Yesterday And Today Essays - English-language Films,

Yesterday And Today In the four year between 1861 and 1865 this country was in civil war over the rights and freedom of blacks in America. When all was said and done, the blacks won their freedom and gained several rights that would make their lives better. Nearly one hundred years later, in 1959, Lorraine Hansberry wrote her great play, A Raisin in the Sun. It described the everyday life of a black family in the Southside of Chicago sometime after World War II. Throughout the play, Hansberry talks of the difficulties that the Younger family faces trying to get from one day to another; the problems that should have been resolved by the Civil War. Even after the Civil War and this play, many of these problems still exist today. The first difficulty that the Younger family faces is poor housing. The play starts off in a small two bedroom apartment with Ruth waking up her son, Travis, who sleeps on the couch in the living room. He sleeps on the couch because one bedroom is used by Ruth and Walter and the other by Mama and Beneatha. Every morning they wake up early so they can get to the one bathroom that is shared by all of the other families that live in the complex. When Mama talks about putting a down payment on a new house, Ruth says, Well, Lord knows, weve put enough rent into this here rat trap to pay for four houses by now (p. 1817). When she says rat trap you would naturally think of some of the houses today with boarded up or broken windows, unattended yards, and streets that are covered with potholes. But in the movie, it is nothing like that. The movie depicts the apartment in a very livable way. You can say they made the best of a bad situation. There is also discrimination in Hansberrys play. It is displayed in a couple different ways. Walter cannot get any job except as a chauffer for white family. When Ruth says. So you would rather be Mr. Arnold than be his chauffer (p. 1811), she knows that he is tired of being low man on the totem pole and wants to be able to give his son the luxuries of life. While on the other hand Ruth and Mama work in kitchens and do house work for white families. And finally, Beneatha is going to school to become a doctor, and all she gets from Walter is harassment because she is a black female. At one time he even say, Who the hell told you you had to be a doctor? If you so crazy 'bout messing 'round with sick people -- then go be a nurse like other women (p. 1813). He himself is discriminating his own sister by stereotyping a womans place in society. Although it is illegal, this type of discrimination is still fairly common today . If a person of a minority and a white person both go in for an i nterview for two positions, it is more likely that the white person will get the better of the two jobs. Just because a company says that they are an, equal opportunity business, does not mean that they always stick to it because there is usually a way to get around most things. Another way that they are discriminated against is prices for the necessary items needed in life. As Margaret B. Wilkerson points out in her introduction to the original screen play, there is a scene where Mama stops to buy fruit at the local market, but is angered by the flippant and disrespectful white clerk as well as the poor quality and high price of fruit that, as she says, was at the Last Supper (p. xxxii). So Mama went out of her way and went to an open market in Chicagos far Southside, to an open air market that was ran by probably predominately black seller that had top quality produce for a fraction of the cost. You can see this trend in prices even today. Not only is it towards minorities, but this also affects whites. It seems to be the wealthier the community

Overpopulation as a Social Problem Essay Example

Overpopulation as a Social Problem Essay Example Overpopulation as a Social Problem Paper Overpopulation as a Social Problem Paper With these shocking embers in mind, it is not hard to believe that overpopulation is an issue in the world today, effecting countries on nearly every continent. For the record, overpopulation is not a complete concrete concept; many different opinions exist in determining criteria for overpopulation and deciding which countries should be labeled overpopulated. However in this paper, the following questions concerning overpopulation will be addressed in hopes of developing a better understanding of overpopulation and how it affects many countries of the world: What is overpopulation? Where are some places in the oral that are heavily overpopulated? Why is overpopulation a social problem? What are some solutions that have been carried out to address overpopulation? What is overpopulation? In referring to human population, overpopulation occurs when the population of a country, city, or area exceeds the amount of resources available in that area during a given time period. In other words, the concept of overpopulation not only depends on the size of the population, but the ratio of population to sustainable resources available (Overpopulation, 201 1). Overpopulation also depends on the way that resources are used and strutted throughout the population, large or small. For example, very low population areas like desert or arctic areas can be considered overpopulated if the amount of resources available is not enough to sustain human life. Essentially, overpopulation affects resources on two different levels: basic life sustaining resources and quality of life resources. An area can be primarily considered overpopulated if resources such as clean water, clean air, food, shelter, and warmth are in shortage, but areas can also be considered overpopulated if certain quality of life resources are in question, such as deiced care, education, clean sewage treatment, and waste disposal (Overpopulation, 2011). Where are some places in the world that are heavily overpopulated? The Optimum Population Trust, which is a British organization that advocates population control in the United