Human Resource Management in Construction Essay

Human Resource Management in Construction - Essay Example Training involves various methods and programs all with intentions of improving workers performance and also self-fulfilment. Due to current advancements, training applies to all kinds of employees from line workers to chief executive officer. Construction companies require a skilled workforce and thus encourage training to improve efficiency in their organizations. Developmental training programs involve broader skills that apply to a wider several situations. It will further increase the competence of the employees. According to the section, 42 of the Industrial Relations Act, 1990 stipulates for the formulation of draft Regulation of Practice by the Labour Relations Commission. The code of practice includes general guidelines on the application of grievance and disciplinary procedures. The law outlines principles of fair procedures between the employees and their employers. The procedures are necessary to ensure that claims are dealt with in relation the principles of natural justice and fairness. They are essential in maintaining discipline in the workplace by implementing disciplinary measures in a consistence manner that is fair to all people involved.2 The procedures have an advantage in that they allow for updating n reviewing periodically being consistent with changing circumstances and developments in the workplace and employment legislations. There are number of stages in handling discipline and grievance procedures. In the first instance, one needs to raise the issue with the immediate officer. If not solved the matter can progress to higher management following the agreed arrangements. According to Acas’ booklet â€Å"code of practice 1: Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures† (2009) Third party may be involved to aid in solving the issue. He may be either an internal or external mediator as long as he is not part of the disciplinary or grievance issue.3 Some cases will not be capable of being solved

Impact of Reality Shows on Younger Generation

Impact of Reality Shows on Younger Generation Jump to: Research Methodology | Research Background | Research Data | Results Analysis | Conclusion and Recommendations With the successful completion of the Sirasa Super Star Session 1 most of Sri Lankan television channels started airing various kinds of reality programs. The organizers identified that these programs can easily raise the popularity of the television channels and above all the main aim of organising such events is the money which generating behind the screen. One of the main features of such shows that proliferated in the recent past across the television channels is the active participation of celebrities in varied capacities viz; presenters are judgers. Usually organisers of such events take greater care to stage such events in a more planned, colourful and in a dramatic manner, so as to attract all the age groups in the society. Due to the tough competition prevailing among the television channels to win the viewers, innovations and differentiation has become key words to stay ahead in the reality business. Producers seems trying introducing various types of programmes but it is not hard to find those so called innovated programs happens to be just the carbon copies of American, European or the Indian reality shows. Due to this lacuna in originality these programs might not be suitable to the Sri Lanka culture as these programmes have been germinated with features related to the American or European culture. Under this light it can be posited that nowadays reality shows are adversely effecting the educational and social development of our younger generation because predominantly the spectators found to be consisted with this social group. CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY AIM The aim of this paper is to highlight the effect of reality programs on the younger generation in the light of their social and educational development. PROBLEM STATEMENT Does the Sri Lankan younger generation is addicted to the reality programs due to the glamour and popularity of such programmes and will it effect the social and educational development of the younger generation of the Sri Lankan society? RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS Reality programs are adversely effecting the educational and social development of the younger generation in the Sri Lankan society. SCOPE OF THE STUDY The scope of this research is to gather the views and ideas of public regarding reality programs and to measure its effect on our younger generation. GENERAL OBJECTIVE To find out the reasons behind reality shows become so popular among the Sri Lankan viewers and to discover which age groups are more prone to be attractive to these programmes. Furthermore, to surface effects if any by the broadcasting reality shows on social and educational development of the Sri Lankan Society. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES To determine the reasons behind the popularity of reality programs among the Sri Lankan viewers. To obtain a better understanding about the financial benefits offered to the competitors and the spectators by the organisers and also to learn about the huge amount of money that circulating behind the screen. To find out true intensions of the organizers with regard to the facilitation the youths to enhance their talents, bringing talented youths to the limelight, making available monitory benefits and how the organizers (TV channels) intend to be benefited by reality programmes. To comment about the true potential of created Stars to remain bright in the show business sustaining the popularity over their contemporary traditional artists. To comment how will be the judges are qualified to judge the competitors fairly and to comment on the process of selecting the winners by the viewers through the medium of Telephones, SMS and post cards. METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION Data collection methods are as follows. a. Primary Sources. Primary source of information will be gathered by interviewing selected groups of people. A questionnaire will be administered to the following respondents. i. School Teachers ii. Doctors iii. Parents iv. Officers in No 33 JCC representing Tri Forces v. University Students vi. School A/L Students b. Secondary Source. Secondary source of information will be the related books, paper articles, web articles, library sources and relevant databases. THE STRUCTURE OF THE PAPER The thesis is structured as follows a. CHAPTER I This Chapter will cover the Introduction. b. CHAPTER II This Chapter will cover the Methodology. c. CHAPTER III This chapter will covers the background of reality programs which are airing in Sri Lankan television channels. d. CHAPTER IV This Chapter will cover the data which collected through the questionnaire. e. CHAPTER V This Chapter will cover the data which collected through questionnaire and analyzes them accordingly f. CHAPTER VI Conclusion. CHAPTER 3: BACKGROUND OF RESEARCH Reality programs are genre of television programming that presents supposedly unscripted dramatic or entertaining situations, events, competitions and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors and the significant is the program is manipulating by a popular star  [1]  . This kind of reality programs are commonly called reality shows and often they are produced in series. Documentaries and non fictional programming such as news and sports shows are usually not classified as reality shows. Reality television frequently portrays a modified and highly influenced form of reality, utilizing sensationalism to attract viewers and so to generate advertising profits. Participants are often placed in exotic locations or abnormal situations, and are sometimes coached to act in specific scripted ways by off-screen story editors or segment producers, with the portrayal of events and speech manipulated and contrived to create an illusion of reality through editing and other post-production techniques  [2]  . Till the time all these reality programs were recognized as huge profit making exercise behind the screen and which were helping to raise the popularity of television channels. The present nature of reality shows are started in American television channels, the most successful one was American Ideal and this was become very famous all around the world. Later it was spread among some other countries with their own identities such as, Australia, England, China, Japan and our neighbour country India too. Sirasa TV is in the pioneer among the Sri Lankan television channels to air the reality shows. This has stemmed from their vision to present new energetic televisions programs to the Sri Lankan television society. General opinion held by the public of this country is that Sirasa television always comes with a different style or sometimes may be very peculiar programs which may give an impressive experience to the Sri Lankan spectators who are already bored with watching monotonous television programs. Sirasa TV introduced the new culture in TV entertainment through mega tele drama to the Sri Lankan Society deviating away from traditional tele-dramas. Initially those tele-dramas were Indian origin and subtitled or dubbed in Sinhala language (e.g. Shanthi the Indian mega tele-drama dubbed in Sinhala). The regular Hindi lovers in the Sri Lankan society may embrace these tele-dramas. The popularity of the mega tele-dramas were increased in many folds with the introduction of mega tele-dramas with a Sri Lankan touch but based on Indian lifestyle and later themes and style shifted to be in line with the traditional Sri Lankan context. The statistics shows spectators flocked to-gether with the Sirasa TV each day during the hours between 2000hrs to 2200hrs to see their favourite tele-dramas in Ran Depaya which telecasted both Indian and Sri Lankan four mega tele-dramas within two hour period in the week days. Tele dramas of Hindi origin but dubbed in sinhala such as Mahagedara, Chiththi and Praveena and also the tele-dramas with Singhalese themes but produced in Indian style such as Wasuda and Kindurangana were equally became popular among Sri Lankan viewers. Observing the grand success achieved by Sirasa TV all the other television channels had to face the challenge of regaining their lost popularity. As a counter strategy other TV channels were also opted to follow the leaders path. Hence, almost all other TV stations started to telecast mega tele-drams in their channels and some channels like Independence Television Network (ITN) become more successful than Sirasa TV since they managed to capture the taste of Sri Lankans with Sri Lankan style dramas instead of Indian dramas. Indian style Sinhala dramas also helped to boost up the popularity of the TV channel. As examples Batti, Mutu Kirilli Paba became very famous among the viewers. This series of Mega Tele-dramas were the last of the production list as produces witnessed a mark decline in popularity for such entertainment. When the time passes these Mega tele-dramas become more burdensome for the viewers and they understood that the substances of most of these stories were same, monotonous and meaning less. Because of the endless and prolonged nature of these dramas, story had to be changed aimlessly suiting to the production difficulties ignoring the viewers needs and wants. Above all busy schedules of the working class caused to refuse these programs gradually but surely. When the viewers are receding away from mega tele-dramas TV stations were forced to change their strategies to win the crowd. The requirement of the day was to innovate entertainment programmes that ensure a different experience to the tired mega tele-drama viewers. Again being the pioneer of presenting new experience to the viewers, Sirasa TV found out the solution to this. They presented an energetic, dramatic and curious program to the viewers named as Sirasa Super Star Session I, a singing competition. That was the gateway to Sri Lankan viewers to enter into the world of reality shows. The Sirasa Super Star Session I is the most successful first reality program produced by the Sirasa TV which based on a singing contest among general applicants. Because of its attractiveness and dramatic way of presenting it became vary famous among the viewers. Furthermore, because of that program telecasted during the weekend, it became ideal way of spending weekend for the people those who fed up working through week days and this has become real entertainment during weekends. Viewers found that they no longer required being bond to mega tele-dramas during the whole weekdays. Because of the popularity and financial benefits acquired by the Sirasa TV they started second session of the same program soon after the first. Mean time the other television channels also did some experiments on same reality programs and after achieving success they were ventured out to experiment more different types of reality programs and most of them again became very successful. Some times Derana TV a nd Swarnavahini were at the peak of popularity than Sirasa TV. Some of the Reality programs aired by each channels are attached to this as Annex B POSSIBLE REASONS FOR THESE PROGRAMS BECOME VERY POPULAR AMONG OTHER PROGRAMS. Locations and Stages. Normally these programs are being filmed at very attractive, colourful stages or locations or peculiar places such as ships, boats, gardens and famous hotels instead of using traditional stages. These stages are preparing in a very attractive style by spending huge amount of money due to the competition among