Interpreter In Community Interpreting Essay

Interpreter In Community Interpreting Essay Role Of Interpreter In Community Interpreting Analysis Essay Role Of Interpreter In Community Interpreting Analysis Essay Interpreting has always been an integral part of social and business activities, but it was recognized as a particular science that called for specialized training of professionals in the middle of the 20th century. Since then, various kinds of interpreting have been a subject for researchers who made attempts to reveal all of its peculiarities and characteristics from various perspectives. However, community interpreting is a relatively new field of interpreting that may be deemed understudied as compared to conference interpreting. Moreover, the focus of researches in relation to these two different fields of interpreting is quite different. Studies of conference interpreting are aimed at revealing peculiarities and characteristics of the process of interpreting, as well as neurological, linguistic, and psychological features and qualities of interpreters and the best techniques and methods they employ. In turn, studies of community interpreting tend to focus on the role of interpr eter and various controversial issues related to community interpreting and interpreters’ roles in various settings. The overwhelming majority of researchers agree that community interpreting is a quite controversial field in terms of the public’s perception of the interpreter’s role. Thus, the current paper is aimed at analyzing the role of a community interpreter using different studies, as well as providing a definition of the concept of community interpreting and a brief overview of the community interpreter training with a view of better understanding the controversies related to the field. In general, community interpreters perform various roles depending on the setting and discourse, which necessitate different approaches to the process of interpretation and stakeholders involved, yet it is absolutely evident that their role should not and cannot be reduced to a mere verbatim translating machine. The paper consists of such sections as Introduction, Definition of Community Interpreting, Role of Community Interpreters and Debates Relating Thereto, Community Interpreter Training, Further Studies Relating to Community Interpreting and Its Role, and Conclusion. Definition of Community Interpreting Many controversies concerning the role of community interpreters arise from the fact that there are debates over the definition of the concept of community interpreting. Moreover, a great deal of ambiguity stems from varying levels of development and recognition of community interpreting throughout the world, thus proving the lack of unified approach to the field. Hence, countries and researchers in terms of their attitudes towards the concept â€Å"range from those that deny existence of the issue (an ever diminishing number), through countries that rely on ad hoc services, to generic language services, to fully comprehensive responses of training, service provision and accreditation† (Buendia 2010). In general, there are many definitions of the concept, but all of them are united by the fact that community interpreting is an extremely broad field â€Å"that enhances equal access to public and community services for individuals who do not speak the language of service† (Bancroft et al. 2013). As a rule, communicative interpreting is consecutive, but there are instances when it is simultaneous though the latter cases are rare (Pekanheimo, Kauhala, Ojala 2013). The definition given in the Canadian National Standard Guide for Community Interpreting Services seems to be the most objective and all-encompassing: Bidirectional interpreting that takes place in the course of communication among speakers of different languages. The context is the provision of public services such as healthcare or community services and in settings such as governmental agencies, community centers, legal settings, educational institutions, and social services. (Healthcare Interpretation Network 2007) Although the term ‘community interpreting’ is most commonly used when referring to the above contexts of interpretation, there are other terms that are sometimes used interchangeably with it and denote virtually the same thing. However, such ambiguity of terms creates additional complications for comprehension and identification of the role that the community interpreters play. Some of such terms include dialogue interpreting, liaison interpreting, court interpreting, medical interpreting, business interpreting, ad hoc interpreting, media interpreting, telephone interpreting, TV interpreting, and sign interpreting (Jiang 2007). The above listed notions are employed when there is a clear intention to emphasize some peculiar aspect of the interpretation process. For instance, dialogue interpreting implies that there is a dialogue between the participants, but fails to focus on the setting (Jiang 2007). Liaison interpreting emphasizes â€Å"the link or contact between diff erent groups of speakers who do not speak the same language† and is often interchanged with such terms as escort or delegate interpreting (Jiang 2007). Court interpreting, medical interpreting, business interpreting and similar kinds of interpreting draw attention to the institutional aspect and setting of the interpretation (Jiang 2007). Sometimes, the latter types of interpretation are singled out as different from the community interpreting due to a huge variety of studies focusing on different settings and availability of specific features peculiar to this or that institutional aspect. However, the majority of researchers support an idea that these interpretations are only peculiar types of the community interpreting. The term ‘ad hoc interpreting’ emphasizes spontaneity, but it is usually used to denote interpretation rendered by bilingual non-professionals who want to help in respective circumstances (Jiang 2007). Media, TV, and telephone interpreting focus on the medium employed in the process, while sign language interpretation implies the use of the sign language, i.e. interpretation between two different semiotic systems (Jiang 2007). Moreover, the definition of roles of community interpreters becomes even more complicated if to take into account that some kinds of interpretation may overlap, for instance, legal interpreting and community interpreting, in addition to complications caused by development and publication of quite different and even sometimes contrary codes of ethics for community interpreters. The following section of the paper is aimed at summarizing and analyzing the most wide-spread roles of community interpreters as defined by interpreters themselves, professional unions, and researchers. Role of Community Interpreters and Debates Relating Thereto The role of an interpreter in community interpreting continues to be a subject of debates. There are various