Labor Union in the United States

The United States Labor Unions can be considered as an organized group that usually represent the workers from their employees, aimed to legally function as a representative in a legal manner, in the various field or industries. Their activities are centered in the collective bargaining for wage increase, the proper implementation of benefits, good working conditions, and served as a representative if the company neglects or violates provisions from the contract. Aside from these focal points, the Labor Unions also served as a political influence (specifically inside the Democratic Party) through different coalitions with the same principle oriented activists and through strategic mobilization aimed at strengthening the numbers of their memberships.The evolution of Labor Union in the United States dated way back from the 18th Century. From the conception of the National Labor Union and the Knights of Labor- which were short-lived, followed by the rise of the American Federation of La bor in 1886. The 1900 saw the emergence of the Industrial Workers of the World in 1905, the eventual splitting of the AFL in 1938 and the birth of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), the merger of AFL and CIO in 1955, and the founding of the Change to Win Federation which emerged after splitting from the AFL-CIO umbrella in 2005. In general, the history of the United States Labor Union was categorized into four: The early Unions, the labor history from 1900-1932, labor history from 1932- 1955, the labor history from 1955 to 2005, and the labor union at present.Within these periods, several unprecedented and relevant events happened such as the Pullman strike and the Haymarket riot (between 1886 and 1894), the coal strikes (1900-1902), Dual Unionism, Gompers and AFL, Railroad Brotherhoods, the effect of World War 1 and 2, the New Deal Labor Policy, New Deal Coalition and PAC, Taft-Hartley Act, issues of corruptions, civil rights movement, the rise of the Public Sector Uni ons, the decline of the private sector unions, the NAFTA and the International Trade threat.The first local labor union (the Early Unions), the Order of the Knights of St. Crispin, was established in 1867 having an approximate of around 50,000 members by year 1870. The group resisted certain encroachments of several machineries and the matter of non-skilled labor regarding the autonomy of such skilled workers. Though considered the largest union at that time, the group was poorly disorganized that caused to its decline and eventual abolishment.After the abolishment of the Order of the Knights, the Knights of Labor was established in 1869. It was considered the first functional and effective labor union or organization through an effort of enlisting not only the laborers in their ranks but also believed in protecting the common interests of all groups engaged in production. Â  Their leader, Terence Powderly, initiated several causes through the influence of politics or by cooperativ e tie-ups and ventures. Though he hoped towards achieving their causes, the Union collapsed on its first big strike during the Hayment Riot in 1886.In 1886, after the abolishment of the Knights of Labor, the American Federation of Labor was established. It was comprised mostly of confederations of skilled workers responsible of setting the organizational model being used until today. During this transition, from the Order of the Knights to the establishment of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), a major strike transpired that added much significant effects on U.S. economical status.The Pullman strike, happened on June 26, 1894 with around 125,000 workers on an approximate 29 railroad stations, quit their work instead of working on Pullman Palace Car Company. The cause of the strike was the declined decision of the company to decrease rent on the town of Pullman. The effect was a total production shutdown of the Pullman factories that eventually led to a lock out. United States M arshals and approximately 2,000 soldiers were deployed to break up the strike, leaving around $340,000 worth of damage properties, 57 wounded and 13 strikers killed.The American Federation of Labor or AFL was established by Samuel Gompers. The federation comprised mostly of skilled and unskilled workers, except for the African American and women who were excluded. This started the Labor Union history from 1900-1932, and from this period several developments transpired such as the increase in unionized wages, the creation of Clayton Act of 1914, the enactment of the Norris-LaGuardia Act in 1932, the coalition formed by the Socialist Party of America, and the most common events- strikes.The Coal strike of 1900-1902 was considered one of the most comprehensive