each other. Utilization of modern technology for the stages decorations, filming and airing generally are at a higher standard and the quality is increasing day by day. Dress and appearance. During the final stages of competition the organizers are having tendency to change the appearance of the competitors. This is done by changing dresses, hair styles and doing characteristic changes. Some times all the competitors are wearing same type of dresses according to the gender but keeping unique identity of the competitors. Some times they completely change the characters such as while male is dressed as woman and female is dressed as male. Sometimes they dressed as cartoon characters and may as jokers. The dress of the day may decided by the art director which related to the particular entertainment or the event of the day. Empirical evidences shows that they changed the days dress of competitors according to the singing competition or the style of the songs or the era of the original song which sung by the first singer. In some programs like Derana Shadow Stars, the competitors are dressed up as the professional characters without any single change. However both the competitors and the organizers were blamed and criticised by the public regarding the improper dress selections of Sirasa Kumario ,Derana Kumario and loving Stars programs. In this programs the competitors and organizers were blamed that the young girls who were exposing the body in an unwanted way and which were not suitable to the society specially the children viewers. But this method of present was given a boosting popularity among the teenagers specially the men and majority of the others also accepted but not shown their consent openly. Dramatic way of presenting The most attractive feature of this kind of reality programs are the dramatic way of presenting. This dramatic style is a new experience for the Sri Lankan viewers and it is the most successful feature which supporting to these programs becomes very popular among the public. This unscripted dramatic or entertaining situation touches the hearts of viewers and they automatically become emotional and some times they wouldnt believe or like to believe the reality of the situation. The emotions feels to a competitor after loose or win can be feel even the viewers and they also become the part of that programs. During final stages the organizers are planning to take the competitors to their hometowns and giving a good publicity through media and make them to be welcomed by the people of their hometowns, sometimes these events may pre planned. The organizers make the viewers to become a participant of the program and make them to feel that the voting through SMSs is a responsibility of them and to be with their countryman till the end and make him as the winner by their SMS votes. Involvement of famous personal and stars as program announcers and masters of the ceremonies. Famous characters such as Film stars, Dancers, Singers or Politicians are taking part as the program announcers, Judges or as conductors of the program which is a significant feature in reality programs. Some times they take part in the judging panel and some times judges participating in the event may not have any relevance to the particular field or may not have any experience in that particular field. The popularity is rising up remarkably because of the participation of these people. Some examples for that are attached to this as Annex C. These kinds of programs are doing a commendable role to take out the talented Sri Lankan younger generation, those who does not having opportunity or financial support, to come out or highlight their talents. The experience is the most valuable intangible value that can gain by the competitors. Other than that popularity, good repetition in the society, identification in particular fields and opportunities are also intangible values that they can gain. Considering tangible values and financial values are at the peak and other than that other presents such as vehicles and properties and other gifts sometimes exceeds the value beyond the expectations of the participants. The Sirasa Super stars is at the cliff of presenting huge financial values to the competitors. Swarnavahini also has gained recognition as generous giver to the winners among other channels. MONEY EARNING METHODS Reality programs have been identified as most lucrative programs in the Sri Lankan society which high profits can be assured by spending less. There are lots of methods that the organizers earning money through these programs and the methods of organizing these competitions with a lowest cost. SMS Campaign In this reality programs the viewers also doing a vital role as the competitors. They are actively participating to these programs by sending their consent or the vote for a particular competitor while sending SMSs or calling to the dedicated hotlines. Sending a SMS or calling to dedicated hotlines is an effective method to attracting and bonding the viewers to the programme since they are convincing that they also being a part of the programme. Mean time it can be defined as utilization of modern communication technology to attract the people to take part of these programs. For this process all the Sri Lankan telecom providers participated and they introduced their own methods for sending SMSs and calling to dedicated hotlines to facilitate viewers. This is one of the profits gaining mechanism of reality programs. But only few of viewers know the cost they spending for a single SMS may be five times than normal SMS charges (Normal SMS Charges for Ea. Rs 1.00 and Reality show SMS Charges for Ea. Rs 10.00)  [3]  . This amount charging for single SMS is dividing between both the Organizing authority and the telecommunication provider. For facilitating this service to the viewers, the entire telecommunication providers in Sri Lanka had allocated special hotlines and hotline numbers for each program separately and introduced various types of formats and methods to sending SMSs and giving consent to the competitors since this is a good profitable mechanism for them. Further some other organizations also encouraging their customers to participate these programs. As example NDB has promoted their account holders that to win a chance of Rs 25,000.00 by sending SMSs to the Sirasa Super Stars. Advertisements Charging for advertisements which are airing during the reality programs telecasting time is also one of the money earning mechanism for the organizers (Television Canals or media sponsors). Ex: During Sirasa super Stars session 3 final day a thirty second advertisement were cost to rupees 600,000.00 Selling of songs, videos and photographs of stars. This is also one of a profitable business for the organizers. They sell the songs, which became popular during competitions, videos of special events and photographs of popular characters, stars or special events since the organizers are the dictator rights of the ownership of the program. In this case due to their whole authority the profits may be directly benefited to the organizers. Musical shows and displays of stars to the public. Since the agreements and bonds which are signed by the stars, they automatically becoming real mallets of the organizers. This type of outdoor activities are arranging for the purpose gain popularity for the program and for financial benefits. ARRANGING REALITY PROGRAMS WITH A MINIMUM COST TO BEARING UP BY THE ORGANIZERS. Arranging of this kind of reality show is huge money consuming task than a normal program. Because to get the attraction of people and competitors the organizers have to arrange these programs with mega prizes, attractive locations sometimes may overseas film shooting, attractive and different kinds of fashioned costumes and jewelleries, famous personal to lead the programs and for judging panels, cosmetics and dressing and attractive stages and luxury vehicles. To provide these facilities and come out with a successful presentation is a huge task for a single organizer. To overcome those difficulties the organizers are gathering sponsors to fulfil the above requirements. By sponsoring for these reality shows the sponsors also having opportunity to introduce and make attention of their products to the viewers. The business market that the sponsors are targeting can automatically be achieved through the programs because the majority of viewers are being teenagers. Some of the companie s sponsoring for the programs are as follows: Locations : Famous Hotels in Sri Lanka Cosmetics and dressing : Janet cosmetics and Natures secrets Jewelleries : Stone and strings Dresses : Mondy, Wills, Hamedia, Saree Mandir, Nolimit Vehicles : AMW and United Mortars Official Drinks : Pure Beverages and Elephant House Official Bank : NDB DOES THE JUDGE PANELS ARE BEING QUALIFIED ENOUGH TO PERFORM THEIR DUTIES? General question comes out with at the end of the program that the viewers that the judge panel are being qualified enough to judge the competitors. In some programs the judges were selected considering only the popularity they obtained in the society and they done their duties completely out of their relative subjects. Sometimes a well qualified dancer is in the judge panel of singing competition and some times a well qualified singer is judging a dancing competition. Sometimes performance of some judges are become real entertainment to both competitors and viewers but the problem is can they given a fair decision to the competitor without having sufficient knowledge about particular subject to choose the correct person for the next round. This type of trick is done by the organizers to attract viewers but the competitors are suffering from their incapable decisions  [4]  . FUTURE OF THE STARS Because of the recognition given in a limited time period and lack of experience some competitors are unable to identify their weak points they might be overconfident of their talents. After become a star in one night they dont have any idea to maintain their flow and they dont have clear forward vision since their recognition has achieved without any sacrifice or effort. Also these stars becoming popular among the viewers by imitating professionals. As examples in singing competition the competitors are imitating the songs which were sung by professionals and in a comedy program they are imitating the professionals. So at the end of the reality program the stars are recognize by the viewers from imitated presentations and the viewers may actually loves for the original owner of that presentation, may not for the competitor. Another factor is these stars are charging high charges from Rupees 25000.00 to 50000.00 to sing 4 or 5 songs for a musical show and the professionals are charging Rupees 5000.00 to maximum 20000.00 for the same.  [5]   Sponsoring for these high charges of the Stars for social events may bear up the Sri Lankans those who are being abroad or the wealthy social events take place in Sri Lanka. But in outdoor activities in Sri Lanka local sponsors may not willing to bear up this high charges of stars since the Sri Lankan outdoor market is earning less profits and even the indoor activities spectators may not willing to pay high charges for entrance tickets. REALITY PROGRAMS AND ITS EFFECT OF OUR YOUNGER GENERATION Most of the reality programmes are very attractive and presenting in a decent style to the audience. Some of the programmes are actually imparting knowledge to the viewers especially for the younger generation. As example Punchi Pahe MaÅ„ Sri Lankan Life Derana Real Leader etc.. EFFECT ON SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE YOUNGER GENERATION Because of the competition among the television channels the organizers are trying to implement different type of reality programmes and sometimes with or without intention they are violating Sri Lankan ethics and norms due to high competition among each other. As examples Sirasa Kumariya and Derana Kumariya programme were blamed by the general public that the organizers are intentionally selecting unethical dresses which unnecessarily exposes the body of the girls and sometimes they are appearing to the programme wearing swimming suit or wetted cloths which indirectly showing body curves to the public in an unethical way. Another example the organizers of Swarnawahini Loving Star programme was blamed because some events are unethical and which are not suitable for the Sri Lankan society and some of the events of that programme were giving wrong ideas to the younger generation. Due to displeasure of the general public especially the elders that programme was stopped after completing only one session. EFFECT ON EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE YOUNGER GENERATION These programmes are airing usually after 1830 Hrs to 2200Hrs  [6]  and that time is commonly known as the ideal study time for the students. But due to addicting to these programmes the younger generation is spending their valuable study time for education some times because of the addiction of the parents to these programmes it may disturb to the children those who are engaging studies during these time period. CHAPTER 4:  DATA The required data was collected through a questionnaire and under mentioned groups were questioned through the questionnaire. Numbers of forty five people sample among the general public were selected randomly under the following heads. a. School Teachers b. Doctors c. Parents d. Officers in No 33 JCC representing Armed Forces e. University Students f. School A/L Students 52. The data which are collected through questionnaire and were re structure according to the under mentioned age groups. a. Age below 20 years (13People/ School Students) b. Age between 21 to 30 years. (8 People/Majority is University Students) c. Age between 31 to 40 years. (11 People/Majority is Armed forces Officers) d. Age above 40 years (13 People/Parents) 53. Among the questions in the questionnaire, under mentioned questions were selected and data analyzed with respected to the questions and age groups are as follows. Question No 9:  Do you think reality programs (Such as Sirasa Super Star/Comedy Star/Dream Star/ Little Star/ Sirasa Kumariya/Shadow Star etc) are badly affecting to the social development of our younger generation? Question No 10:  Do you think reality programs (Such as Sirasa Super Star/Comedy Star/Dream Star/ Little Star/ Sirasa Kumariya/Shadow Star etc) are badly affecting to the educational development of our younger generation? Question No 11:  As your view, the intention of organizing reality programs by the television channels is/are, Question No 12:  Do the winners of this kind of reality programs are having a future carrier and are they capable to maintain their popularity as professional entertainers for a long period? CHAPTER 5: ANALYSIS OF RESULTS Question No 3: Would you interested to watch reality programs (Such as Sirasa Super Star/Comedy Star/Dream Star/ Little Star/ Sirasa Kumariya/Shadow Star etc)?   