The Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Movement in its modern form was characteristic for the development of the American society during the period of the 1950s-1980s. The movement was started as the reaction of the African Americans to the social segregation and discrimination.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Civil Rights Movement specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The protests against segregation and discrimination were actively supported by the public, and President Kennedy initiated the discussion of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to stop racial discrimination in the American society. Although the positive role of the Civil Rights Movement for changing the role of the African Americans in the American society is visible, this topic is also essential to be discussed because the movement for the African Americans’ rights provoked the associated movements against the social and gender inequality. Thus, many effects of the Civil Rights Movement are observed in the modern American society which develops resolving the challenging questions of racism and inequality. That is why, this research aims to answer an important question: What modern effects of the Civil Rights Movement related to the issues of racism, discrimination, and inequality can be noticed in the present-day American society? To explain the effects of the Civil Rights Movement from the sociological perspectives, it is necessary to refer to the functionalist, conflict, and interactionist theories. Many modern researchers focus on the functionalist perspective and agree that the Civil Rights Movement influenced the society positively, and these effects can be observed today because the society is transformed, the problems of racism and inequality are discussed openly; referring to the conflict perspective, it is possible to note that discrimination is illegal, and the principle of the social justice and gender equality are followed. Fo llowing the functionalist perspective, it is essential to state that the society develops as the whole composed of connected parts which should interact according to the idea of social balance.Advertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More From this perspective, the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s-1960s caused the development of many other social movements oriented to protecting women, sexual minorities, and workers’ rights, and these movements contributed to maintaining the necessary social equilibrium. According to Isaac and Christiansen, ascendant social movements and modern protests can contribute to advancing the results of the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century because the principles of the social justice are re-thought and followed according to the tendencies of the new transformed society (Isaac Christiansen, 2002, p. 724-725). Referring to the principle of social interconnectedness, the authors conducted the quantitative research on the connection between the Civil Rights Movement and changes in the labor militancy, and they concluded that the Civil Rights Movement’s methods can also be successfully followed today (Isaac Christiansen, 2002). As a result, the Civil Rights Movement can be discussed as the functional element because it influenced the radical transformation of the American society leading to the social stability and to actual changes in the social positions of the African Americans. It is important to note that today the issues of racial discrimination are observed rarely because the social vision of the problem changed as a result of the Civil Rights Movement, and these consequences are the manifest functions, according to the functionalist theory. The concept of racial discrimination is contrasting to the ideas of social openness, tolerance, and flexibility. These ideas play an essential role in the modern Ameri can society, and they serve to support the notions of equality and justice. Thus, the manifest functions are in the improvement of the social status of the African Americans, their education and career opportunities and in the improvement of the women’s status, their employment opportunities, and changes in roles division. The changed opinions of the modern Americans on the issues of gender, race, and ethnicity can be discussed as latent functions.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Civil Rights Movement specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These ideas are reflected in the work of Michael Ezra, the professor of American multicultural studies, who state that the Civil Rights Movement is the radical shift in the development of the American society, and the functional consequences of this reform for the social visions can be observed during a long period of time (Ezra, 2009, p. 118-119). In spite of th e fact that Ezra pays much attention to the role of the Civil Rights Movement for the development of the idea of equality in relation to the African Americans, it is possible to agree with the author regarding the discussion of the movement’s positive effects on the current situation in the contemporary American society. One of the main positive effects of the Civil Rights Movement related to the progress of the modern American society is the concentration of the public’s attention on the issues of gender inequality. According to the