strikes ever happened creating a political crisis on a national scale. It was spearheaded by the United Mine Workers on the Midwest that started in 1900. The United States President at that time, Theodore Roosevelt, made a compro mise on the miners on increasing their wages for shorter hours but excluded the view of recognizing the union as the workers representative in the bargaining table.Another strike that transpired was the Great Railroad Strike happened in 1922, wherein a nationwide strike was conducted by shop workers of the railroad. The cause of the strike was the decision of the Railroad Labor Board to cut seven cents from the workers wages thus creating hostility and an approximate 400,000 positions vacated by the strikers. The strike eventually died down on a local level since some of the shop workers did made agreements with the railroads after.The Labor history of 1932- 1955 witnessed the founding of another influential Union in the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), founded by John Llewellyn Lewis, who eventually also the President of the United Mine Workers or UMW. The CIO was instrumental in the establishment of the United Steel Workers of America or the USWA that consisted of aroun d millions of organized group of industrial workers during the 1930’s.His desire to expand the union’s membership and acquire in organizing the steel industry lead to an effort of organizing steel workers. This put him into a contrast between the AFL since he was concerned on organizing all industrial unions and workers in a specific industry instead of in a particular craft or trade skill only. Â  The conflict was then resolved by establishing the CIO but the leader of the AFL, William Green, opposed such.The CIO hoped to have a change of policy within the AFL with regards to their industrial organizing but the AFL treated them as an enemy and antagonism arose leading to the formal establishment of the CIO in 1938 to become its rival federation union. Since then the CIO was instrumental in several sit-down strikes such as the Flint sit-down strike, and the Chrysler sit-down strike. Their actual members were approximated at 2,850,000 from various members of the local labor unions such as coming from the Steel Workers, Electrical Workers, Amalgamated Clothing Workers, Rubber Workers, and United Mine Workers. (Karson, 1958).The negotiations of the Flint Sit-Down strike led the way for the establishment of the United Auto Workers Union or UAW in 1936- 1937. Walter Reuther took control of the union during the war and soon initiated some major strikes. The UAW eventually led the way for the merging of the AFL and the CIO in 1955.From 1955 to present, the labor unions consisted of two major organizations: the Change to Win Federation who broke up with the ALF-CIO in 2005, and the American Federation of Labor- Congress of Industrial Organizations. Both groups advocates legislations and policies in favor to the workers of the United States and Canada, took active participation in politics specifically favoring the Democratic Party. While the AFL-CIO is concerned with trade issues in a global perspective, the Change to Win Federation is concerned more in issues involving domestic Craft labor.Union members of the private sector have been severely regulated by the NLRA or the National Labor Relations Act of 1935. The unions are usually regulated in a sense by state laws and partly by federal laws. Thus it resulted in considerable growth rates, and working conditions as well as the wages are brought into negotiations with the elected state and local officials, therefore enhancing the political influences of the Unions.Other manifestation of unionism may include Solidarity unionism, minority unionism, and the practices being employed by an organization like the Industrial Workers of the World.The American Union membership specifically in the private sector has fallen by an approximate of 9% .and only the Commercial group retained some 50% of union representation. It also remained an indispensable political influence and the capital mobility, economic liberalization, and globalization improved in a tremendous fashion uplifting the stand ard of living being enjoyed by the American workers. In a real sense the Labor Union in the United States served as a role model for labor Domestic force. It’s served as a representative, an intermediary, for the social workers welfare against the violations of the Company to achieve specific arrangements that will benefit both workers and the Administration.ReferencesCommons, John R. (1918). History of Labour in the United States – Vol. 2 1860-1896.Karson, Marc (1958). American Labor Unions and Politics, 1900-1918.Beik, Millie (2005). Labor Relations: Major Issues in American History..