views on this issue and these views vary depending on situational context, parties involved, and the country where the interpretation takes place. Thus, there are proponents of an idea that community interpreters should perform the role of â€Å"translating machines†, i.e. delivering verbatim interpretation of everything said by all parties involved without taking into account the cultural and other differences (Leanza 2005). Such a view is the most prevailing in the context of court interpreting when judges may demand an almost word-for-word translation. However, such approach remains highly debated and doubted among professional interpreters and researchers who point out the impossibility and invalidity of such interpreting performance due to the lack of consistency and inability to convey the original intended message in the language of translation in such case. Thus , the overwhelming majority of contemporary professional interpreters and researchers in this field tend to suggest that community interpreting â€Å"can facilitate intercultural communication, construct bridges between different symbolic universes and facilitate the process of migrant integration† (Leanza 2005). Various researchers have been engaged in determining the role of community interpreters over the years and some of their findings are presented below with a special focus on their universal applicability to community interpreting in general. European and American code of ethics for community interpreters seem to be quite different in terms of their emphasis on the interpreter’s role. The Finnish code of ethics for community interpreters complies with other European codes of this kind developed and published by professional unions. Thus, according to it, one of the main requirements for interpreters is to be â€Å"impartial, remain outsiders to the situation, and do not let their personal attitudes or opinions affect their work† (Pekanheimo, Kauhala, Ojala 2013). They are to take into account â€Å"the nature of the situation†, but should not care for any other tasks but interpretation itself (Pekanheimo, Kauhala, Ojala 2013). Besides, they â€Å"do not leave out anything or add anything irrelevant† (Pekanheimo, Kauhala, Ojala 2013). The code does not mention anything relating to cultural mediation and intends to ensure that interpreters remain a quite detached third party in any instance. In turn, the Canadian National Standard Guide for Community Interpreting Services emphasizes the significance of the interpreter possessing highly developed linguistic and interpretation competence, but it also provides the following role that community interpreters should adhere to: â€Å"The interpreter must be able to understand and convey cultural nuances without assuming the role of advocate or cultural broker† (Healthcare Interpretation Network 2007). There are virtually no other mentioning of cultural mediation role of interpreters, yet the guide encourages them to do anything they deem reasonable to ensure effective communication of the parties, which implies that interpreters are not prohibited from taking a more active role than an impartial verbatim translating machine. However, this point of cultural mediation and assumption of the role of advocates by some community interpreters is rather controversial as well. Many governmental agencies, especially the ones deali ng with asylum decisions, are reluctant to communicate openly with interpreters and provide them with relevant preparatory information as they consider them to be advocates of immigrants though as a rule this is not the case. Therefore, not only community interpreters, but also institutions they are working with require clear determination of the interpreter’s role in order to avoid confusion and prevent conflicts in the future. Many researchers suppose that community interpreting should not be entirely impartial and detached and offer their typologies of community interpreter’s roles. One of the studies distinguishes five possible roles that community interpreters can perform in the healthcare setting, including those of translator, cultural informant, culture broker or cultural mediator, advocate, and bilingual professional (Leanza 2005). The study points out that the role of a translator is least efficient in the healthcare setting as both sides of the communication often require interpreter’s assistance for understanding cultural differences and making quick decisions that would benefit all stakeholders. Roles of cultural informant and cultural mediator are most frequently needed to â€Å"help both parties arrive at a meaningful shared model† (Leanza 2005). The role of the advocate is intended for interpreters who prefer to be actively involved in rendition of social services and go beyond their interpreting functions as â€Å"in a value-conflict situation, the interpreter may choose to defend the patient against the institution† (Leanza 2005). The matter is that real-life situations do not allow interpreters to remain translators only; as their primary function is to ensure effective and productive communication despite any cultural differences that the parties may have, hence necessitating them to perform a role of a cultural mediator to a varying extent. Most recent studies have moved beyond the debate on whether interpreters play any role in community interpreting different from other types of interpretation in the debate on what this role should be in particular and what consequences it might have. Hence, the overwhelming majority of researches agree that it is up to the community interpreter to decide whether to â€Å"actively involve himself, or abstain from such involvement† (Jacobsen 2009). The practice also proves that interpreters assume more active roles than official norms and guidelines prescribe. Cecilia Wadensjo supposes that community interpreter’s role lies in being both a translator and coordinator (Jacobsen 2009). Interpreters adopt various roles concerning reception and production â€Å"as a reaction to the principal participants’ assumptions† about their proper role (Jacobsen 2009). Another study by Leanza defines four primary roles of community interpreters, including those of a system agent, community agent, integration agent, and linguistic agent with the latter being deemed least effective in most settings (Jacobsen 2009). A study by Hale considers the question of the interpreter’s role to be highly controversial because of the â€Å"lack of a strong, unified profession that could counteract the different role expectations of users of interpreting services† (Hale 2008). Despite this admission, Hale distinguishes five roles of community interpreters: â€Å"advocate for the minority language speaker†, â€Å"advocate for the institution or service provider†, gatekeeper, â€Å"facilitator of communication†, and â€Å"faithful renderer of others’ utterances† (Hale 2008). The choice of the role partially depends on the interpreter’s positioning and level of engagement