Analyzing the answers given for the popularity based question, it can be justified that the people below 40 years of age are more interested to watch reality programmes than the people above 40 years among the selected people group. It can prove that the younger generation is more interested than the elder people about reality programs. Analyzing all the result of the answers given to above questions, it is proving that all the age groups are interested to watch reality programmes which are telecasting in Sri Lankan television channels. Question No 9:  Do you think reality programs (Such as Sirasa Super Star/Comedy Star/Dream Star/ Little Star/ Sirasa Kumariya/Shadow Star etc) are badly affecting to the social development of our younger generation? Analyzing the answers given for the affect to the society and social development based question, the people below 30 years are not agreed to the authors argument but people above 30 years, who can be considered as mature people, are agreed with the authors argument. Also overall result analyze for the question regarding affects to social development majority of the selected group of people are agreed to the argument which made by the author. So it can be conclude as the reality programmes are badly affecting to the social development of our younger generation. Question No 10:  Do you think reality programs (Such as Sirasa Super Star/Comedy Star/Dream Star/ Little Star/ Sirasa Kumariya/Shadow Star etc) are badly affecting to the educational development of our younger generation? Analyzing the answers given for the effect to the educational development based on question, the whole sample which consists younger and elder generation is agreed with the argument made by the author. Specially the age group above 31 years have expressed their idea that the some reality programs are being affected to the educational development of the younger generation Also overall result analyze for the question regarding affects to educational development majority of the selected sample of people are agreed to the argument which made by the author. So it can be conclude as some of the reality programmes are badly affecting to the educational development of our younger generation. Question No 11:  As your view, the intention of organizing reality programs by the television channels is/are Analyzing the answers given for the actual intention of the organizers of reality programs based on question, the each age group is having believe that the actual intention of the programmes are popularity and financial benefits of the organizers. But considering whole result of the question the sample is having believe that the actual intentions are popularity and financial benefits of the organizers and explore the young talents in relevant fields. Question No 12:  Do the winners of this kind of reality programs are having a future carrier and are they capable to maintain their popularity as professional entertainers for a long period? Analyzing the answers given

A Compare And Contrast Essay of The Ravel and Annabel Lee :: essays research papers

In these 2 Gothic style poems, Edgar Allen Poe writes about the loss of his wife Virginia. He writes about how each of the narrators mourns her. In both poems, however, Virginia?s name is not stated. In ?The Raven?, the narrator mourns Lenore. In ?Annabel Lee? the narrator mourns Annabel Lee (of course). These poems are similar and different in several ways. ?The Raven? takes on a slightly different approach that states the narrator?s loss. In ?The Raven?, there is a black raven that comes rapping at the narrator?s chamber door. This rapping comes while he is mourning the loss of his wife ?Lenore? or Virginia. In one of the paragraphs of this poem, he refers to the bird as his friends. The raven will soon fly out of his life, just as "other friends have flown before". The raven can only speak one word ?Nevermore?. That?s the only reply the narrator gets when he asks this bird any question. This raven drives the man to insanity just like all the other stories Poe has wrote. During his insane time, the narrator remarks the foul bird to be a ?Prophet? and a ?Thing of Evil?. The narrator's final admission is that his soul is trapped beneath the raven's shadow and shall be lifted "Nevermore." In the poem, ?Annabel Lee?, the narrator (still unnamed) mourns the loss of HIS wife, Annabel Lee. But this poem has no bird. This poem has no living creature that takes away the narrator?s wife. This poem has angels. Jealous angels. Angels that wish to break the young love of the narrator and Annabel Lee. Poe states that their love can never be broken and in death of his wife, the narrator and Annabel Lee are still entwined by the soul. They met by the side of the sea and their Annabel Lee was buried in her tomb.

Masculine versus Feminine in To Kill a Mockingbird

In novels, masculine against feminine has been a popular writing technique throughout many writing achievements. Writers have displayed the masculine side as well as the feminine to express the setting of the story in which they are trying to write. Female writers have been suggested to have a difficult time in the interpretation of male characters within their writing. As Peter Shwenger states, â€Å"To suggest a similar assessment of writing by men is to remind us that the rich variety of writing alone† (621). However, in the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee is able to express the underling roles of masculinity and femininity within the story using Atticus Finch and Calpurnia. Atticus Finch is the ideal father and a well esteemed lawyer. Becoming widowed when his children, Scout and Jem, were very young; he is still able work and provide a stable environment to raise his kids. Lee illustrates Atticus as the intelligent male role model he is intended to be He treats his kids the same way he treats adults. He does not talk down to them; and when discussing Scout going to school he tells her, â€Å"I’m afraid our activities would be received with considerable disapprobation by the more learned authorities† (Lee 35). Scout is used to him talking to them that way but still asks him what he means. Atticus allows his children to learn from him which in turn allows them to appreciate him more. He only wants them to do right and holds them to the same principles that he goes by. When he believes that Jem stabbed Bob Ewell, instead of trying to get Jem out of trouble he tells Sherriff Heck Tate, â€Å"Thank you from the bottom of my heart, but I don't want my boy starting out with something like this over his head. Best way to clear the air is to have it all out in the open. Let the county come and bring sandwiches. I don't want him growing up with a whisper about him, I don't want anybody saying, ‘Jem Finch†¦ his daddy paid a mint to get him out of that. ‘ Sooner we get this over with the better† (314). Atticus is balancing his duties as a father and priorities as a lawyer. He wants what is best for his son and other lawyers in his same position might have done everything in their power to prevent him from getting in trouble. Atticus, however, sees what has been done and is taking the proper action as a lawyer and a father. In the book, the reader sees Atticus as the hero, as a man willing to defend something he knows he is going to lose. All of the community respects him, and they do not lose respect when he takes the case of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman. He goes against the community and everything they have ever known when he represents Robinson in court. During the proceedings, he keeps his composure and does not put on a theatrical show for the town. Marie A. Failinger discusses Atticus’ demeanor during the trial, â€Å"A man who simply stood as witness. Just saying, simply, as he stood, that the case was about the community itself and its prejudice toward the Negro, and about whether the verdict was to be a moment set within or set apart from that reality† (305). This shows the type of man Atticus is. He does not let a high profile case get in the way of doing what is right. He wants the townspeople to see what is right too. He knows how to do his job and show what kind of man he is without trying to show it. Lee is able to articulate his masculinity by describing his temperament rather than explaining his characteristics. Although Atticus is by himself in court, he receives help from Calpurnia to bring up Scout and Jem. Calpurnia is a black woman who works for Atticus. She is more a part of the family than anything else. She has been the mother figure in the lives of Scout and Jem since Scout could remember. She is shown throughout the book in the white world of Alabama and Lee only gives the audience a small taste of what she is like in her own community. When Atticus is away she is there for the kids. She is tough on the rules, but is also nurturing. When Scout comes home from her first day of school, Calpurnia she kisses her. Scout is confused by it, but she just missed her being home during the day. When Calpurnia takes them to church she gives them a dime and when Jem insists on using his she says, â€Å"†I don't want anybody sayin' I don't look after my children† (Lee 134). She has always viewed them as her own. She shows them the caring side and her teachings of moral values runs parallel with Atticus’. She was also able to teach Scout how to write and because she is a black woman in the 1930s who is literate she never acts better than anyone else. Scout invites Walter Cunningham over for dinner and when she reticules him for the way he is eating Calpurnia scowls Scout to show her the type of lady should want to be. She tells Scout, â€Å"Hush your mouth! Don't matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house's yo' comp'ny, and don't you let me catch you remarkin' on their ways like you was so high and mighty! Yo' folks might be better'n the Cunninghams but it don't count for nothin' the way you're disgracin' 'em – if you can't act fit to eat at the table you can just set here and eat in the kitchen! † (27). This is where the audience first sees Calpurnia take charge of a situation. She sees something she does not like and steps forward to address it. Calpurnia knows how to set her foot down with her surrogate family. It is her family and she knows how to be a woman about it. She knows she could have it a lot worse and is grateful that she works for someone like Atticus Finch. In the 1930s, African-American women workers were not always treated the same way as Calpurnia was. She is one of the few that is able to read and write. Although wages are never discussed in the book, according to Annie Barnes, â€Å"African-Americans' mistresses during the Depression paid as little as $5. 0 weekly for full- time laborers to wash windows and clothes, iron (as many as twenty-one shirts a shift), and wax floors† (30). Lee never shows Calpurnia participating in any of these things. The only thing she does, domestic wise, in the book is cook. The reader forgets that she is hired by the Finches’ and only witnesses her as the female role model in the children’s lives. Her femininity remains during the reading because she maintains the household and instills values in the children which they may not have learned from only their father. There are many characters in To Kill a Mockingbird. However, when the reader is thinking along the terms of masculinity, the most masculine character is Atticus Finch. He might not be able to play football like the other fathers in Scout’s class, but he represents what a true man should be. His characteristics and the way he handles himself makes him an ideal candidate for what being masculine is about. He might be a strong man, but he could not have done it without Calpurnia. She is the backbone of the family. She allows Atticus to work and keeps the children from running wild. Her femininity shows through from the beginning to end. She is a strong woman and knows what is right. She will not let things get in her way of life and knows how to be a lady in all situations. Being feminine or masculine is not so much about being a man or a woman, but about how the person handles themselves when faced with certain issues. Calpurnia and Atticus know exactly how to behave in all atmospheres and that is why, in this book, they are the male and female role models.