Brave New World Connection Essay

In the world state â€Å"erotic play† is encouraged and forced upon children starting at an extremely young age. â€Å"We had Elementary Sex for the first forty minutes,† she answered. â€Å"But now it's switched over to Elementary Class Consciousness. † â€Å"The Director walked slowly down the long line of cots. Rosy and relaxed with sleep, eighty little boys and girls lay softly breathing. † (Huxley 71) This tool or game helps the world leaders, such as Mustache Mood, solidify the Idea that sex Is only meant for happiness and pleasure.As a reader you start to become uncomfortable with all of these little kids engaged In sex. In our current society â€Å"erotic games or play are completely Immoral and wrong especially for children but also for adults. The brains of children haven't fully developed and are not as sophisticated making them very influential and completely incompetent of understanding how these games could possibly effect their future relat ionships. The effects could lead children to believe that it is k to have sex with anyone at anytime even if the person is some one who hey have never even met.Relationships are a sign of togetherness a sign of affection, but in the novel there are not any true relationships there are these sorts of friendships, friendships that are souls based on sex. This is a main problem that John faces with Lenin, he wants to engage In a relationship with Lenin but she Is Incapable of loving him the same way that he wants to love her making John Incredibly frustrated and disappointed. Lenin wants sex and John wants love, this shows perfectly the mall differences teen the world state and our society.This concept of brain washing people and making them believe what you believe and make them do what you do, such as sex, is enforced by the world leaders. The world leaders are the world states people in the positions of highest power. The main way that the leaders maintain power is that they keep th e citizens in this constant â€Å"high† from the effects of a drug known as soma. Much like in the world today the people do drugs to suppress the feelings that are being felt and us it to bring out a appear more relaxed version of themselves.Drugs in our life are an escape but in the novel they are required for everyone, much to the disapproval of people like Bernard Marx. â€Å"Glum, Marx, glum. † The clap on the shoulder made him start, look up. It was that brute Henry Foster. â€Å"What you need Is a grammar of soma. † (Huxley 43). In this quote Henry Foster and Bernard Marx are talking and Bernard Is speaking about how he feels like he doesn't fit into the alpha plus ideal because of his size, Henry he building.Although there are a lot of differences between the world as we know it to be and this fictional world created by Huxley, in some weird way Huxley seemed to know exactly where the world was heading and different topics that would become more influent ial and less influential in our lives. Sex is one of these predictions. When Huxley wrote this book sex was still a thing to be cherished but now it is starting to shift towards being more and more common and is somewhat loosing its value.Not o the extent of the novel where people are having sex with everybody and anybody but to the point where there is a T. V show about 16 year old girls who have become mothers. â€Å"sex should be more than an act of pleasure, it's the ability to be able to feel so close to a person, so connected, so comfortable that its almost breathtaking† ( ). This quote was taken from an article where the author is coming off pretty heated and is talking about her 19 year old daughter who doesn't even know who the father of her newly born child is because she had been with so many guys.

Anthem comparison

The novel 1984 takes place in a dyspepsia society in which everyone is treated equal, and the government has complete control over every aspect of a person's life. This Is much like the novel Anthem. In both books, all the citizens of the societies are equal, punishments are very strict, and the government has absolute power over all people. In 1984, every is treated equal. People In the country of Oceania cannot have friends, they have comrades, because everyone Is equal In the eyes of big brother.This Is much like the citizens In Anthem. The citizens of this society also cannot have friends, they must treat everyone the same and they are not supposed to Like one person more than another. In both novels, crimes are punished very severely. In 1984 any person who Is convicted of committing a â€Å"thought crime† Is Annealed†. This Is when the thought police kill the person and any record of their existence Is completely erased from history. In the Anthem, crimes are also punished severely.In this society, any person who breaks a rule, or does something that the council does not tell you to do, that person is sent to prison. Or if the council finds the crime to be too serious, the person is burned at the stake in the town square. Another way both stories are the same, is the way the government has complete control over all the citizens. In 1984, the ministries are in complete control of rationing food, punishing crimes, and what is allowed in the media.These ministries are very much like the councils in the Anthem. The councils are in charge of creating all laws, punishing crimes, and choosing Jobs for all the citizens of the society. In conclusion, all the citizens of the societies are equal, punishments are very strict, and the government has absolute power over all people in both 1984 and Anthem. These are only three of the many numerous ways that these two novels are similar.