conflict perspective, the competition of the different groups is the fundament for the social development. In his work, Caulfield states that the Civil Rights Movement contributed to drawing the public’s attention to the problem of the African Americans in general and African American women in particular (Caulfield, 2011, p. 25). Thus, the movement contributed to empowering women and to developing the idea of gender equality. From t his point, women organized the movement for their rights to oppose the principles of the patriarchal society because of their conflicting interests and associated gender inequality. That is why, following the conflict perspective and Caulfield’s conclusions, it is possible to state that the positive effect of the women’s empowerment observed in the American society today is the consequence of the significant social conflict known as the Civil Rights Movement. The American society in its new transformed variant demonstrates the example of how the Civil Rights Movement can lead to the prolonged positive effects, but these effects are the results of many protests, demonstrations, and manifestations which are symbols of the social conflict.Advertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The conflict perspective can be applied to discussing the work by Olzak and Ryo. According to the authors, the effectiveness of the Civil Rights Movement depends on the goal diversity and on the variety of the used techniques and methods and on the range of expected outcomes (Olzak Ryo, 2007, p. 1580). Goal and tactical diversity led to the significant positive outcomes of the movement, and these outcomes can be observed even today, but this diversity supports the idea that the interests of diverse groups were met during the Civil Rights Movement. In this case, the social power belongs to the white Americans and males, when women, African Americans, and sexual minorities are the representatives of the lower classes which oppose to the current state. However, the conflict resulted in the positive effects for such categories of the population as African Americans, women, and sexual minorities because their role in the American society was changed.  Interactionism is focused on the role of people’s interactions for the social development. Referring to the micro-sociological level, it is possible to note that the effects of the Civil Rights Movement are in the provision of the opportunity to live in the transformed society where the principles of the social justice and equality work while determining the people’s interactions in groups and communities because racial or gender discrimination and segregation can influence people individually. Although Andrews discusses the issue of the social movement with references to the period of the 1960s-1970s, in his work, the author also supports the idea of significance of the Civil Rights Movement for the further progress of the society in relation to changing the principles of the people’s interactions (Andrews, 2001, p. 72). In this case, it is also essential to state that the actual results of the Civil Rights Movement can be observed more clearly today because it is possible to conclude now whet her African Americans and white Americans interact according to the ideals of equality and justice, and whether women and men have equal rights. Although there is the range of quantitative and qualitative studies on the effects of the Civil Rights Movement on the American society, the authors of these studies choose to concentrate on the short-term or immediate effects of the movement on changes in the social position of the African Americans or women. Moreover, referring to the existing literature on the topic, it is possible to note that it is rather difficult to answer this question in detail or with the focus on the numerical evidence, while following the functionalist, conflict, and interactionist perspectives. The authors are inclined to refer to the statistics and studies’ factual findings, but the answer to the research question is still based on the results provided in the qualitative researches. From this point, it is possible to answer whether the effects of the Ci vil Rights Movement on the modern American society are positive or negative. The researches reviewed in this paper provide the general answer to this question. The authors of the reviewed works are inclined to argue that the Civil Rights Movement influenced the American society positively, and these positive effects can be observed even today while referring to the analysis of the modern position of the women, African Americans, and sexual minorities in the American society. Racial discrimination and issues of inequality are discussed in the modern society openly, and many efforts are made to resolve these issues which were hushed up before the Civil Rights Movement’s development. Thus, following the functionalist perspective, it is possible to state that the Civil Rights Movement’s effects on the modern American society are functional or mainly positive because the cases of racism are observed in the American community more rarely, the issue of segregation is not disc ussed today, and the public is active to double the efforts in relation to resolving the issues of racial and gender discrimination. Furthermore, today, the public is active to promote the ideals of the social justice and equality, and women