Kingdom, produced an overpopulation index that ranks countries Of the world by assessing three different primary criteria: per capita consumption (ecological footprint) versus per capita biologically productive capacity (measured in global hectares per capita), self-sufficiency versus dependency, and actual population versus sustainable population. According to this index, the ten most overpopulated countries of the world are Singapore, Israel, Kuwait, Korea Republic, Jordan, united Arab Emirates, Japan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Belgium. Although China and India are two of the most typically conceived overpopulated countries, they respectively rank 29th and 33rd on the index because they are marginally less dependent on other countries for resources (Overpopulation index, 2010). The Optimum Population Trust states that this helps to demonstrate that overpopulation is not just a matter of population size or density. Why is overpopulation a social problem? The lack of resources that defines overpopulation makes overpopulation a social problem and leads to other social problems. The most obvious result of overpopulation is in land usage. Close to 90% of the worlds food is produced on land. The more land that is required for living decreases the amount of land that can be used for production. Land is a limited resource and will eventually run out. Other essential resources such as food, water, and shelter also become limited as humans use of land increases. Since these resources are no longer available to everybody in surplus; malnutrition, dehydration, ND starvation become worse problems as population increases. These limited resources then increase crime rates as people struggle to get necessary supplies to survive. High population in confined areas also increases the amount of pollution, lowers the living conditions, and decreases personal freedom (Overpopulation, 2011 Several people argue that overpopulation is not a social problem. One claim references the fact that the entire world population could relocate to the United States and the population density would be less than 2,000 people per square mile. When this population density is compared to larger united States cities that are typically home to around 1 0,000 people per square mile, the claim is made that the United States alone has sufficient resources for the world population and that overpopulation is not a problem on a global scale. This claim is made under the false belief that land and population density are the only factors that are affected by overpopulation (Williams, 1999). With 2,000 people per square mile, there would be no room for enough food production and massive levels of starvation would exist. The amount of available fresh water in America would be another overpopulation problem caused by this scenario. North America is currently home to about of the worlds fresh water and does not have enough to supply to everybody in the world at a sustainable rate (Posted, Daily, ; Earlier, 1996). The Population Research Institute makes the claim that overpopulation is a myth and increased population leads to a greater increase in production(Overpopulation is a myth, 2010). While population increases have increased living conditions in developed countries that can produce or maintain sufficient resources, this idea vastly simplifies the problems that overpopulation can cause. As mentioned previously, overpopulation is a robber because of limited resources. Since every resource in the world is limited the sustainable population also has a limit. This means that at some population point the world as a whole will consume more than they produce. This is already happening In several countries, including the United States, where local overcompensation is forcing the import of foreign goods to maintain a healthy society. The most overpopulated countries in the world have a mix of developed countries that have the ability to import the large amount of resources that cannot be produced and poor countries that do not have these capacities. The common theme is that these countries cannot produce sustainable amounts necessary resources and must import items to maintain a healthy living environment (Overpopulation, 2011). Trade is a zero sum gain and countries that have high imports must be offset by countries that have large amounts of excess resources to exports. When the excess resources in these countries disappear, the sustainability of these overpopulated countries will also disappear and the social problems will be undeniable. What solutions have been carried out to address overpopulated areas? While there is no sure solution to overpopulation, measures have been oaken to address the issue and limit the negative stresses that it places on the world. Two common solutions that have been carried out to address overpopulated areas are the concept of sustainability and curbing reproduction rates. As previously stated, overpopulation occurs when the available in that area during a given time period. The concept of sustainability focuses on the second part of that definition: the amount of resources available in that area. An attempt to curb reproduction rates focuses on the first part of that definition: the population of a country, city, or area exceeds, or is in excess. While these two measures directly focus on different aspects of the overpopulation issue, they act as one to solve the problems that overpopulation creates in the world today. Firstly, sustainability is the practice of conserving resources to ensure that people will have enough resources throughout their life and the lives of future generations (Pits, 2011). Sustainability is practiced by conserving energy, resources, and materials, as well as using new technologies and attempting to monitor reproduction rates in the world. Sustainability is important to preventing a depletion of key resources in our environment cause depletion of these resources usually leads to poverty, disease, malnutrition, and sometimes death (Pits, 2011).