City of Newark, New Jersey Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

City of Newark, New Jersey - Research Paper Example Old English religion, commonly referred to as Puritan Congregational Church influenced several aspects of the emergent community for several decades. Commercial and other sociocultural events in the emerging town in the 118th Century took a Puritan influence until other incoming religions diluted the strict cultural and religious values in the second decade of the century (Internet Archive, n.d.). Today, the city of Newark is as shown in figure 1 below. Figure 1: City of Newark, NJ Map Courtesy of http://www.njtransit.com/rg/rg_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=SystemMapsTo Iron deposits discovered in the nearby mines changed the economic fortunes of the town, making an important commercial feeder for New York via ferry. The special relationship in the two Cities perhaps facilitated the growth of Newark than if it were not a raw material producer and feeder to other major cities like New York. When the Revolution occurred, the town had sufficient commercial establishment to sustain its conve rsion into a number of industries including agriculture, banking, insurance, brick making, plaster and corset industries, textile, jewelry, leather and brewery supported by an efficient transport system. Its growth as a leading City in the whole of New Jersey traces back to the days when it started to emerge as nan important business center supporting other settlements as far as New York. Its emergence as a modern City was precipitated by commercial interests from major investors such as Thomas Edison’s bulb and electrical innovations industry nearby, Stephen Crane’s literary works and library products leading to a popular printing press among several other investors (Gombach, 2012). Geography Newark is a City in State of New Jersey, towards the northeast of the State at 40Â °43?27?N 74Â °10?21?W and has a geographical stretch of 26.107 miles2 (67.617 km2). A significant fraction of its area (7.35 per cent) is water towards the Passaic River and Newark Bay, with neig hborhoods including Belleville Township to the North, Elizabeth to the South, Jersey City to the East and Maplewood Township to the West. Newark City is among the few cities in the US hosting huge populations in their relatively small size when compared to other major cities around the country as shown on Figure a. Downtown positions of the busy city include Market Street junction with Broad Street and provide numerous business locations in broad street view. Submerged areas along the Newark Bay had to be reclaimed from marshy surface to usable areas on which several projects such as airports and ports have been established. Wards distinguish the various sections of the City into administrative regions, with Central Ward occupying the old town’s historical location that houses monumental properties including Lincoln Park and Military Park. The North Ward has the Branch Brook Park, West Ward contains the Fairmont Cemetery and the South Ward has three neighborhoods with Jewish communities as the dominant occupants. City Population Newark City ranks as the 62nd most populous city in the entire country, which is based on the population comparisons with other cities. The population of Newark City with respect to the 2010 census data is estimated at 279,555, with a population growth of about 1.3 per cent since 2000 (CLR, 2012). These figures imply that the city continues to be host to more people within its small space, making it one of the

The Unseen Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Unseen - Article Example Germs and pathogens hide in their personal accessories like rings and phones that constantly contact diverse hospital surfaces when attending to the patients (Aleccia). Germs and pathogens’ predicament harboring in personnel’s’ attire may effectively handled by cleaning them adequately with the necessary disinfecting reagents. This encompasses even treating them with adequate chemicals, which will ensure as they interact with patients and other people in the hospital do not contribute in spreading diseases among the patients. Consequently, making treatment complicated especially when a person contacts a new disease, besides the one is suffering (Aleccia). Health personnel should cease from wandering outside the health facility while in the attires, which might contribute even transferring diseases to the public who are unawares. The existence of commercial Salmonella Typhimurium is inevitable due to its application in microbiology labs. US CDC studies confirmed lately that Salmonella Typhimurium spate that was evidently in the households of the microbiology staff or students (Aleccia). The staffs usually carry home the bacteria by their protective attires with the cleaning intention and fail to disinfect effectively. In curbing this predicament and shun the bacteria’s epidemic, it is vital that the staff or training students be adequately equipped with protective attire cleaning and avoid carrying them to their residences (Aleccia). However, use of personal gadgets like telephone is inevitable, where each needs to be adequately equipped with how to scrub their hands prior handling them especially when in

British Airways Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

British Airways - Personal Statement Example In writing my report I researched a lot and looked up various data that was available to me. Such resources include Internet websites, publications, newspaper articles, press releases, etc. Because of the researching that I did my research skills improved as I learnt where and how to look for information and make use of it. For the research I mainly depended on the Internet, as I was able to find plenty of reliable information there. I chiefly looked into journal articles and press releases so as to make sure that my findings are accurate and that it would allow me to write a proper, well defined and an accurate report. Along with this, my writing skills improved because of the fact that in the presenting of this report I learnt how to be specific and to the point, plus how to write a report that would be appealing to the reader. I learnt the way data should be put together in order to form an attractive summary of my findings. In order to find out about the problems that the British Airways is facing I searched for the issues that concern the company and how they affect it. These issues were first identified and then looked into in detail. They included fuel crisis, terrorism and SARS. Due to the fuel crisis high expenses befell the British Airways and thus it lead to a rise in the costs. Also, there was the terrorism problem that caused trouble. The September 11 attacks lead to decreased air traffic (Crou, 2002) and thus a loss for the British Airways, because the people were no longer so comfortable with the thought of travelling by planes. Also, there was then the Afghanistan invasion which also affected the number of flights in a given time period. Apart from this, the SARS issue created disturbance too as it also adversely influenced the air traffic as people were not ready to travel to the affected areas. To combat such problems the British Airways undertook a number of steps. It can also consider merging of the company with another airway such as the Iberia. In order to lower the costs of travelling, which have escalated due to high fuel prices, the British Airways is creating low weight planes so that they use lesser fuel. Plus, the company can reduce its flights; at least those that do not give enough profits. Other than this, the company brought up the plan of voluntary redundancy (Porter, 2005). British Airways also tried to solve their problems by means of technology (Dobson, 2007). Not all their solutions were successful, as is reported in my project. The lesson is that whatever way they handle a situation, it should be made sure that crisis management is undertaken appropriately and that the problems are solved instead of being augmented. This can be done by going in depth of the issues and maybe employing experts and professionals who would be able to help with providing a us eful solution. The research that I conducted I order to write this report had no ethical issues involved that required my attention. This was due to the fact