and African Americans have the opportunity to take the same positions as the white people or males. These changes can be explained with references to the conflict theory. From these perspectives, the implications of the research are in stating the direct connection between the positive results of the Civil Rights Movement and current situation in the modern American society. Nevertheless, the direction for the future research should be associated with finding the numerical data and evidence to support the idea that the observed positive transformation of the American society into more tolerant and democratic one is the result of the Civil Rights Movement. References Andrews, K. (2001). Social movements and policy implementation. American Sociolo gical Review, 66(1), 71-95. Caulfield, B. (2011). Civil rights revisited: The growing African American pro-life movement. The Human Life Review, 37(2), 25-29. Ezra, M. (2009). Civil Rights Movement: People and perspectives. USA: ABC-CLIO. Isaac, L., Christiansen, L. (2002). How the Civil Rights Movement revitalized labor militancy. American Sociological Review, 67(6), 722-746. Olzak, S., Ryo, E. (2007). Organizational diversity, vitality and outcomes in the Civil Rights Movement. Social Forces, 85(4), 1561-1591. This research paper on The Civil Rights Movement was written and submitted by user Kallie Riggs to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Studying for an exam - Smart Custom Writing Samples

Studying for an exam - Smart Custom Writing Literary Analysis of the Unbearable Lightness of BeingThe Unbearable Lightness of Being is a book written by Milan Kundera and published in 1984.   It is a compelling love story, a must-read that is both touching and sad. This is a novel whose context is set in the late sixties up to the eighties in the communist run Czechoslovakia. It basically explores the themes of love and politics through an in-depth use of various literary devices such as symbolism, imagery and allegory. This has been widely discussed in here-in under the crucial theme of fate in relation to love. In evaluating the literary device of symbolism, imagery and allegory, the concept of lightness, weight and eternal return is well brought out by the German phrase ‘es muss sein’ which implies ‘it must be.’ Kundera explains the origin of the phrase as a motif from the Beethoven's songs. It came up when Tomas was debating after Tereza left him in Zurich as to whether to return to Prague. He phrases the term to his boss since he feels it is beyond his control, induced by fate and he has no choice but to follow Tereza. Fate, as a concept in light and weight, alludes or simplifies Nietzsche's ideas in ‘What's Up with the Title?’ in which Nietzsche alleged that people can attain eternal return and the burden of weight associated with it. Therefore, ‘es muss sein’ is highly relevant in this context since Kundera views Beethoven as a weighty person alluded by the ‘frown’ and ‘improbably mane.’ Further, he is one of the great loves of Tereza who is associated with heaviness and weight. Tomas learns about his music only through Tereza. Tomas feels that Tereza is part of fate and his ‘es muss sein’ and chooses to return to Prague to prove this. He analyses his relationship with Tereza on his way back and identifies six fortuitous events that precipitated their relationship, hence the reference to Tereza as ‘the woman born of six fortuities’ in the novel. This greatly worries him since they could be together by chance, referring to this as 'es konnte auch anders sein' rather by fate. This, is later challenged in Tomas’ thinking as illustrated by his musings on that if fate repeatedly points at a certain event, then the event must be sufficiently ‘significant and noteworthy.’ This is an implication that what happens by chance is a result of the need for necessity which is what is repeated further implying it belongs to the sphere of eternal return. Thi s further contrasts the lightness versus weight dichotomy since he further wonders that the events that occur by chance only once also have an implication. This struggle with the concept of fortuity is further illustrated in chapter five whereby Tomas deliberates on his profession as the narrator phrases: "He had come to medicine not by coincidence or calculation but by a deep inner desire." Kundera also illustrates ‘es muss sein,’ or fate by Tomas’ womanizing habits which he feels is an imperative enslaving him. After a night of erotic dreams and stomach pains, Tomas finally declares that Tereza is the ‘es muss sein’ of his love, though he still cannot control his womanizing habits. He finally comes to the conclusion that love lives beyond ‘es muss sein.’ Therefore, the dichotomy of weight versus lightness is well illustrated since on one hand, Tereza wants Tomas to give up his philandering lifestyle and commit to her but on the other h and, Tomas feels Tereza is in the realm of lightness since she is born of fate rather than compulsion. The literary device of symbolism, imagery and allegory can be furthered by the bowler hat. Kundera mentions that the bowler hat signifies several aspects in philosophy. First, Kundera explains that it signified violence against any woman’s dignity such as Sabina. From Kundera’s point of narration, the lingerie is depicted as enhancing the ‘charm of her femininity’ while the bowler hat, seen as hard and masculine, ‘violated and ridiculed it.’ Further, he depicts this humiliation as seen through Tomas who stood just stood beside her, fully dressed. Sexual humiliation in Kundera’s Unbearable Lightness is illustrated by both Sabina and Tereza. They harbor secret desires to be degraded by the men they have had sex with, For instance, Tereza wants the engineer to watch her go to the bathroom after sex, a desire also expressed by Sabina. With the iteration of certain words, the bowler hat can be therefore seen as a symbol of sexual degradation which contrary to the reader’s thoughts is voluntary and longed for by the women characters in the book. Secondly, Kundera explains that the bowler hat was memento which reminded her of her father. After the death of her father, she adamantly refuses to ‘out of sovereign contempt to fight for her rights’ or to have anything else except the bowler hat. Sabina’s relationship with the father is strained and complex. She feels that the kitsch or ideas instilled by her father during her childhood should be betrayed. She refused to fight for her inheritance; hence the bowler hat in this case alludes to her betrayal and desertion of her father. In conclusion, it is crucial to note that Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being is highly successful due to the fact that he is able to create an exchange between his ‘skeptical critical intelligence and his belief in the autonomy of his fictional characters’ (Andrews). The writer adopts a point of narration whereby he avoids all interior monologue and instead draws attention persistently to its fictiveness and the ability to display the characters imaginatively without resulting in soliloquy.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Andrews, Diane. "Critical Essay on The Unbearable Lightness of Being." Novels for Students. Detroit: Literature Resource Center, 2003. Barnard, John. "The Unbearable Lightness of Being: Repetition, Formal Structure, and Critique." Contemporary Literary Criticism Select. Detroit: Literature Resource Center, 25 January 2003. Kundera, Milan. The unbearable lightness of being. HarperPerennial, 1984.

Why is 21 the drinking age and is it in fact the the real age limit Essay

Why is 21 the drinking age and is it in fact the the real age limit - Essay Example Plenty of European countries are extremely negligent about it, and 12 year-olds are drinking more responsibly than many 23 year-olds in the States.(Grossman, 2006) When I say drinking responsibly, I mean drinking socially, such as dropping by somewhere and having a few mixed drinks or a couple of beers or something. The irresponsible drinking is drinking just to get drunk, meaning power-hours, taking 13 shots of 151 in half an hour (not fun), and just being, well, irresponsible. The latter type of drinking, from what I've seen, is mostly done by people who have little or no experience in drinking, and the availability of it is just too enticing to pass up, since you can inebriate yourself on a weekly or nightly basis. I have nothing personal against this type of drinking, especially since I partake in it. (Dombroski, 2004) The interesting thing, to me, is that there is no argument about the health effects of alcohol. Nobody is talking about liver and kidney failure, o r mental health problems due to legal alcohol consumption. I haven't seen anyone mention of drunk driving. The only things really being talked about are binge drinking, parental involvement, being old enough to fight for the country, and violence. In order to make this a complete discussion, the topics that are talked about need to be more complete. (Grossman, 2006) A lot more questions need to be asked. ... What I'm trying to point out is that while alcohol is a major contributor to a lot of violent crimes, health problems, and accidents, Federal, State, and local governments maintain that alcohol is still "legal" even if the age limit is kept at 21. (Dobkin, 2007) I have interviewed several university and college students concerning this issue of whether 21 should be the legal drinking age or is it a real age when people should start drinking. This is the report that I collected from four types of data which are relevant to the study of the effects of the increase in the drinking age. The data are from surveys of drinking and drinking problems among high school students; (Flynn, 2007) The 21 year old drinking age is an abridgment of the age of majority. By 18, Americans are legally adults and are entitled to all the rights and responsibilities that come with that role but one; the freedom to choose whether or not to consume alcohol.(Gever, 2006) The 21 year old marginalizes the role of parents in the process of teaching and encouraging responsible decisions about alcohol use. There is clear consensus cross introducing their children to responsible alcohol use. The 21 year old drinking age effectively eliminates this important parental role forcing parents to either break the law by serving their underage.(Grossman, 2006) Drinking isn't only something to do - it's something everyone can do together. It's how freshmen begin meeting people. "You don't know anybody, and then somebody hands you a beer and pretty soon you're hanging out with a bunch of guys," says Simon, a 19-year-old sophomore, remembering his first days in college. Freshmen drink hard early on: A 1995 Harvard study of college