Grapes of Wrath (Sin&Virtue) Essay

Through out John Steinbeck’s controversial novel, The Grapes of Wrath, the protagonist are faced with a daunting idea; that there is no ‘good’ and ‘bad’ forces in the world. Grapes of Wrath was published in an era filled with discrimination, hate, and fear directed at the fleeing â€Å"Okies†; in the early 1930’s the midwestern states where decimated by a foreseen but still devastating Dust Bowl. The reader joins the main characters, the Joad family, as they travel across the country hoping for work in a foreign state; California. Through out their trip they seem to come to believe that â€Å"there ain’t no sin and there ain’t no virtue† just people doing what people do. Yet the more they seem to believe this, the more the reader begins to see that there is in-fact a drastic flaw in their ideology. People do do horrible and good things, but those are what prove that Sin and Virtue do exist. The Joad family are, as a whole, virtuous. Although they sin frequently in during the course of the novel, they are not unscrupulous people. They prove throughout the novel that you can still be virtuous and be a sinner, that these two things do exist. When Tom Joad attacks a man for killing Jim Casey he â€Å"bust[s] his head†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (pg. 532), and although his action of killing the man may not be virtuous, the fact that he was trying to defend a friend was. Another character that is virtuous, although he doesn’t believe in virtue or sin, is Jim Casey. He takes the blame when a man talks back to a police officer, in order to save the Joads when Tom helps the man. (p.g. 362) And for all that virtue the reader witnesses by the dirty, dubiousâ€Å"Okies†, sin is still seen in the good upstanding citizens of this novel. Steinbeck portrays the Migrant farmers as a bath of misunderstood wanderers, while describing the local citizens as hostile assailants. The police always seem to be out to get the farmers, and the the average man and woman turn their back’s on their struggles. Strikes are constantly being broken that could help the farmers survive, and the lack of support migrants receive in this time period cripple any chance the â€Å"Okies† have at feeding their families and surviving their ordeal. At government run camps, created to help the abused farmers, local towns try to destroy the camps that they believe are killing their livelihood. Most people sin in this book simply by the way the treat the non-natives, ignoring their fellow man in their time of need. And while men like the kind truck driver, buying candy for poor children, can be found they are extremely rare. The idea that sin and virtue don’t exist is truly ridiculous. Both can be found in every aspect of life, and are deeply rooted in the core of this book. John Steinbeck uses the characters arguments of the lack of theses things to expose the truth. That all actions are based from sin and virtue.

Silent Spring Rachel Carson Essay Example

Silent Spring Rachel Carson Essay Example Silent Spring Rachel Carson Paper Silent Spring Rachel Carson Paper spring begins without the once-familiar sound of birdsong. Birds are disappearing from communities that once enjoyed seeing multitudes of migrating birds. Spraying against such things as Dutch elm disease and fire ants has destroyed birds by the thousands. Spraying for Dutch elm disease began in the 1950s, with the immediate and devastating result of the death of the robins and other birds that lived and nested in the elms. The birds were eating their usual diet of earthworms. The earthworms had, as usual, dined on the mulch of elm leaves that fell each autumn and the DDT used against the elm disease that would not wash off of the leaves. The DDT collected in the earthworms in high concentrations, so that when the robins ate the worms, the birds were killed. Robins that escaped death became sterile, so that they could not produce healthy young. Large numbers of deaths have occurred for 90 species of birds as a result of DDT spraying of elm trees. Mammals also feed on earthworms and may be affected, and thus also the owls which feed on the mammals. Owls and hawks have been found in convulsions or dead. Treetop birds have also died as a result of the elm spraying. The loss of so many kinds of birds is devastating, not only for people who love to see them, but for the more practical reason that the birds had previously provided natural insect control. The insects come back from the spray attacks, but the birds do not and then the insects are more numerous than before. Meanwhile, in areas of the country where natural controls of the elm disease have been undertaken, many more elms have been saved, without any destruction of bird and insect life. Another bird that has suffered extensive population reduction is the eagle. Several studies suggest that this is largely due to pollution of the eagles environment by DDT and other chemicals, which causes sterility and other devastating consequences. Studies on robins in areas previously sprayed with DDT have confirmed that DDT remains in the birds at least one generation after the spraying. Studies on the eagles Chapter 8 And No Birds Sing 27 suggest that contamination of fish, their main food, is killing them and preventing them from successfully reproducing healthy young. In England, the treatment of seeds with chemicals has resulted in widespread bird deaths. The seed-eating birds, which survived long enough to be eaten by foxes, then became poison to their predators, which also died terrible deaths. In the U. S. , the same problem has occurred with chemically treated rice; pheasants and waterfowl have been killed by eating the DDT-treated rice. In some cases, birds deemed pests are being targeted with chemicals directly, so that the bird losses because of chemicals include both accidental and intentional killings. Workers applying malathion have barely escaped death after becoming extremely ill. All these examples have resulted from the inattention of millions of people on whose behalf those in power have authorized these mass killings and poisonings. Chapter 8 And No Birds Sing Analysis Carson continues to raise the stakes as she piles on the evidence against the use of chemicals. Here she returns to the theme suggested by the books title, emphasizing the sudden silencing of so many birds. She introduces the idea that biodiversity is not only more interesting to look at but truly vital to life; part of the problem with the elm trees is that entire communities have been filled with nothing but elms, leading to mass devastation when a disease specific to those trees has invaded. She also briefly touches on some examples she will return to later in the book, such as fire ants. The theme of individual culpability by silent assent is underscored again at both the beginning and end of this chapter. Chapter 8 And No Birds Sing 28 Chapter 9 Rivers of Death Chapter 9 Rivers of Death Summary For many thousands of years, salmon have returned from the Atlantic each year and traveled up the rivers in which they were born to spawn and perpetuate their kind. In 1953 in the Miramichi River of New Brunswick, the salmon migration happened as usual. By spring 1954, these tiny fish, along with their older relatives of the previous years hatchings, were suddenly besieged by the Canadian governments widespread spraying program, which was meant to combat the spruce budworm. Along with all the insects and most of the birds in the millions of sprayed acres, the entire 1954 hatch of salmon died; five-sixths of the 1953 hatch died; and one-third of the 1952 hatch died. The budworm populations, on the other hand, continued to thrive. Repeated sprayings took place, despite evidence that spraying does not effectively combat budworm. Other places have also killed fish in their attempts to control forest insects. DDT may cause blindness in fish. Even if the fish survive the spraying, the virtual elimination of the insects that they feed on may kill them, or the fish may die some time after the spraying when they draw upon their fat stores for energy and release the DDT stored in their bodies. Efforts to coordinate sprayings to reduce fish mortality have been largely ineffective. Natural parasites can be much more effective at controlling budworm, and fish will not be killed. It is impossible that with such widespread application of chemicals to the land, no chemicals will make their way into waterways. Destruction of fish and fish habitats are great losses in themselves, but they are also a loss to the millions of Americans who enjoy sport fishing. Commercial fisheries will also be affected because poisoned fish are not a source of food, and reduced numbers of fish reduce the fishermens income and the amount of fish available as food. Numerous examples of fish kills across the U. S. are given. Many attempts to control fire ants have resulted in massive fish kills. Insecticides used against insects that feed on cotton have killed many fish in the South because of heavy rains following heavy application of Chapter 9 Rivers of Death 29 chemicals to the cotton fields. Farm ponds are particularly susceptible to poisoning because of their proximity to chemically treated fields. In some parts of the world, fish from farm ponds are a vital source of food for humans. Where large spills of chemicals have migrated into streams and rivers, the deadly effects have occurred hundreds of miles away because the water has carried the chemicals downstream and into the sea. Creatures other than fish have been killed in devastating numbers; one example is the fiddler crab, which plays a vital role as a source of food to numerous other creatures, as well as a scavenger, mud aerator, and source of bait for fishermen. Some chemicals can kill animals such as shrimp at nearly undetectable levels, even half of one part per billion. The ultimate effects of the pollution of virtually all of our waterways with chemicals, some of which are unknown because they are formed by the interaction of different substances, are unknown and unpredictable. If even a small fraction of the money spent developing increasingly toxic chemicals would be diverted to research on natural methods of environmental control, perhaps our waterways could be saved. Chapter 9 Rivers of Death Analysis As she did with the birds in the previous chapter, Carson uses numerous examples of fishery devastation to build her case. The examples are shocking and convincing. The reader is left to wonder how his drinking water and favorite swimming or boating location can possibly be safe, considering the havoc wreaked on the poor fish. Carson is piling on the devastating facts as she mounts a thorough attack against any further use of deadly chemicals upon the environment. Once again, she calls on her readers, the public, to educate themselves and demand action and conscience from the authorities who are poisoning the environment. She repeats her theme of alternatives to deadly chemicals. Chapter 9 Rivers of Death 30 Chapter 10 Indiscriminately from the Skies Chapter 10 Indiscriminately from the Skies Summary Carson recalls the World War II origin of widespread spraying of chemicals as a result of the new organic insecticides and a surplus of airplanes. Before the war, such chemicals had been handled with extreme caution, and now they were dropped from the sky, in many cases without warning to the people living below. This chapter details two examples of spraying campaigns that had widespread and devastating consequences. The first example is that of the gypsy moth. Despite successful natural controls of the moth in the northeast, a program of eradication of the moth by chemical spraying was begun in 1956. The program began with the spraying of nearly 1,000,000 acres. Despite complaints and strong opposition, the next years praying included 3,000,000 acres. Many of the areas sprayed were residential, despite the fact that the gypsy moth is strictly a forest insect. People and animals were sprayed directly. Milk from cows in and near sprayed areas was contaminated. Garden produce was ruined. Many lawsuits were pursued, and some were won by those whose produce, land, and livestock had been contaminated. The number of acres sprayed was severely reduced by 1961, but evidence showed that the gypsy moth had not been affected at all. In the South, a program was launched against fire ants. Despite the fact that the fire ant posed no real problem to anyone, other than as a minor annoyance, a massive program of eradication was begun, preceded by a program of government-disseminated information about the killer fire ant. Some 20 million acres were to be sprayed. The claims made by the U. S. government about the fire ant were later entirely discredited. The fire ant does not destroy crops; in fact, it is known to eat insects that do destroy crops. The fire ants mounds actually serve to aerate soil, Chapter 10 Indiscriminately from the Skies 31 nd despite government claims at the time, fire ants do not kill people or birds. Despite numerous protests from environmental experts, conservationists, and entomologists, the spraying program was begun in 1958. In many areas sprayed, almost every form of life was killed. Carson gives numerous specific examples from different areas where the spraying was done. Farm animals stopped producing healthy young. The prescribed precautions i ssued by the government are by no means adequate to protect people and animals from contamination by the deadly chemicals. The government ignored existing findings which showed the chemical used to be deadly. Heptachlor, one of the chemicals used, changes form once it enters the environment or an animal to become heptachlor epoxide, which is even more deadly than its original form. The states in the sprayed area began protesting the continuation of the program. In many areas, there are more fire ants than before the spraying began. Florida has abandoned broad eradication in favor of local control. Local control, which is 90 to 95 percent effective, costs $. 