Black Theology and Sexual Theology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Black Theology and Sexual Theology - Essay Example These secret meetings did not only give birth to rebellion against slavery, but also created room for new black gospel songs; the Negro Spirituals in search of freedom. Social movements that fed black theology growth However, while still practicing Christianity, blacks faced discrimination from the whites in the church, which led to the emergence of independent black churches and movements fight against discrimination and separation in the church (Hopkins 28). Blacks formed a separatist movement that rejected prejudice of the white religionists, which led to formation of churches that segregation and prejudice in the house of God as evil and insulting. These movements gave blacks strength to directly confront their white owners. Black leaders who preached liberation compared keeping slaves in slavery by their masters as wrong as those people who bought Africans as slaves from the African coast, and encouraged the same resistance to fight for liberty arguing that liberty is God-given. The high-spirited fight for liberty and religion in American history flowed and grew leading to formation of more movements in the 1950s and 1960s. Key civil rights movements came into existence to give a hand in issues of justice, hope, liberation, suffering and love that churches preached. They used the church property to congregate as they lured people to support them at conferences organized by the church. The social movements had one agenda as the black theology of fighting for liberty from their oppressors. Methodology Methodology in theology is the process that helps achieve goals of the theology. It determines the relation between God, Humans, and the world (Hopkins 41). Black theology used colonialism, as a method of determining how it contributed to the oppression of... The author concludes that the study of black theology brings a clear indication of the power of the cross that King relates to blacks fight for freedom in America. Although death on the lynching tree acted as punishment to those rebelling against white rule, Jesus’ death on the cross acted as liberation from oppression, giving hope and love to those who have faith in Him. The relationship between Christian’s bearing the cross and social justice work contributes a lot to African American’s fight for freedom. Black Christians felt the redemptive power of the cross, and pleaded Jesus to keep them near the cross in a song. Understanding theology and religion by the blacks helped them understand the power of the cross in redemption, and applied redemptive power in the fight for their freedom. Understanding sexual theology has proved difficult among theologians given the differences among them. Many churches do not consider sexuality in their teachings, and thus fail t o understand the power of sexuality in human life. Different theologies like Althaus-Reid’s indecent and queer theologies aim at fighting heterosexism and other related theologies existing in some Christian churches. Theologians who aimed at liberating people from oppression risked their lives, but nowadays churches do not even consider the price these theologians paid. Thus, the role of uncovering sexuality issues in churches needs a strong contribution of the church faithful in order to end racial, sexual, gender and cultural discrimination in the society.

