances to those wishing to immigrate and stay as its nationals (Stealey, 2008). It also offers a "green card" program where it allows accredited foreigners to be able to become citizens of the United States after slow integration into the system. In addition, it offers resources to aid other nations of the world, especially the third world countries, should any international issues arise, which need attention. Many times it provides assistance in the form of finances, manpower resources, and consultancy services. Thus, the US is a destination country for
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Health Topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Health Topic - Essay Example and consequences of drug abuse in relation to consumption of Methamphetamine, analyze its significance, discuss the cultural similarities and differences, provide statistics and locate the various local and national agencies offering assistance to people under the influence of such harmful drugs. The use and popularity of Methamphetamine increased immediately post the Second World War which was used to as a tool to demote / drive down exhaustion and restrain appetite. The harmful effects and addictive quality of the drug led to it being recognized as a substantial health risk in the 1960s prompting the health agencies to initiate corrective measures and policies to restrict its medicinal usage. During the 1980s the problem of Methamphetamine abuse began to be recognized as a severe health hazard in the United States where the drug was popularized by California based motorcycle gangs named Hells Angels. It was used in a smokable form and was largely imported from the Phillipines (methamphetamine.org, 2008). Methamphetamine is a powerful and highly addictive stimulant that drastically upsets several areas of the central nervous system of a human body. Popularly known as Speed, Meth, chalk, crystal, grass, crank, and ice the drug can be consumed in various forms ââ¬â smoked, snorted, or orally injected into the body. It resembles a white, odorless and bitter tasting powder which could be dissolved in water or alcohol for consumption. It is easy to make and can be made in surreptitious laboratories from easily available and relatively inexpensive ingredients and sold / purchased at a low cost. These factors are largely responsible for its widespread abuse (NIDA, 2008). The key findings from report on primary methamphetamine admissions to substance abuse treatment, as presented by the Drug and Alcohol Services Information System (DAIS Report, 2008) is mentioned below: In the year 2005 there were over 1.8 million admissions recorded for substance abuse of which
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Production of Frozen Foods for Export in Thailand Dissertation
Production of Frozen Foods for Export in Thailand - Dissertation Example The US and UK's economies were promising but their consumption patterns were not. Both countries had plenty of frozen foods in the market already; this means that Thailand exporters would have to have a solid product and good marketing strategies. All in all, Thailand exporters should proceed with the venture but they should concentrate their efforts in China then the US and the UK in that order. Contents Declaration 1 Acknowledgement 2 ABSTRACT 3 Contents 4 1.0 INTRODUCTION 6 1.1 Background to study 6 1.2 Objectives of the research 15 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 16 2.1 An examination of exporting theories as applied to Thailand 16 2.2 Factors that Thailand exporters have considered before exportation 21 2.3 Thai's frozen food industry 25 3.0 METHODOLOGY 30 3.1 Overall research strategy 30 3.2 Secondary research 30 3.21 Why secondary research was chosen 34 3.3 Primary research: Online questionnaires 34 3.31 Why online questionnaires were chosen 34 3.32 Problems of using online questionnaires 36 3.4 Methodology 37 3.41 Sampling design and strategy 37 3.42 The process 40 3.43 Sampling criteria 42 4.0 RESULTS 45 4.1 SECONDARY DATA 45 4.12 Feasibility of producing frozen food with reference to a particular exporter in Thailand 45 4.13 Market potential of target countries 48 4. 14 Why the springboard to foreign markets 64 4.2 PRIMARY DATA 64 4.21 Questionnaire results 64 5.0 DATA ANALYSIS (QUESTIONNAIRE) 67 6.0 DISCUSSION OF RESULTS 69 6.1 Thailand 69 6. 11 Analysis of Thailand's macro economic situation in relation to its export potential 69 6.12 Analysis of Thailand's frozen food sector and capability 71 6.2 China 72 6. 21 Analysis of Chinese market potential in... From the statistics indicating the performance of Thailand products in the local frozen food industry, there is a lot of promise for further expansion. The government provides incentives for the manufacture of goods. On top of that, the country is technologically prepared to take up this venture as other commodities have fared very well in the Thai market. The countryââ¬â¢s economy has been growing dramatically over the last few years and can, therefore, sustain large-scale production. The country is richly endowed with agricultural commodities which are a crucial part of the frozen food industry. If kept unchecked, it could affect the nature of trade in the country and must be controlled. All in all, Thai is definitely ready for the international manufacturer of frozen foods since it has already started doing this locally. Consequently, Thailand stands to reap benefits of exporting into China. However, some caution should be taken with the nature of the population. It would be advisable for exporters to adhere to regional preferences while offering foods there. On top of that, Thailand exporters need to be wary of competition from local frozen food producers. Therefore, more quality will out-compete these individuals. On top of that, there are higher chances of succeeding in the market, if the country focuses its sales on the eastern coastal areas first. This is because the urban population is located there and they are more exposed to convenience foods rather than those ones in the central region.