23 to $1. 00 per acre; the mass spraying costs about $3. 0 per acre, is terribly destructive, and does little to combat the fire ants. Chapter 10 Indiscriminately from the Skies Analysis Here Carson uses two of the most egregious examples of out-of-control government spraying to show the far-reaching consequences of such programs. In both cases, the pest in question was not controlled even after massive chemical attacks, whereas countless other creatu res were killed or sickened. This chapter concentrates on building up highly specific evidence and ends with a reminder that methods other than spraying millions of acres at a time are more effective and much more cost-effective. Carson leaves the moral conclusions to her readers this time instead letting the gruesome and appalling facts speak for themselves. Chapter 10 Indiscriminately from the Skies 32 Chapter 11 Beyond the Dreams of the Borgias Chapter 11 Beyond the Dreams of the Borgias Summary This chapter is titled Mass spraying is not the only source of chemical contamination of our world. Indeed, most peoples chemical exposure comes little by little, day by day, rather than all at once as a result of mass spraying. Most people have no idea what dangerous chemicals they are encountering in their daily lives. The insecticide aisle at the store is presented as innocuously as the rows of pickles and laundry detergents, and many poisons are even sold in glass containers which, if dropped, could expose people to highly toxic levels of deadly chemicals. Package warnings are printed in tiny type and have been found to be largely ignored by consumers. Household poisons include products such as insect sprays, insecticide-impregnated shelf paper, insect-repelling body lotions, insect-killing floor wax, bug-killing clothing applications, and electronic devices that emit odorless poisons into the air. Gardening poisons are available for every imaginable purpose, with increasingly easy-to-use devices available to apply the poisons to lawn and garden. One survey indicated that fewer than 15 percent of consumers were aware of the warnings printed on chemical packaging. Most consumers see only the pictures on the packages, which portray happy families romping on their chemically treated lawns. Chemical residues in food are another source of gradual buildup of lethal chemicals in human body tissues. Only the most remote locations (such as near the Arctic Circle) remain immune to chemical contamination. Because almost all foods contain some level of such chemicals as DDT, human exposure is enormous in the aggregate. Meats and foods derived from animal fats contain the largest amounts of these chemicals because the substances are fat-soluble. Fruits and vegetables are also contaminated, and washing does not remove the chemicals. Cooking does not destroy them. Chapter 11 Beyond the Dreams of the Borgias 33 The government establishes legal limits for chemical contamination, but these limits are meaningless; the safe residues in or on all the foods we eat quickly add up to unsafe levels as we eat the foods and the chemicals are stored in our bodies. Also, there is little enforcement, so the allowable levels are frequently exceeded, either intentionally, ignorantly, or accidentally. Only interstate commerce is regulated, and most states laws about chemical contamination are grossly inadequate so food grown and sold within a state may be highly contaminated. The total exposure of each person to the most dangerous chemicals cannot be measured, so safe levels in individual foods are truly meaningless. Also, some chemicals are released for general use before their effects are known. With government oversight severely limited, even going to a zero tolerance policy is meaningless because the force of inspectors is far too small. Public education and awareness must be increased, and less-toxic chemicals must be used in place of the highly toxic and deadly chemicals. Non-chemical methods of insect and weed control must be explored and put into wide use. Until that time, human beings live as if guests of the Borgias. Chapter 11 Beyond the Dreams of the Borgias Analysis Carsons two references to the Borgias a medieval Italian family whose members were known for their murdering, poisoning ways serve as thematic bookends for this chapter. Carson extends her previous call to action to consumers by providing evidence of the extreme ignorance with which most people use deadly chemicals. Having accumulated the disturbing facts about chemical contamination of the environment in previous chapters, here Carson oncentrates on the most basic human need food and the enormous and largely unknown threat chemicals pose to our food supply. As if the silencing of birds and the widespread destruction of wildlife and ecosystems has not served as enough of a wakeup call, here Carson begins to build her case by concentrating on the direct effects of the deadliest chemicals on human beings. She again concludes by reiterating the need to eliminate the u se of deadly chemicals altogether in favor of more natural controls. Chapter 11 Beyond the Dreams of the Borgias 34 Chapter 12 The Human Price Chapter 12 The Human Price Summary This chapter is titled Public health problems used to be caused by diseases such as smallpox, cholera, and plague. Infectious disease has been largely controlled through improved living conditions, better sanitation, and miraculous drugs, but now we have caused a new kind of public health crisis by introducing dangerous radiation and chemicals into our environment in huge quantities. The results of our actions in bombarding our planet with these unpredictable substances are equally unpredictable. Previous chapters have shown how pesticides have already drastically affected the water, soil, and food, as well as many species of wildlife and livestock and how pesticides affect people in both the short term and long term. Long-term effects are easy to ignore as long as they are invisible, but they are there nonetheless. Our individual bodies have a kind of ecology, just as the larger environment does. The effects of tiny amounts of chemicals on this minute ecology can be enormous. One changed molecule can affect the entire body system. It may be impossible to tell what is cause and what is effect because there may be years between the two. Chemicals that store themselves in fat may affect many processes in the body, right down to cellular function. The human liver filters many of the poisons to which we are exposed; over time, the liver may become damaged by these poisons from which it protects the body and thus become less capable of performing its function. Hepatitis and cirrhosis are increasingly common. The nervous system is highly susceptible to damage by the chlorinated hydrocarbons and the organic phosphates. Individual sensitivity to the various toxic chemicals is extremely variable, making the establishment of safe levels meaningless. Human beings are exposed to many different substances, some of which interact with each other in unpredictable ways, sometimes increasing their toxicity enormously. Carson gives a number of specific examples of drastic effects of chemicals on individuals nervous systems. The temporary elimination of some insects will continue to result in horrific and permanent Chapter 12 The Human Price 35 physical trauma, as long as we choose to use chemicals that directly affect the human nervous system. Chapter 12 The Human Price Analysis Once again Carson uses the technique of accumulating greatly detailed examples to make her point. Here she cites a number of instances of the severe effects of chemical poisoning on individuals, many of whom were permanently disabled by their exposure to allegedly safe substances. She begins by drawing the comparison between the ecology of the outside world and that of our individual bodies and pointing out that the intricacy of the planets ecosystems is at least matched and likely exceeded by the minute and largely mysterious intricacy of our bodies. In previous chapters she has convincingly portrayed the eventual doom of the earths various environments as a result of widespread chemical use; here she extends the reach of destruction to our very selves, and again points the finger back at humans for being the agents of that doom. Chapter 12 The Human Price 36 Chapter 13 Through a Narrow Window Chapter 13 Through a Narrow Window Summary The narrow window referred to in the chapter title is the tiniest structure in the human body. Seen from far away, it reveals only a sliver of light nothing more, but viewed at extremely close range, the smallest molecule reveals a whole universe of relationships and understanding of the incredibly intricate structure of the entire world not merely the organism that houses that molecule. Only recently has research revealed the indispensable function of cells in producing the energy required for life to continue. Without functioning cells, even our organs are useless, for cellular oxidation is the basis of all life function. Many of the chemicals we apply indiscriminately to our environment act to disrupt the vital cellular function that keeps us alive. This field of study is so new that those who were medically trained prior to 1950 may not be able to realize its extreme importance and the terrible hazards involved with widespread use of chemicals. Every cell in the body is involved in producing energy. Our cells are tiny chemical factories, taking in carbohydrate fuel and converting it in a complex process of many tiny steps into energy. Only since the 1950s have mitochondria, the minute structures within cells that do so much of the work, been understood and appreciated for their extreme importance. Mitochondria contain enzymes that accomplish the work of energy production. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the form of energy produced at each stage of the mitochondrial process; its ability to transfer energy from one place to another within the body is the secret to physical life. It is the currency of the life process. Without ATP, life would cease; essentially, organisms would burn themselves out because energy would be burned but not transferred, halting the cycle that keeps living things going. Chapter 13 Through a Narrow Window 37 Radiation and a number of chemicals easily serve to disrupt the energy-transferring process. There are a number of ways these substances can adversely affect the enzymes involved in the cycle of oxidation. An increase in such disasters as congenital deformities and the cessation of fertilized egg cell division has been noted, and as of 1961 the Office of Vital Statistics was conducting studies based on the increase in malformations at birth. The reproductive systems of all creatures are adversely affected by DDT and other chemicals, so that this drastic disruption of the universal currency of energy affects the capacity of all living things including humans to reproduce successfully. The problem is not merely one of reduced reproduction, but of possibly severe damage to our very genes. Our genes carry thousands of years of adaptation and evolution to us, so that in theory each successive generation is more successful than its predecessor. Chemicals that act upon our genes can cause sudden mutations, producing new and undesirable changes in subsequent generations. Cell division is the basic process of life creation for everything from amoebae to humans, but mutations as a result of the sudden influx of chemicals into our environment threaten this process that builds upon millennia of gradual adaptation to infinitesimal change. At the cellular level, life cannot cope with the onslaught of chemicals. Our understanding of chromosomes is extremely new from the perspective of the millions of years life has taken to reach the present, and our understanding of the effect of chemicals on chromosomes barely exists. Nevertheless, we bombard our environment with these chemicals; and now we are seeing the drastic effects they have on the most fundamental processes of all life. A number of examples are given of drastic mutation because of chemical exposure. Various chromosomal abnormalities discovered in humans are examined. We are now filling our environment with chemicals that have the power to alter our chromosomes and so alter the path of our genetic heritage, which is the result of millions or even billions of years of evolution. Chemical makers are not required to test their products for their effects on genetics, so they do not at our peril and the peril of future generations. Chapter 13 Through a Narrow Window Analysis Chapter 13 Through a Narrow Window 38 Carson again uses the technique of moving from a micro view to a macro view. She begins this chapter by focusing on the tiniest pieces of life, the cells and mitochondria and enzymes that function to keep energy flowing and life going. She builds upon previous chapters emphasis on the drastic effects of chemicals on living things, now explaining the intricate processes of the cells and microscopic biological factories that enable us and all creatures to live. Having explained the complex and finely tuned process, she then explains the drastic effects radiation and chemicals have on the process. Then she builds further upon that foundation, explaining the ewly understood function of chromosomes and the potentially dire effects of chemicals upon these building blocks of life. She ends this chapter as she has ended previous chapters, with a call to action that points out how we are only killing ourselves with our indiscriminate use of chemicals, but she builds upon this, too, by pointing out that damaging our chromosomes hurts not only us but also generations to come. Our irresponsible actions affect not only our present and future, but the very existence of humanity in the long term. Chapter 13 Through a Narrow Window 39 Chapter 14 One in Every Four Chapter 14 One in Every Four Summary Cancer has existed for so long that we do not know when it was first recognized. There are naturally occurring substances that cause cancer, such as radiation and arsenic. Life adapted to these threats, which are relatively few, but human beings alone among the planets creatures have the ability to create carcinogens, which cause cancer. Soot is one carcinogen. The industrial era has brought many more. Because life, including human life, adapts to environmental changes extremely slowly, the carcinogens that man has created relatively recently in the span of history can have drastic effects on humans, as well as other creatures. Only since 1775 has the connection between external agents and the existence of cancer been recognized, and it was not until the latter part of the nineteenth century that various cancers were traced to exposure to certain chemicals. There has been a huge increase in the incidence of malignancy, and in our awareness of it, in fewer than 200 years. The American Cancer Society estimates that two out of three families will be stricken with cancer. Only 25 years ago, cancer in children was rare; now more American children die from cancer than from any other disease. Animal experiment evidence has shown that as many as six of the pesticides Carson has been discussing are carcinogens. Others are thought to produce leukemia in humans. Still others may be indirect causes of malignancy. Arsenic is one cancer-causing substance. It has entered water supplies as a result of gold nd silver mining and has caused regional outbreaks of numerous disorders, including malignant tumors. The widespread use of arsenic compounds as pesticides begs the question of when more such regional outbreaks of arsenic-related cancers and other diseases will occur. Not only humans but other animals, from sheep and deer all the way down to bees, have been known to develop arsenical diseases. Chapter 14 One in Every Four 40 A chemical widely used to kill mites an d ticks was eventually shown to cause cancer, but meanwhile, many thousands of people and other creatures were exposed to it. Several years elapsed before the Food and Drug Administration instituted a zero-tolerance policy on the chemical; before then, residues of this known carcinogen were allowable in food. DDT and other chemicals have been shown to cause cancer, yet these substances are still in use (in 1962). Some of these chemicals take many years to produce cancer, so that what may seem a safe level is really a level that will, eventually, rather than immediately, kill those exposed to it. Unlike most cancers, Leukemia is a cancer that develops quickly. Since modern pesticides began to be used, the occurrence of leukemia has been increasing. Other cancers also have been shown to be the result of chemical exposure. Several examples are given of individuals who developed leukemia after direct exposure to pesticides. The mysterious origins of cancerous cells are explored. Cancer appears in many different forms, and it is assumed that there are many different causes. One theory, the Warburg theory, is discussed involving damaged cells that survive through fermentation rather than respiration. This theory accounts for many of the huge differences among different species experiences with cancer, such as variable cancer growth rates. It also may explain why repeated small exposures to chemicals may be more dangerous than one single blast. The latter might kill cells completely, while the former may damage them only to the point that they become cancer-creating cells. The standards Warburg established show that most pesticides are perfect carcinogens because they interfere with the process of oxidation so vital to continued cell health. Another theory of cancer involves damaged chromosomes. Again, chemicals can easily damage chromosomes and so contribute to cancer creation and growth, or chemicals may cause mutations, which then foster cancer growth. Many chemical pesticides cause chromosome doubling, which can cause major physical problems, including cancer. Certain chemicals are drawn to bone marrow, and thus are very likely to cause leukemia in people exposed to them. Children who are growing quickly provide ideal environments in which malignant cells can multiply. Chapter 14 One in Every Four 41 Cancer may be caused by a chemical indirectly. Some chemicals affect sex hormones, which in turn adversely affect the ability of the liver to resolve hormonal imbalances. This can lead to an excess of certain hormones, which at elevated levels will cause cancer. Even exposure to very low amounts of the chemicals may affect the livers ability to keep hormones in balance. Human beings are exposed to multiple chemicals that cause cancer. These exposures are uncontrolled. Exposure to certain substances may happen in many different ways, each one of which alone may be insufficient to cause harm; but in the aggregate result in cancer. Other substances may cause no harm until a person is exposed to both of them, so that their effects are combined, or one chemical may increase the danger of another substance even something apparently innocuous, such as laundry soap. Cancer may be caused in a two-step process involving exposure to radiation and later to a chemical. Public water supplies are now frequently contaminated with detergents, which alone are not carcinogenic but can increase the susceptibility of certain body tissues to chemicals that cause cancer. We live in a sea of carcinogens, and some people approach this dire situation with the fatalistic view that we should concentrate on finding a cure for cancer because it is inevitable many people will develop the disease in our contaminated environment, but the better approach is twofold: cure as well as prevention. Just as we conquered many infectious diseases by improving sanitation and producing miraculous drugs, we must conquer cancer by finding a cure and eliminating the environmental poisons that cause cancer. Medical experts believe that even if a cure were found, the rate of new cancers would far outstrip the rate of cured cancer patients. The good news is that humans have the ability to remove carcinogens from the environment, in contrast to a rampant infectious disease that humans did not introduce into the world. By eliminating most of the carcinogens from our environment, we could greatly reduce the one in four statistic of cancer affliction. The search for a cancer cure must continue for the sake of those who have already been exposed, in some cases over decades, to dangerous chemicals likely to cause cancer. For those not yet affected and for those not yet born, we can help prevent cancer by removing the substances that so clearly cause it. Chapter 14 One in Every Four 42 Chapter 14 One in Every Four Analysis Having developed the theme of chemical destruction to living cells in the previous chapter, Carson here elaborates by discussing the proven link between chemical exposure and cancer. For many people in 1962, this connection would have been relatively new because extremely dangerous chemicals were still being sold for household use as though they were innocuous to all but the targeted insects or unwanted plants. Once again, Carson uses extensive scientific evidence, including figures and quotes from medical experts, to build her case. She explains how chemicals are understood to cause cancer in cells again, relatively new information at the time. The major point of this chapter is that many cases of cancer could be avoided simply by eliminating many of the man-made carcinogens from the environment. Carson is again pointing out the obvious solution, which also happens to be the best moral choice: humans must stop poisoning themselves and the generations of the future. Chapter 14 One in Every Four 43 Chapter 15 Nature Fights Back Chapter 15 Nature Fights Back Summary Despite our efforts to control insect populations by mass application of new chemicals, the insects keep coming back. Insects are genetically adapting to the chemicals we use they are becoming resistant, but even worse than that, our chemical attacks on insects have weakened entire ecosystems, so that the natural enemies of the targeted insects are destroyed, along with the targets. This creates an ideal environment for the unwanted insects to reinfest an environment where their unfettered reproduction will not be challenged. Humans have been ignoring the powerful forces at work in the balance of nature and arrogantly asserting their dominance, which actually shifts the balance against them. Humans have overlooked two critical facts: first, nature provides the best ways to control insects; and second, a chemically weakened environment opens the door to explosive insect repopulation. Insects are controlled by limitations on the amount of food available to them and by other insects often an ongoing struggle for survival that is completely invisible to most humans. Our lack of understanding has contributed to our