Robert McNamara and the Vietnam War Research Paper

Robert McNamara and the Vietnam War - Research Paper Example He took a number of steps to reform the military strategy and capabilities, for instance, by lessening the vulnerability of missile attacks in addition to the establishment of the United States Strike Command which was mandated to draw forces when necessary from the military services. The United States Strike Command was to report to the Joint Chiefs of Staff who would, in turn, report to the secretary of defense. â€Å"Other major reforms on the military service include an increase of long-range airlift and sealift capabilities, consolidation of military functions to have all the powers center on the secretary of defense.†1 During the War, McNamara gradually doubted whether the war was in a real sense necessary. â€Å"He objected the idea posed by the military commanders to increase troops to South Vietnam as well as the intensifying bombing of northern Vietnam.†2, McNamara’s declaration that he had supported Vietnam War strategy out of his loyalty to the admini stration complicated matters with President Lyndon Baines Johnson who later announced that McNamara was to leave the secretary of defense job to join the world. ... The speculations and rumors came to pass later in November 1967, after McNamara gave a recommendation to President Lyndon Baines Johnson to stop attacks on North Vietnam, lessen the size of troops and hand over ground fighting to South Vietnam, this idea was immediately rejected by President Johnson. According to his belief, the military strategy in the Vietnam War had failed. From the reasons for objection as presented by McNamara, it almost became apparent that Vietnam War lacked the necessary support to achieve its objectives as stated in his documentary ‘the Vietnam war’, â€Å"None of our allies supported us†¦if we can’t persuade these nations with comparable values of the merit of our cause, we’d better re-examine our reasoning.†3 According to him, the war would have had a justified reason had it been fully supported by America’s close allies such as Japan, Germany, Britain, and France. He later announced his resignation in November the same year and joined the World Bank. After his departure, a number of questions arose on what actually compelled him to leave the defense job with some like Baral in his book The Pentagon and the making of U.S. foreign policy alleging that McNamara was fired by President Lyndon Baines Johnson.4 This paper seeks to look at McNamara’s life and the war’s moral consequences and the reason behind his haunting after he was fired. It seems from history that McNamara was up to a different agenda from that held by President Lyndon Baines Johnson and the military chiefs during the Vietnam War.  

Born Global and Gradual Internationalization Essay Example for Free

Born Global and Gradual Internationalization Essay In traditional models, firm internationalization is seen as a gradual process of capability build-up by which firms slowly accumulate the resources necessary to face foreign market uncertainty (Eriksson, Johanson, Majkgard, Sharma, 1997). These models assume that firms grow in their domestic markets before they start to export extensively. This is supposedly so because there is a learning process involved in facing unknown markets, and such a process requires knowledge and resources to face and overcome uncertain outcomes and costly investments. Knowledge and resources are progressively acquired through experience, first in known domestic markets and then in larger foreign markets (for a review see Leonidou Katsikeas, 1996). Much literature has documented this liability of foreignness, or the cost faced by firms that operate abroad, and the need for companies to create capabilities in foreign markets (Mezias, 2002; Zaheer, 1995; Zaheer Mosakowski, 1997). Conventional models of internationalization have drawn criticism (Andersen, 1993; McDougall, Shane, Oviatt, 1994; Turnbull, 1987). There is empirical evidence that shows the existence of small, young firms, endowed with very limited resources, which begin to export immediately after their foundation. For instance, Moen and Servais (2002) reported, for a sample of Norwegian, French, and Danish firms, the existence of many companies exporting a large share of their total sales shortly after their establishment. Such empirical evidence suggests that the Uppsala model is not the only possible way to describe the firm internationalization processes. Turnbull (1987) criticizes the determinism inherent in stage-based models, and argues against the notion that all firms, regardless of industry type, country context, or other variables, must inevitably follow a fixed route to become international. Other authors (Chadee Mattsson, 1998; Erramilli Rao, 1993; OFarrell, Wood, Zheng, 1998) contend that the internationalization process is not equally complex and costly in all industries. In industries where trade barriers, fixed investment, and transportation costs are low, such as services, internationalization may be less costly in terms of monetary and organizational resources. The born global argument essentially states that firm internationalization does not have to go through the progressive accumulation of resources and capabilities. It posits that firms can start exporting from the moment they are created, and it asserts that firms are capable of penetrating markets that are far away, both geographically or â€Å"psychically† (on account of their different cultural and language traits), despite having limited resources