Clinical uses Ganoderma Lucidum Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Clinical uses Ganoderma Lucidum - Research Paper Example Ganoderma lucidum is of clinical benefit in cancer and its studies in animals have shown that it prevents the spread of the carcinoma to sites other than its site of origin as well as it leads to a reduction in the size of the tumor. Furthermore, its additional role in the prevention of angiogenesis has also been noted in the clinical studies. Trials in human beings suffering from cancers have revealed that it enhances the quality of living by improving the immune status of these individuals. Trials of derivatives of Ganoderma lucidum for infections caused by bacteria and viruses have also proven to show the benefits in relieving diseases caused by these pathogens. An example is the relief achieved by patients suffering from post-herpetic pain which is relieved after the intake of an extract of Ganoderma lucidum. It is also known to have an effect in lowering the blood glucose levels and hence it is effective for patients suffering from diabetes mellitus. Ulcers of the stomach as wel l as injurious effects of chemicals to the liver are known to heal following the usage of Ganoderma lucidum (Benzie & Wachtel-Galor 2011). Ganoderma lucidum is an effective therapeutic agent that is being used since many years. It has been proven to be of advantage in diseases ranging from cancers in the human body and diabetes mellitus to bacterial and viral

Business memo of moving small colorado company inti sri lanka Essay

Business memo of moving small colorado company inti sri lanka - Essay Example Indeed, we must address various internal and external factors in relation to the mode of operations and doing business by small and medium in Sri Lanka. As such, this business memo determines whether a small Colorado company, ISSAC Corporation should consider doing business in Sri Lanka after analyzing all the business dynamics, government regulations, and other factors that may influence the operations of ISSAC Corporation in Sri Lanka. Ease of Doing Business Globalization-Sri Lanka allows cross border relations and foreign investments with limited restrictions, which favor our company into moving to Sri Lanka. It has one of the most improved ease of doing business across several areas of regulations according to Doing Business 2013: Smarter Regulations for Small and Medium-Size Enterprises report (Wijewardena 1). It has a well-organized small and medium enterprise (SMe) sector, which favors our decision to move ISSAC Corporation into Sri Lanka. It has the oldest democracy in South Asia and the second largest per capita income that generates a huge purchasing power, which favors our company. ... o register with Department of Labor to obtain EPF and ETF (Wijewardena 1) Cultural and International Relations Diversity Sri Lanka is a great cultural diversity with many religions, ethnicities, and languages, which favor our company as it adopts cultural diversity in its operations and services. Sri Lanka participates in international trade engagements. Sri Lanka abhors certain core values like expertise, excellence, honesty, integrity, and commitment that correlate with the core values of ISSAC Corporation (â€Å"ISSAC Corporation† 1). Human Development Index Sri Lanka has a high human development index, which stands at 93 out of 177 countries and a literacy rate of 90% making it a conducive location to start a business (Wijewardena 1). Doing Business in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka ranks at 81 out of 185 countries, which depicts the need for more reforms to make it a SMEs friendly country (Wijewardena 1). It records a poor performance in the 10 aspects that World Bank/International Finance Corporation has chosen as significant for easing the regulatory atmosphere for the SMEs. Sri Lanka made significant gains in the aspect of starting a business by moving from 71 in 2012 to 33 in 2013. However, our company will still take five days to get registration at the Registrar of Companies and one day at EPF/ETF, that is a slower rate compared to other nations (Wijewardena 1). This would delay the registration of our company in Sri Lanka. The government should seek to digitize and fasten this process. There is an improvement in property registration where Sri Lanka moved from 164 in 2012 to 143 in 2013. However, this aspect is not alive on an island-wide basis where the friendliest nations for doing business take about 26 days to register a property (Wijewardena 1). This would limit