arrogant and grossly overzealous application of chemicals to the problem of insect control. If we worked at understanding the balance of nature, we could use its secrets to control unwanted insects without doing harm to our environment and ourselves. Some insects hunt others; some insects are parasites to others; some feast on aphids by the hundreds. Many insects are our friends, yet we have killed them along with the unwanted insects by broadcasting lethal chemicals across thousands of acres of insect habitat. The balance of nature has already turned against us and will continue to do so as long as we continue to kill the good along with the bad. Chemical battles against spider mites, red-banded leaf rollers, codling moths, and cotton-feeding insects have resulted in explosions in their populations. Likewise, chemical attacks on insects such as the fire ant and the Japanese beetle (see Chapters Chapter 15 Nature Fights Back 44 10 and 17) resulted in sharp increases in the crop-destroying enemies of those insects: the sugarcane borer and the corn borer. Trying to eliminate one destructive insect in these cases resulted in a huge increase in an even more destructive insect. Ironically, the extremely destructive corn borer is easily controlled by the introduction of its natural insect enemies which cannot survive intense chemical attack. In the 1870s in California, a scale insect highly destructive to the citrus crop was controlled by the introduction of vedalia beetles, a parasite of the scale insect. Then in the 1940s, chemicals began to be used for insect control in the citrus orchards, wiping out the vedalia in many areas. The scale insect quickly reasserted itself, and many expensive crops were destroyed. Similar examples are given of cases involving disease-bearing insects, in which the insects natural enemies were destroyed by manmade chemicals applied indiscriminately. Chemical companies give enormous amounts of money to universities to support further chemical research, but hardly any money is given for research on natural, biological controls. Natural controls do not provide the chance of making a fortune, but they are the only way the planet will survive in balance. A program of natural controls in Nova Scotia has proven that expensive chemicals are not necessary. Human beings must give up their arrogance and learn to work with nature rather than battling against it. Chapter 15 Nature Fights Back Analysis Here Carson returns to the theme of natural insect control, building upon it by pointing out how poorly chemical control has worked. Indeed, in many cases chemical control has resulted in renewed and even greater outbreaks of unwanted insects. Carson continues using the technique of piling fact upon fact and example upon example to build her case. She continues to add examples of the arrogance and apparent stupidity of those who apply huge amounts of chemicals with disastrous results even in some cases after natural controls have been instituted and used with great success for many decades. The chapter ends on a positive note, with a glowing example of natural insect control that has the added advantage of being much cheaper Chapter 15 Nature Fights Back 45 than chemical control. She again sounds the warning that humans must stop poisoning the world and instead must learn to work with the amazingly intricate checks and balances provided by nature. Chapter 15 Nature Fights Back 6 Chapter 16 The Rumblings of an Avalanche Chapter 16 The Rumblings of an Avalanche Summary As humans continue to subject the entire environment to intensive chemical spraying, weaker insects are being killed off, and stronger insects are becoming resistant to the chemicals. Earlier, pre-DDT-era chemicals had become ineffective against some insects; Car son cites several instances. Post DDT, insects began to become resistant to chemicals more quickly. Now people interested in combating disease-carrying insects are realizing the seriousness of the situation because insects carrying deadly diseases grow to be immune to chemicals. This chapters title comes from a quotation by a scientist who says the rapidly growing list of insects that have developed resistance to chemicals may be the early rumblings of what may become an avalanche in strength. Resistance can develop very quickly. Many insects carry infectious diseases that are deadly to humans: mosquitoes (malaria, yellow fever), houseflies (dysentery and eye diseases), lice (typhus), fleas (plague), tsetse flies (sleeping sickness), ticks (fevers), and many more. The use of chemicals to control these insects is no longer working, and indeed may have destroyed the natural forces that could be put to use in combating these disease carriers. The insects persist in developing resistance to each successive new chemical. A number of examples are provided of insects repeatedly developing resistance to multiple chemicals. In many cases the diseases the insects carry have regained a foothold because of the failed chemical control of the insects. In some cases, application of the chemicals has actually increased the population of the chemical-resistant insects. Many cases of chemical-resistant insects have cropped up in the U. S. , including the salt-marsh mosquito, house mosquito, wood tick (vector of spotted fever), brown dog tick, and German cockroach. Agricultural pest insects have also begun to develop Chapter 16 The Rumblings of an Avalanche 47 resistance to chemicals intended to control or eradicate them. It is unrealistic to expect to stay one chemical step ahead of the insects forever, yet that seems to be the approach of many in the chemical industry and farming. The development of chemical resistance is a perfect illustration of natural selection. The weak insects are killed while the tough insects survive and propagate, creating more insects with the tough characteristics. Scientists do not really know how insects develop resistance. Some develop resistance within a few months, while others take up to 6 years. Some people ask whether humans could develop resistance, but this is completely unrealistic; human generations last about 33 years, while several insect generations come and go within a month or so. Humans simply dont have time to wait hundreds or thousands of years until they are able to develop resistance. We must change our approach to the use of chemicals for attempted insect control. Chapter 16 The Rumblings of an Avalanche Analysis This chapter serves as the denouement or crucial turning point in Carsons carefully crafted argument: not only do chemicals harm the environment and human beings, but ultimately they do not even work against the insects they are intended to destroy. As in earlier chapters, she augments her argument with layers and layers of frightening facts. She pounds home the conclusion that the only outcome to greater and greater application of chemicals is total decimation of the planets life, and she quotes a Dutch scientist as a sort of voice in the wilderness, proclaiming the desperately needed switch from chemical to natural means of insect control. The quotation asserts that humans arrogance and ignorance will be their downfall, and that what is needed is patient cooperation with the powers of nature. Chapter 16 The Rumblings of an Avalanche 48 Chapter 17 The Other Road Chapter 17 The Other Road Summary In our use of ever-increasing levels of dangerous chemicals in our environment, we have been traveling a road that seems easy but will end in disaster. The other road of this chapters title is the path of non-chemical control of unwanted insects and plants. Only by this other road, the one less traveled by, can we ensure our planets survival. It is up to us to assert our right not to be poisoned. A huge variety of alternatives to the dangerous chemicals used ineffectively against insects is available. Whether they are already in use or in laboratory development or exist so far only in the imaginations of scientists, they are biological solutions based on the whole of nature and its intricate network of so many different kinds of life. It is becoming increasingly clear that insecticides are more harmful to humans than to the insects we have sought to control with these chemicals. One alternative method of insect control is sterilization, in which sterilized males of the species are introduced into the environment. When the sterilized males mate with females, the life cycle is interrupted, and a whole generation of insects is eliminated. Populations of pest insects such as the screw-worm have been wiped out with the method of disseminating large numbers of sterilized males. A number of other species are being tested for susceptibility to control by sterilization, in hopes that populations of disease-carrying insects, such as the tsetse fly, may be greatly reduced, thus improving healthful living conditions for thousands of humans and livestock. Experiments are being conducted to test various methods of insect sterilization, some of which are chemical. We must exercise extreme caution, however, because widespread use of these new chemicals might put us in even deeper trouble that we are already in. Chapter 17 The Other Road 49 Other biological means of insect control being studied include methods that use insects own processes such as venoms, attractants, and repellants against them. Scientists are studying the chemical makeup of these substances, as well as of insect hormones. One success story is the creation of an artificial gypsy moth male-to-female lure; the fake lure is used to bait traps that capture the males for census work. Such a false lure might also be used to control the moths population. Another possible way to control some insects is through manipulation of their extreme sensitivity to certain sounds. Still other biological means of insect control have been around for many years. These involve manipulating the diseases and infections to which insects are susceptible. As mentioned in previous chapters, the hunter-and-prey relationship between certain kinds of insects can be used against the undesirable insects. Similarly, bacteria and viruses and other microscopic creatures can be used to attack particular insects. A number of tests are being conducted on various crop-destroying insects around the world. Such methods are safe for humans because insect diseases are highly specific to insects; they are completely different from diseases that affect people. Since 1888, about 100 species of insect predators and parasites have been introduced and established in the U. S. to combat unwanted (often accidentally imported) insects. Only California has a formal program in biological control of insects; unfortunately, such research does not receive the monetary support that continues to be lavished on chemical research programs. Forests offer an incredible opportunity to cooperate with nature in controlling unwanted insects. Canada and Europe have gone much further than the U. S. in developing real forest hygiene practices, especially the strong support of birds through nesting box programs and the like. In Germany and Italy, red ants have been used very successfully to protect reforested areas. Spiders are a huge part of the work of a pioneer in the field of natural forest protection, Dr. Heinz Ruppertshofen. Incredible insect control can be achieved by maintaining an adequate spider population. Canada has used small mammals for similar purposes. A single shrew can eat up to 800 sawfly cocoons in one day. Chapter 17 The Other Road 50 The key is to be imaginative, creative, and cooperative with natures inherent balances. The use of poisons has failed terribly and continues to fail despite ever-increasing efforts to find new and better poisons. We must stop trying to beat nature with the club of man-made poisons and learn to work within the intricate structure of the earth. If we do not, we will destroy the earth and ourselves. Chapter 17 The Other Road Analysis Carson ends her book with a strong, positive call to action. She provides a spark of hope by providing details about numerous efforts at natural insect control that in many cases have succeeded beyond expectation, even where chemical application has failed miserably. She emphasizes the miraculously interwoven relationships among the thousands of species on the planet and