and little accumulated organizational learning. The definition of a born-global firm was coined by McKinsey Co.in a report that analyzed a sample of Australian exporting firms (McKinsey Co. , 1993). It was used to describe firms that, apparently, had undergone faster processes of internationalization than would have been expected for firms of similar size, age, and nature. It was thus proposed that these firms were born globals. Cavusgil (1994), and also Knight and Cavusgil (1996), elaborated McKinsey Co. s empirical observation to argue against traditional models of internationalization. Cavusgil (1994: 18) went as far as to state that â€Å"gradual internationalization is dead. † These claims sparked an academic debate revolving around different theories of internationalization. Since then several authors (Collis, 1991; Knight Cavusgil, 2004; Madsen Servais, 1997; McDougall et al. , 1994; Oviatt McDougall, 1994) have attempted to provide a theoretical foundation for these empirical observations. The theory has focused on establishing the antecedents of such firm behavior. One research stream argues that the born global phenomenon will be most prevalent in knowledge-intensive firms, such as those that make software or information technology products. Once created, many knowledge-intensive products, such as software, can be replicated at low marginal cost. Amongst the 25% Born Global firms in Australia who achieved 76% of their sales through exports, several are high-tech firms, but the typical firm uses well-known technology. Because of this, it is argued that small knowledge-intensive firms can bypass the home market and target foreign markets, or enter domestic and international markets simultaneously (Bell, 1995; Bell, McNaughton, Young Crick, 2003; Boter Holmquist, 1996). Autio, Sapienza, and Almeida (2000) found that firm knowledge-intensity was positively correlated to international sales growth, and several studies (Bell, 1995; Boter Holmquist, 1996; Coviello, 1994) have documented the tendency for firms in knowledge-intensive sectors to internationalize rapidly. According to cavusgil, born global companies which normally compete in niche markets are very flexible and move fast. They are successful due to: 1. Skill to satisfy customized or specialised product requests from customers. 2. Advances in communication technology and let their managers work across boundaries and their response time is shorter and are very flexible and adaptable. A proposition often made is that the home market has little importance for the born-global firm, to the point of conjecturing that a small local demand might drive the firms efforts to seek opportunities abroad. Bell et al. (2003: 341), for instance, argue: â€Å"This behavior is particularly prevalent among firms operating in small open economies and in emerging nations, where domestic demand may be limited. † For example, Denmark is a very small market and firms are left with no other option but go to different markets to increase their sales and hence as a result there are many Born Global firms in Denmark. Approximately 39% of the firms in Denmark are born global. Most of the firms are extremely active exporters with exports accounting for almost 70% of their sales. Previous international experience of founders and employees has also been proposed as playing a mediating role in early internationalization (Bengtsson, 2004). Such experience enhances the firms ability to learn and, consequently, to internationalize rapidly. Some authors argue that the new firms knowledge and accumulated experience amount, in the end, to the entrepreneurs own knowledge about other markets (Knight Cavusgil, 2004). Madsen and Servais (1997) posit that differences between traditional exporters and born-global firms can be attributed largely to differences in their founders backgrounds. The founders international experience may affect the extent to which psychic distance from strategic markets is perceived to be an obstacle to internationalization. It is plausible that entrepreneurs with international experience have a well-developed network of contacts that allows them to internationalize earlier (Contractor, Hsu, Kundu, 2005; Kundu Katz, 2003). In the past 2 years several scholarly studies have focused on the network dynamics of international new ventures (Coviello, 2006; Mathews Zander, 2007; Mudambi Zahra, 2007; Zhou, Wu, Luo, 2007). To summarize, it appears that many theoretical and empirical considerations support the existence of born-global firms. This notwithstanding, extant theoretical developments and empirical studies are far from proving that â€Å"gradual internationalization is dead† (Cavusgil, 1994). The born-global literature is still lacking a precise definition of what a born-global firm is, and some existing definitions are tautological. Moen (2002) asserts, for instance, that â€Å"although firms that follow this incremental development pattern may still exist, the normal pattern may be different in the new millennium. † His assertion is supported by the fact that between 30 and 40% of the exporting firms in his sample of Norwegian and French firms were exporting within 2 years of their creation. The fact that 60–70% of firms in the sample were not exporting within those 2 years seems to be absent from the discussion. It also appears that the born-global argument can be made empirically stronger by simply changing the time span to first export required for a firm to be considered born global and also what percentage of sales should exports account for. Inconsistency in definition criteria