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Foucauldian Discourse on Punishment
Foucauldian Discourse on Punishment Foucauldian Discourse on Punishment It is noteworthy that the power and techniques of punishment depend on knowledge that creates and classifies individuals, and that knowledge derives its authority from certain relationships of power and domination (Sparknotes, 2006). However, it is in the works of French philosopher Michel Foucault on penal institutionsthat the idea of punishment as part of a discourse of power is made explicit. In this paper, I will critically assess Foucaultââ¬â¢s discourse concept on punishment as well as Benthamââ¬â¢s panopticon theory demonstrating the extent of Foucaultââ¬â¢s concept towards punishment. Disciplinary institutions are, by and large, places where power is exercised and coursed through various mechanisms. Without doubt, it is in Discipline and Punish (1977) that Foucaultââ¬â¢s concern with discipline and surveillance becomes even more pronounced than his other genealogical works. In this work he examines the progressive sophistication of disciplinary mechanisms such as punishments employed in prisons that are in fact, upon closer scrutiny, representative of the same progression of disciplinary mechanisms in society. He undertook an examination of power relations using the penal institution as a take-off point, for the primary reason that it is here where the different disciplinary techniques used in the exercise of power are more evident. At the outset, he shows how torture and execution was made a public spectacle; with the condemned man being paraded in a manner deemed suited to the crime he committed. Interestingly however, public tortures and executions soon became a ââ¬Ëhiddenââ¬â¢ affair, with the condemned man being transferred secretly from one place to another in a manner as inconspicuous as possible, using plain carriages with no particular distinguishing mark indicating that the cargo was a convicted felon. Nevertheless, Foucault points out the concern that the institution has with the ââ¬Ëbodyââ¬â¢, a preoccupation that the prison has in common with the asylum and the hospital and, upon close examination, with other institutions as well(Foucault, 1977, p.25). The shifting of torture and execution from the public to the private realm (resulting in more economical disciplinary techniques) subtly demonstrates how mechanisms of discipline evolve and take other forms. In an interview, Foucault states: What I wanted to show is the fact that, starting from a certain conception of the basis of the right to punish, one can find in the work of penal experts and philosophers of the 18th century that different means of punishment were perfectly conceivable. Indeed in the reform movementâ⬠¦ one finds a whole spectrum of means to punish that are suggested, and finally it happens that the prison was in some way, the privileged one (Foucault, in Lotringer, 1989, p.286). Using the prison as an example, Foucault demonstrates how such disciplinary institutions utilize different techniques to form ââ¬Ëdocile bodiesââ¬â¢: a direct coercion of the body to produce both productive subjects and instruments with which to channel power (Foucault, 1977, p.136). This is a positive perspective of power, because through subjection and subjugation, the individual at once becomes a productive body through direct bodily training. There is a purpose to an institutionââ¬â¢s exercise of power, depending upon the nature of that institution; at most, what can be said insofar as purpose is concerned is that institutions all aim at producing ââ¬Ëdocile bodiesââ¬â¢ in whatever form the latter may take. Again, this depends on what type of individual an institution intends to fashion. Docile body simply refers to the type of individual that is trained and disciplined in the context of a power relation in an institution. In discussing productivity, it can be understood to refer to the capacity of institutions to produce individuals of a specific type, utilizing punishments as mechanisms. In their book, Michel Foucault (1984), Cousins and Hussains write ââ¬Å"that imprisonment is also enveloped in a mechanism of powerâ⬠(p. 173). Foucault sees discipline, therefore, as combinative: it functions to combine elements, in this case, individuals, into a uniform mass not through the individual variables found in each element, but through the characteristics imposed upon it because of the space it occupies. Hence, the space defines the capabilities of each individual, which in turn contribute to the collective function of the mass. As it were, the individual is trained through its designation or position, the series that is relevant to his codified space, and through the issuance of a systematic order or command from the authority (Foucault, 1977, p.166). In the following part, it will be made evident that for Foucault, the institutional role of the prison-model of society paves the way for control and observation. At the end of the chapter entitled Panopticism, Foucault explicitly stated: The practice of placing individuals under ââ¬Ëobservationââ¬â¢ is a natural extension of a justice imbued with disciplinary methods and examination procedures. Is it surprising that the cellular prison, with its regular chronologies, forced labour, its authorities of surveillance and registration, and its experts in normality, who continue and multiply the functions of the judge, should have become the modern instrument of penality? Is it surprising that prisons resemble factories, schools, barracks, hospitals, which all resemble prisons? (p. 228). In this particular