Punnet squares experiment lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Punnet squares experiment - Lab Report Example The phenotype is the way of the expression of the combination of the genes. When the two alleles for a particular characteristic are identical, it is called as homozygous allele and if different it is called as heterozygous allele. If two different alleles are present in a trait, then only characteristics is expressed. It is called as Dominant allele and the other is called as the recessive allele. In the scenario 1, the heterozygous gray-bodied fly and the homozygous black-bodied fly are crossed and the first felial generation was obtained. The Punnet square for this crossing is given below. The F1 generation contains 2 heterozygous gray-bodied fly and 2 homozygous black-bodied fly as the offsprings. In the scenario 2, two heterozygous gray bodied flies are crossed and the first felial generation was obtained. It was found that the F1 generation contains 2 heterozygous gray bodied flies 1 homozygous gray bodies fly and 1 homozygous black-bodied fly as the offsprings. The Punnett Square for this crossing is given below In the scenario 3, homozygous long-winged fly and the homozygous vestigial – winged fly are crossed and the first felial generation was obtained. The F1 generation was found to have 4 heterozygous long-winged flies. The punnett square for this crossing is given below. The fourth scenario is based on the mating of homozygous long-winged fly with the heterozygous long-winged fly. The F1 generation obtained was found to contain 2 homozygous long-winged fly and 2 heterozygous long-winged fly. The punnett square is given below. In the scenario 5, the mating of the heterozygous long-winged flies was carried out and the first felial generation obtained was found to contain 1 homozygous long winged fly, 2 heterozygous long-winged flies and 1 homozygous vestigial-winged fly. The punnett square for this mating is given below. The 6th Scenario is based on the mating of the homozygous gray bodied fly with the

The Importance of Determination Essay Example for Free

The Importance of Determination Essay Everyday people face challenges, but it is important that one does not give up, and to keep trying until they successfully overcome the obstacles that stand in their way. â€Å"Mother to Son† by Langston Hughes and â€Å"Still I Rise† by Maya Angelou are two different works written by two different authors yet they both convey the same message. Together, the two authors stress the significance of pushing harder when faced with conflicts rather than simply giving up. Using figurative language and repetition, Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou effectively emphasize this message in both of their poems. In both poems, both authors attempt to convince the reader of the importance of not giving up and trying harder, and do so successfully. In â€Å"Mother to Son†, Langston Hughes is able to open the eyes and the mind of the reader by comparing the narrator’s difficult life to an object that is elegant, clear and simple. At the beginning and end of the poem Hughes’ writes, â€Å"Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.† (Hughes 2, 20). Using the crystal stair as a symbol of clarity, Hughes’ is implying that life for the narrator is not clear and is not elegant, nor simple. He establishes the struggle in the narrator’s life and compares it to the crystal stair all while subliminally hinting that one must not back down from difficult courses in one’s life because no one’s life is a â€Å"crystal stair†. Much like the previous metaphor, Hughes’ highlights the importance of determination through another metaphor. He expresses, â€Å"It’s had tacks in it / And splinters / And boards torn up / And places with no carpet on the floor† (3-6). This metaphor is comparing life to a rough, bare and hard floor that has been through a lot. The use of this metaphor illustrates the image of a life that has been through a lot, but yet continues to persevere and manage through all the problems. In the same fashion as Hughes, poet Maya Angelou has used similar figurative language in her piece â€Å"Still I Rise†. It is important to note that similarly to the use of metaphors in â€Å"Mother to Son† by Langston Hughes; Maya Angelou makes a point to emphasize the same importance of pushing harder when faced with conflicts rather than simply giving up by using similes. Angelou writes, â€Å"You may trod me in the very dirt / But still, like dust, I’ll rise.† (Angelou, 3-4). Angelou compares triumph after a challenge in life being similar to that of dust rising after dirt has been trotted on, thus proving that just as important as it was for the dust to rise after the dirt, it is equally as important to rise after being faced with a challenge in life. Identically to the previous quotation, Angelou again expresses the importance of determination by writing, â€Å"Just like moons and like suns / With the certainty of tides / Just like hopes springing high / Still I’ll rise.† (9-12). Angelou effectively compares the sure rising of moons and suns rising with the certainty of tides, and the guaranteed rise of hopes to her own certainty to rise. Her persistence to continue to rise after being put through many evident hardships demonstrates the importance of pushing harder when encountering difficulties rather than quitting when things get hard. All things considered, both poets are able to successfully interpret the importance of pushing harder when faced with conflicts rather than simply giving up by using figurative language such as metaphors and similes. Equally as significant as the use of figurative language in both Langston Hughes’ poem, and Maya Angelou’s poem, is the use of repetition.   Though individually the poems may seem different, together the two poets commendably integrate and are able to convey the significance of persistence when one finds themselves in difficult situations in life. In the final analysis, using literary devices such as figurative language and repetition have assisted the two poets in emphasizing their message. It is important that one must not simply tolerate the troubling things they are faced with in life, but rather overcome them.