makes it difficult to compare the born-global phenomenon across different studies. Another important thing in deciding whether a firm is truly global is to consider the Psychic distance I. e. ; the difference in culture, language and trade agreements between the firms country and the country to which it exports. For example, in Costa Rica many firms established a very dynamic trade with nearby countries. These countries – regional neighbours such as Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras – are close to Costa Rica in terms of cultural traits and business practices. Few firms, however, exported upon birth to the more challenging strategic markets, such as the US and Europe, which have very different business and cultural practices. The majority of firms that were classified as â€Å"born global† firms, turned out to actually be â€Å"born regional. † This means that although they started exporting very early in their lives, and continued exporting a fairly large share of their sales, much of these exports were aimed at regional neighbouring countries. There was only one firm, whose current exports account for 81% of total sales, that started exporting, right from its inception, to the most strategic market: the United States. This firm can be said to be a true â€Å"born global† firm, because it started out with more than half of its customers in a foreign country located far in terms of psychic distance. The existence of born-global firms contradicts much evidence that has shown the predominantly regional focus of the international activities of multinational enterprises (Rugman Brain, 2003). In the absence of country-specific advantages, one should expect a strong firm-resource endowment in order for firms to expand abroad successfully (Rugman Verbeke, 2005). Finally, the born-global conjecture lacks empirical support from firms that start operating in small developing countries. Developing countries could prove a suitable litmus test for the born-global hypothesis. This is so because the internal markets of developing countries are small. Hence, according to these theories, firms must look to larger, foreign, markets in order to grow, and therefore firms that operate in small developing countries should have strong incentives to internationalize early. Gradual internationalization is a concept that is still very relevant depending on the industry of the firm and size of the market. If a firm is in a Industry where it takes time to learn and an Industry that requires huge investment and is based in very big market it will adopt the Gradual internationalization model.

Is Huck Finn Too Mature? Essay -- essays research papers

Is Huck Finn too Mature? Huck Finn knows more than a fourteen year old boy could possibly know. He has the maturity level of one in their twenties at least. Huck's knowledge and decisions in certain situations in the book exceed the intelligence in general fourteen year old boys. When Samuel Clemens wrote this book, he was well into his mature adult years. Huckleberry Finn represents the adventurous, free spirited life that we all would like to have led in our childhood years. Clemens wrote this book with the frame of mind of a fourteen year old. Huck Finn is Twain's dreams and childhood ambitions come to life. On Huck's adventure he encounters alot of different views of society. He experiences the restrictions of the company in which he surrounds himself. This knowledge that Huck get's first hand ultimately ends with Huck's mature decision to oppose the views of society and risks going to hell for his friendship with Jim. This is a very mature and noble decision for a boy of Huck's age to make. It is also noticeable that Huck is unlike other boys of his age with the introduction of Tom Sawyer. Tom is always thinking of amazing plans and activities. In contrast, Huck's ideas are sensible and well thought out. This fact shows that Twain made his own character superior in a way to the others, giving him a practical edge on situations. Huck is definitely superior to other boys of his age, but it may not be just his intelligence. Also, Huck has a tendency to confide in the wa...

My child’s IQ is bigger than yours Essay

In May 2002 an article titled ‘My child’s IQ is bigger than yours’, written by Carol Sarler, was published in the newspaper ‘The Observer’. The article expresses a harsh critique of the IQ measurement in general, especially the problems concerning measuring children’s IQ, and the newly snobbery behind this tendency. ‘The Observer’ is a major British newspaper, published on Sundays. As its sister newspaper ‘The Guardian’ it is known for its left-of-centre political stance. The newspaper’s readership is generally on the mainstream left of British political opinion, which is represented by the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats. The article is a reaction to the BBC television programme called ‘Test the Nation’, which appeared on television the night before the article was published. The author of the article, Carol Sarler’s, opinion on the idea of testing our IQ is unequivocally presented in the subtitle of the article: â€Å"The parents who see their bright offspring as status symbols really do need their heads examined.