the hope that we humans can give up our arrogance and brutality before it is too late. In contrast with the nightmare-fairytale described in the first chapter, with its once upon a time tone that suddenly twists into a macabre reality, this chapter provides a hopeful but realistic possibility for the future if only we listen and demand change. Chapter 17 The Other Road 51 Key Figures The Chemical Industry Because Carson refrains from naming particular corporations, the pesticide makers assume the monolithic shape of an evil empire in Silent Spring. Yet Carson does not preach at the industry . Yes, it develops hundreds of new deadly toxins a year, and, through disinformation and pressure on government agencies, it promotes their widest possible use the book is very clear about these things. But Carson seems to view such activity as natural to the commercial enterprise and wastes no time calling on pesticide producers to reform themselves. The Government The government is the other great villain in Carsons story, and though one might think it is the chemical industry that bears primary responsibility for what has occurred, she is much more critical of public servants. Her thinking seems to be that more is to be expected of government. In succumbing to political pressure and helping pesticide makers promote their products, she argues, government has lost sight of its raison detre (reason for being), protecting the public interest. Carson holds that instead of echoing industry disinformation and spending taxpayers money on reckless pest eradication programs, agencies like the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration ought to impose stricter controls on the development, sale, and use of dangerous chemicals and to fund more research. Nature An overview of key figures in Silent Spring that did not mention nature would be quite incomplete. In terms of the amount of attention that is devoted to them, plant and animals are the most important characters in the book, surpassing humans by a wide Key Figures 52 argin, who are the focus of just a few chapters. Still, despite the almost infinite variety of life forms that Carson mentions, there emerges a single image of nature that has a crucial function in Carsons case against pesticides: nature as a fabric of life in which all things are connected, from the smallest of soil microbes to human beings and other large mammals. If readers accept such a v iew, they must also agree with Carson that the sledgehammer-like approach of current pest control introducing large amounts of extremely toxic chemicals into the environment to eradicate a few species of insects is indefensible. What poisons one part of the fabric of life poisons the whole. The Public Along with wildlife, the public is a major concern in Silent Spring. The image the book projects of this collective entity is that of a victim of the chemical industry, betrayed by irresponsible public officials and exposed to toxic pesticides at every turn. As the terrible side effects of pesticides become clearer, the public begins to ask questions, demand answers, and insist on greater responsiveness from government agencies. The Visionaries The heroes of Silent Spring come from several walks of life: scientists laboring patiently in an often tedious and seriously underfunded area of research to determine the precise scope of the pesticide threat; birders and other amateur naturalists, whose careful observation of wildlife in the field yields essential information about the problem; activists driven by a deep concern for their communities and the natural environment to challenge industry and government to behave more responsibly; and philosophers, writers, and other thinkers who help citizens understand the cultural sources not just of the pesticide problem but of the whole range of trouble that modern civilization has stirred up with technology . What all of these individuals share is an uncommon power discernment. Simply recognizing the broad impact of pesticides on Nature 53 the environment and health is a significant achievement. What makes Carsons visionaries even more remarkable is their having probed this tricky problem with great precision in the face of widespread disinformation and obstruction. The Visionaries 54 Themes The Science of Pesticides One of the great insights of Silent Spring is its grasp of the pesticide problem as a compound one. On one hand, there are the intrinsic dangers of these chemicals: their capacity to disrupt basic biological processes, their persistence in the environment, and so forth. But Carson knew that the manner in which a dangerous substance is also crucial. To understand how compounds like DDT and malathion have come to threaten life on a global scale, one has to examine what has been done with them. Each of the major themes of Silent Spring belongs then to one of two lines of argument; the first concerns the raw toxicity of pesticides, the second the recklessness with which they have been employed. Along with atomic fallout, the synthetic pesticides that came into wide use after World War II are the most dangerous substances man has ever created. The heart of the problem, science has shown, is the pesticides unique capacity for disrupting critical biological processes like metabolism and cell division. Acute exposure can cause catastrophic systemic problems paralysis, immune deficiency, sterility, etc. and small doses repeated over time can lead to grave illnesses like cancer. Carson attributes this radically disruptive potential to the distinctive molecular structure of synthetic pesticides. Part carbon, they mimic the substances that are crucial to life (enzymes, hormones, etc. ) and so gain entrance to sensitive physiological systems. Once inside these vital systems, the elements to which the carbon is bound (chlorine and other deadly materials) wreak havoc on the organism. Two other properties that increase the hazard of pesticides are, first, the slow rate at which they break down and become less toxic, and, second, their tendency to accumulate in fat tissue. It is these characteristics that make even low-level exposure to pesticides so dangerous. A dose that is too small to cause immediate harm

The Freedom Charter Called for Equality in South Africa

The Freedom Charter Called for Equality in South Africa The Freedom Charter was a document ratified at the Congress of the People held at Kliptown, Soweto, South Africa in June 1955 by the various member bodies of the  Congress Alliance. The policies set out in the Charter included a demand for a multi-racial, democratically elected government, equal opportunities, the nationalization of banks, mines, and heavy industries, and a redistribution of land. Africanist members of the ANC rejected the Freedom Charter and broke away to form the Pan Africanist Congress. In 1956, following extensive searches of various homes and confiscation of documents, 156 people involved in the creation and ratification of the Freedom Charter were arrested for treason.  This was almost the entire executive of the African National Congress (ANC), Congress of Democrats, South African Indian Congress, Coloured Peoples Congress, and the South African Congress of Trade Unions (collectively known as the Congress Alliance). They were charged with high treason and a countrywide conspiracy to use violence to overthrow the present government and replace it with a communist state. The punishment for high treason was death. The Freedom Charter and Clauses We, the People of South Africa, declare for all our country and the world to know that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white, and that no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of all the people. -The Freedom Charter Here is a synopsis of each of the clauses, which list various rights and stances in detail. The People Shall Govern: This point included universal voting rights and the rights to run for office and serve on governing boards regardless of race, color, and sex.All National Groups Shall Have Equal Rights: Apartheid laws will be set aside, and all groups will be able to use their own language and customs without discrimination.The People Shall Share in the Countrys Wealth: Minerals, banks, and monopoly industries would become government-owned for the good of the people. All would be free to ply any trade or profession, but industry and trade would be controlled for the well-being of the whole people.  The Land Shall Be Shared Among Those Who Work It: There will be land redistribution with assistance to peasants to farm it and an end to racial restrictions on ownership and freedom of movement.  All Shall Be Equal Before the Law: This gives people rights to a fair trial, representative courts, fair imprisonment, as well as integrated law enforcement and military. There will b e no discrimination by law for race, color, or beliefs. All Shall Enjoy Equal Human Rights: People are granted the freedom of speech, assembly, the press, religion, and education. This addresses protection from police raids, freedom to travel, and abolishment of pass laws.There Shall Be Work and Security: There will be equal pay for equal work for all races and genders. People have the right to form unions. There were workplace rules adopted including a 40-hour work week, unemployment benefits, minimum wage, and leave. This clause eliminated child labor and other abusive forms of labor.The Doors of Learning and Culture Shall Be Opened: This clause addresses free  education, access to higher education, ending adult illiteracy, promoting culture, and ending cultural color bans.There Shall Be Houses,  Security  and Comfort: This gives the  right to decent, affordable housing, free medical care and preventive health, care of the aged, orphans, and disabled.Rest, Leisure and Recreation Shall Be the Right of All.There Shall Be Peace and Friendship: This clause says we should strive for world peace by negotiation and recognition of rights to self-government. The Treason Trial At the treason trial in August, 1958, the prosecution attempted to show that the Freedom Charter was a Communist tract and that the only way it could be achieved was by overthrowing the present government.  However, the Crowns expert witness on Communism admitted that the Charter was a humanitarian document that might well represent the natural reaction and aspirations of non-whites to the harsh conditions in South Africa. The main piece of evidence against the accused was a recording of a speech made by Robert Resha, the  Trasvaal  Volunteer-in-Chief, which appeared to say that volunteers should be violent when called upon to use violence. During the  defense,  it was shown that Reshas viewpoints were the exception rather than the rule in the  ANC and that the short quote had been taken completely out of context. The Outcome of the Treason Trial Within a week of the trail starting, one of the two charges under the Suppression of Communism Act was dropped. Two months later the Crown announced that the whole indictment was being dropped, only to issue  a new  indictment against 30 people- all members of the ANC. Chief Albert Luthuli and Oliver Tambo were released for lack of evidence. Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu (ANC secretary-general) were among the final 30 accused. On March 29, 1961, Justice FL Rumpff interrupted the defense summation with a verdict. He announced that although the ANC was working to replace the government and had used illegal means of protest during the Defiance Campaign, the Crown had failed to show that the ANC was using violence to overthrow the government, and  were therefore  not guilty  of treason. The Crown had failed to establish any revolutionary intent behind the defendants actions. Having been found non-guilty, the remaining 30 accused were discharged. The Ramifications of the Treason Trial The Treason Trial was a serious blow to the ANC and the other members of the Congress Alliance. Their leadership was imprisoned or banned and considerable costs were incurred. Most significantly, the more radical members of the ANCs Youth League rebelled against the ANC interaction with other  races  and left to form the PAC. Nelson Mandela, Walter  Sisulu,  and six others were eventually given a life sentence for treason in 1964 at what is known as the Rivonia Trial.