The Location Of Activities Cultural Studies Essay

The Location Of Activities Cultural Studies Essay The Almighty Vice Lord Nation are based in Chicago, Illinois and began to spread over many neighbourhoods and community areas in the 1960s, for example in Garfield Park, Austin, Fifth City and several housing projects, like Cabrini-Green, Rockwell Gardens and Lawndale Gardens. While usually found on the west side in the 1980s they expanded on the south and north side as well to neighbourhoods such as Englewood, Roseland and East Side as well as to housing projects of Altgeld Gardens and Washington Park Homes. Today they can also be found in Wisconsin, where they are predominantly on the north side of Racine County. In summary it can be stated that the Almighty Vice Lord Nation mostly operates in Chicago suburbs at the moment. Furthermore there are different factions and sub-gangs, which can be found all over the United States.http://www.uic.edu/orgs/kbc/maps/Gangstoday.gif Personal comment When I first started doing some research for my gang I was a bit irritated, because it didnt seem to be a real gang. I didnt have the impression that this association could be taken really seriously, especially due to their symbols (a playboy bunny is in my opinion neither threatening nor serious). But when I learned more and more details about the Almighty Vice Lord Nation I was really shocked about how brutal and violent they operate. What surprised me was Bobby Gores attempt to turn a street gang into an activism community which aimed to help children and I was sort of disappointed that his mission failed. All in all I am definitely against violence and brutality, no matter if it happens in gangs or outside such a community. Furthermore I am worried that if you once become a member of a gang it is nearly impossible to leave it. http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj300/Lordism5/lordred.jpg Reasons for becoming a gang member There are plenty of reasons why people want to join a gang. Especially teenagers often struggle to find their place in the world and to define themselves. Being a gang member creates the feeling of being part of something and enhances their self-esteem by emotional support, attention, affirmation or simply understanding. Often those young people come from a difficult family or are loners and just want to fulfill their basic needs. Another reason to join a gang is peer pressure: if they live for example in a gang-dominated area or go to a school with a strong gang presence they are very likely to join this gang because most of their friends and acquaintances are already members. Furthermore, Chicago for instance can be very dangerous at night and being a member of a gang means to be protected from rival gangs.http://a3.ec-images.myspacecdn.com/profile01/147/5a3d2502b6ab451bbe150fabc5c827cc/p.jpg History The Almighty Vice Lord Nation is one of the oldest and most violent gangs of Chicago. Their history begins in 1958 in the juvenile detention centre St. Charles in a western suburb of Chicago, where seven incarcerated boys, namely Edward Peppilow Perry, who is credited with the actual founding of the gang and would become their official chief, Ralph Bonds, Leonard Cal Calloway, Bobby Gore, Maurice Miller, Toehold, and Wren, had the idea of founding this gang. The name Vice was chosen, when one of the gang founders looked the term up in a dictionary and found the meaning having a tight hold. After being released from incarceration the gang started to recruit lots of new members and engaged in wars against several clubs. At that time their territory was concentrated at about 21st and Lawndale. By the early 1960s the Almighty Vice Lords were involved in every kind of illegal activity such as robberies, assaults and extortion and their number began to grow and they began to expand in dist ricts beyond the west side. To soften their public image, which was known as very brutal and violent, and to create a structure the gang was renamed the Conservative Vice Lord Nation by one of the founders, Bobby Gore. To reflect their new mission, community activism, the gang turned into a legitimate organisation, trying to protect the neighbourhoods and opening a shop. In 1966 they even became part of the Civil Rights Movement and marched with Martin Luther King Jr. and his Southern Christian Leadership Council in a rally in the Marquette neighbourhood. After