† She thinks that it is absolutely wrong to measure intelligence – especially children’s intelligence. Because of the article’s subjective point of view, it is a feature article. In this article Carol Sarler shares her opinion on the topic by using a sarcastic, and slightly sophisticated, language. The purpose is to make the reader laugh and at the same time get disgusted by the image she gives of parents being pathetic. Throughout the article Carol Sarler balances between the laughable and the serious aspect of the topic, she addresses in the article. While the title and subtitle of the article is rather humoristic, the article’s opening story about a highly intelligent young man, who committed suicide, is deeply tragic. In this connexion it is important to note that this article is written in extension of the author’s earlier article about this specifically intelligent young man, who committed suicide only two days after she published her interview with him. Carol Sarler obviously felt sorry for the young man and somewhat guilty about the suicide and therefore wishes to make her opinion on IQ-measuring clear. This story makes the reader interested in reading the full article, to find out how an IQ rating scale can cause so much damage. By using this kind of story, Carol Sarler uses the mode of  persuasion called pathos, as she appeals to the reader’s emotions. The article is, as mentioned, a response to the nationally broadcasted BCC programme ‘Test the Nation’. Carol Sarler compares the purpose of the national published programme with grotesque experiments in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the actual purpose between the two is not same, she nevertheless compares them, because she basically think it is wrong to measure intelligence in any way. The article shortly implicates one of the specialists involved in ‘Test the Nation’, Dr Colin Cooper, in the discussion. But Carol Sarler’s sarcastic language tears his defence of the ‘Test the Nation’ to pieces. At the same occasion she claims that IQ is becoming the new snobbery, a tendency she has lately observed in the United States. She hereby directs the reader’s attention towards her main focus in the debate about testing intelligence – parents testing their children’s intelligence. Her argument is that middle-class parents are en couraged to measure the intelligence of their children because it is becoming a social status symbol similar to a classy zip code. The article’s title clearly makes fun of the type of parents, she describes. The illustration, which is also a part of the article, really gives the reader a picture of what Carol Sarler thinks of the parents, who exposes their clever children as if they were something material. Her concern is that this new tendency harms the children, who are tested and labelled abnormally bright at a very young age. The children with high IQ’s are pressured with high expectations and pushed into private schools, which according to Carol Sarler is harmful for their social and personal abilities. As backing for her argumentation, Carol Sarler refers to the story about another young boy aged 14 with an incredibly high IQ, who according to her has very little success with his personal relationships because he is, frankly, odd. She ties this story together with the story about the young man, who committed suicide by using the same phrases, and suggesting that he too could end up with a lou sy job in a bingo hall. By using these two stories Carol Sarler also uses the mode of persuasion called ethos. She establishes an image of herself as being experienced and reliable by using experiences from her own personal and professional life   an author. Furthermore she implicates historic events and names, such as old experiments and Archimedes, to demonstrate her general knowledge and her knowledge in proportion to the topic. Her language is also sophisticated, and the vocabulary is slightly difficult, which also gains ethos as an author, since it makes her appear more intelligent and reliable. This is especially evident in the passage where she comments on the methods used in the BBC television programme ‘Test the Nation’: â€Å"The objections were two-fold, the lesser of them being a disbelief that intelligence actually can be measured: in spite of the programme makers’ hefty reference in advance publicity to the scientific validation of their methodology, their claim that the questions were nothing to do with general knowledge was simply untrue.† The language in the article contains many British idioms, e.g. â€Å"premier cheese† and â€Å"wheeled out†. The main function of this rhetorical feature is to gain both pathos and ethos as an author, and give this a humoristic twist by mixing it with typical British sarcastic humour. Carol Sarler uses the humoristic content in the article as a part of her rhetorical appeal. The purpose is to entertain the reader, make the article more readable, and demean her opponent’s opinions, as she does when she implicates Dr Colin Cooper in the debate. To sum up Carol Sarler uses a number of rhetorical features in order to support her argumentation, and thereby convince the reader that measuring and testing children’s IQ is not right, and that parents’ motive for measuring children’s IQ is pathetic and damaging to the children’s personal life and social abilities. In order to do this, Carol Sarler’s article is both effective and successful. In spite of this, the readers must be likely to ask the question: isn’t there anything positive about IQ-measuring? What about children, whose highly intelligent brain is not stimulated in school? Is it wrong to prescribe extra lessons for these children, who are bored in school? It is wrong to use your child’s IQ as a social status symbol, but it must be possible to make certain reservations when you raise a child with an exceptional high IQ, without harming the child’s personal life and social abilities.