passage, Foucault outlines the mechanisms that the prison uses in controlling criminality. On closer examination, what he in fact outlines are the mechanisms that operate within different social institutions. This is a noteworthy point, since the institutions that he mentioned, i.e. factories, schools, barracks, and hospitals, all function in essentially the same way as the modern prison. These all use specific procedures and techniques to discipline subjects. Jeremy Benthamââ¬â¢s concept of the ââ¬Å"Panopticonâ⬠became an influential model for modern day architectural efficiency. In short, the prison that he envisioned in the late 18th century was to be constructed in such a way as to have the individual cells arranged in a circular manner, with an observation tower at the centre of the formation, light coming from the outside of the cells illumines the inmate for whoever is staying at the observation tower, while the observer in the tower itself remains hidden from the cellsââ¬â¢ occupants (See. Figure 1). This arrangement reverses, yet makes even more powerful, the traditional notion of incarceration that is, the putting away of criminality. Thus, to assume that someone is in the observation tower even if there is no one there is the full effect of the ââ¬Å"Panopticonâ⬠. Foucault (1977) further clarified: Hence the major effect of the Panopticon: to induce in the inmate a state of conscious and permanent visibility that assures the automatic functioning of power. So to arrange things that the surveillance is permanent in its effects, even if it is discontinuous in its action; that the perfection of power should tend to render its actual exercise unnecessaryâ⬠¦ in short, that the inmates should be caught up in a power situation of which they are themselves the bearers. (p. 201) It can be seen that central to the effective use of the panoptic principle is the efficiency of surveillance mechanisms. The latter should function in such a way as to force the recipient of disciplinary power to keep watch over his/her own actions, because of the fact that s/he is being observed by the authority figure. The concept of the gaze is what makes discipline work. In the panoptic model, visibility becomes the central principle that governs incarceration. In other words, For Foucault, the ââ¬Å"Panopticonâ⬠represents the way in which discipline and punishment work in modern society. It is a diagram of power in action because by looking at a plan of the ââ¬Å"Panopticonâ⬠, one realizes how the processes of observation and examination operate (Sparknotes, 2006). To my way of thinking, by and large the foucauldian concept of discourse towards punishment is an explicit, objective and realistic extensive concept with an array of persuasive arguments and insights on power and techniques of punishment that reflect the modern penal system and simultaneously the various mechanisms of observation and examination. On the whole, what is made evident at this point is that punishment in Foucault should be understood as something much broader than simple retribution. Instead, punishment is an act that is subsumed under the notion of discipline, or training. As such, the prison institution is designed to re-form a criminal into an individual who can be reintegrated into mainstream society, in order to be made useful and productive once more. As already mentioned, the mechanisms used by society are by and large the same mechanisms of discipline used in institutions such as the prison. Within this larger framework, it is implied that the notion of punishment, in all its forms, operate as a part of a purposeful social design within which all other theories become possible. What is positive about such a societal setup is the fact that techniques such as punishments are not entirely negative or prohibitive. Relations of power are important for Foucault because of the positive effects borne out of it. As a final positive note, consider what he says that is summed up best in an interview: It seems to me that power is ââ¬Ëalways already thereââ¬â¢, that one is never ââ¬Ëoutsideââ¬â¢ itâ⬠¦ But this does not entail the necessity of accepting an inescapable form of dominationâ⬠¦ To say that one can never be ââ¬Ëoutsideââ¬â¢ power does not mean that one is trapped and condemned to defeat no matter what (Foucault, 1980, p.141). While Foucault did not agree with the prison per se as the best form of punishment, he saw in the prison a mechanism that, as used by the society, functions as a state mechanism for internalizing discipline. That means the individual would be responsible for governing or disciplining himself from within. Every time the person ââ¬Å"feels the gazeâ⬠(i.e. domination), he would be forced to govern himself. In other words, the effects of discipline are felt even though the disciplinary power is absent. The prison is therefore not simply a place for punishment, but a model of an effective mechanism. Bibliography Cousins, M. Hussain, A. (1984)Michel Foucault. New York: St. Martinââ¬â¢s Press. Macey, D. (1994) The Lives of Michel Foucault. London: Vintage. Foucault, M. (1977). Discipline and Punish. Alan Sheridan Trans. New York: Vintage Books. Foucault, M. (1989.) What calls for Punishment? In: Lotringer, S. ed. Foucault Live. New York: Columbia University, pp. 279-292. Foucault, M. (1980). Power and Strategies. In: Gordon, C. ed. Power/Knowledge. New York: Pantheon, pp. 134-145. Sparknotes. (2006). Michael Foucault: Discipline and Punish. Available: Last accessed 1 March 2007. Panopticon (Prisonââ¬â¢s Plan) Figure 1 From Discipline and Punish, 1977
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