getting a lot of positive publicity and support of various politicians and community leaders the Conservative Vice Lords were able to open several legitimate businesses and community establishments with a grant of the Rockefeller Foundation. Despite their attempts of leaving their former image of being a violent gang, it was quickly discovered that the CVL were still violent criminals and had no intention to cooperate with the local police. In 1969 Bobby Gore got arrested for the murder of a young police man, though Gore denied to have committed the crime. Without his leadership the CVLs social activities failed, shutting down all of their programs. They began to engage in another lucrative business, the drug market. In the 1980s several leaders of the Almighty Vice Lord Nation were killed or sent to prison. To give the organisation a spiritual meaning the gang adapted a lot of the Islamic principles and even transformed some of their long time gang symbols. In the 1990s some criminal activities of the Almighty Vice Lords became more sophisticated, such as mortgage fraud, credit card fraud, and money laundering. Rituals They do accept everyone to join their gang. Before becoming a member you are required to take an oath and to memorize and obey all gang laws and rules. You are furthermore required to attend weekly meetings that are held by senior leaders. If you break a law or rule or miss a meeting, you get beaten. Allies and Adversaries Allies (People Nation): Blackstone Rangers, Bloods, Latin Kings, Black Peace Stones, Cobra Stones, Insane Popes, Gaylords, Future Stones, Four Corner Hustlershttp://www.dc.state.fl.us/pub/gangs/images/c-people_sym.gif http://www.dc.state.fl.us/pub/gangs/images/c-folk_sym.gif Adversaries (Folk Nation): Gangster Disciples, Black Gangsters, Black Disciples, Crips, Party People, Imperial Gangsters, La Raza, Latin Eagles, Maniac Latin Disciples Clothes, colours, etc Colors: Black (race), Gold (wealth) and Red* Formerly the gang members used to wear trench coats, trousers and a sweater or a white button shirt. Some of them wore black capes with the word vice lords written in gold and an earring. Nowadays their attire is very mixed, Vice Lords wear everything from old jeans and black hooded sweatshirts to expensive suits. Especially most of the younger members try to keep up with the latest fashion; however some members wear cheap clothing. In order to avoid detection from police and rivals they prefer to wear dark after nightfall. In the Winter Vice Lords wear bottom or tug hoods. *The original gang colours are Black and Gold, however, in cities where Bloods have a presence, gang members of the AVLN tend to wear red in order to identify with that gang. Sizehttp://a3.ec-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/123/c34f115c61e74a779c80364fb1b23671/l.jpg There is an estimated number of 30.000 to 35.000 members, while other sources claim them to be about 27.000. Ethnic Origin The members of The Almighty Vice Lord Nation are mostly African American males. Typical Activities The Almighty Vice Lord Nation engages in many criminal activities, namely vandalism, extortion, armed robbery, murder,  assault, battery, dog-fighting, gang-banging, arson, auto-theft, burglary, armed robbery, shootings, fraud, identity theft, money laundering and street-level distribution of cocaine, heroin and marijuana, the latter being their main source of income. Structure In the early years of the Almighty Vice Lord Nation, the three-top leadership positions consisted of a three-tiered structure, the seniors, the juniors and the midgets. Within the seniors there are ranking positions including the president (chief), the vice president, the war counsellor, the enforcers, and regular members. As the gang developed different branches, they incorporated the above-named rankings into each branch and some even created their own unique positions. Later on the gang established the group SCIA, which was founded to spy on the operations of other gangs. Furthermore they operate in factions, which are all considered legitimate. The current structure of the Almighty Vice Lord Nation Supreme Chief-King of Kings Prince of the Nation Minister of Justice Free and Accepted Almighty Minister Kings of the Nation Universal Elites Ambassadors Minister of Command Lieutenants Minister of Literature Symbols http://gangresearch.net/ChicagoGangs/SouthChicago/images/cvlsymb.jpg