and partially on the community’s e xpectations and requirements. In any case, an interpreter should carefully consider possible consequences of assuming this or that role in community interpreting so as to benefit the parties involved to the greatest extent possible without inflicting harm or unnecessary stress on oneself. Thus, the process of choosing and performing a particular role in community interpreting may be considered a search for the balance between personal interests and ethics of an interpreter and interests and expectations of the two parties involved in the interaction and requiring his/her assistance. Most researchers agree that community interpreters should not â€Å"act as mindless machines†, but they cannot agree on definite roles that such interpreters can and should assume (Jacobsen 2009). The most reasonable approach practiced by many successful US community interpreters is to assume different roles in different settings and with account to current circumstances. For instance, the healthcare setting often calls for cultural mediation and a higher level of interpreter’s engagement in the interaction process, while court interpreting remains among the most impartial and verbatim types of community interpreting. Moreover, interpreters should be able to assess potential consequences of their assuming different roles and whether these roles would be beneficial or detrimental for the communication process. Thus, as proved by a wide variety of approaches to the raised issue, even discussion and presentation of various roles interpreters may play in community interpret ing is a highly subjective and controversial process. Community Interpreter Training The question of interpreter’s roles in community interpreting is essential nowadays and should be given appropriate consideration in the process of training of future professional interpreters who want to work in the field. Therefore, future community interpreters should be educated on possible roles they may take and consequences of such decisions. So far, most training programs focus on technicalities of the interpretation process, as well as peculiarities of various settings where interpreters may work. However, it is essential to cover a range of roles allowable within these different settings. For instance, the Twin Cities Interpreter Project launched in Minnesota focuses on peculiarities of community interpreting in various institutional settings (Nicholson 1994). Other American community interpreting training programs and related institutions include the Bilingual Access Line, the Center for Interpretation and Translation, the University of Delaware Interpretation Progr am, and some programs implemented by governmental agencies (Nicholson 1994). A huge progress of these programs lies in the fact that they focus on ensuring smooth cooperation of interpreters and institutions’ representatives, hence providing at least a vague outline of a role community interpreters are going to perform when cooperating with these institutions. Further Studies Relating to Community Interpreting and its Role Community interpreting remains a relatively young field of translation studies that has been recently recognized as completely different in functions and underlying features from conference and other kinds of interpreting. Therefore, it has to be thoroughly studied in the future with special focus on controversial and debated issues, including the role of interpreters in community interpreting. Moreover, respective and appropriate codes of ethics should be developed for community interpreters as the existing ones resemble those intended for conference interpreters because of their emphasis on impartial and detached nature of interpretation. The above studies, as well as real-life experiences of community interpreters prove that it is not possible to follow the prescribed official guidelines as they do not comply with expectations of stakeholders and contextual needs of the interpretation. The main function of any interpreter is to convey the intended message by means of the language of translation, i.e. pragmatics is given preference over verbatim translation of lexemes. Furthermore, many institutional settings that require services of a community interpreter do not need merely an adequate translation of information, but rather cultural mediation and explanation of some cultural norms and behaviors that one or both parties find strange and incomprehensible. Globalization and intense migration have made community interpretation of high demand in various institutions and interpreter’s roles should be developed and explained to all stakeholders according to the current needs. Therefore, existing studies on community interpreting may be deemed insufficient in this respect and further researches on the role of community interpreters have to be carried out taking into account practical experiences and opinions of interpreters, communities, and institutions involved in the process. The present paper has provided a brief overview of the problematic and controversial issue of the role that interpreters play and should play in the process of community interpreting. Taking into consideration available literature and various viewpoints on the issue, it may be concluded that community interpreters cannot afford remaining mere translating machines that provide an utterly impartial and detached verbatim translation. On the contrary, they should be able to perform a variety of roles depending on the setting and circumstances. The most essential requirement for community interpreters is to possess cultural competence in both original language and the language of interpretation in order to be able to bridge the gap between the parties. Moreover, community interpreters often work with people who are not used to interpretation of any kind, hence being unaware of its specific features. Community interpreters should therefore be able to adequately assess and respond to the ne eds of the parties they are translating for with a view of ensuring effective communication. However, universal typology of interpreters’ possible and preferable roles with regards to community interpreting would significantly facilitate and improve their work all over the world as today this information is insufficient and in some cases prevents interpreters from performing their duties professionally.

The Music Industry Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Music Industry - Term Paper Example Before the internet had arrived, the distribution of music was done through a few standards. These included CDs in the 1980s and the 1990s and before that, tapes formed one of the important mediums for the transmission of music to the final listener. All these standards had one feature in common. These mediums were traceable, secure and physical. Music theft and infringement was not common. Proper proceeds were given to the recording company, and henceforth to the artist. However, the sprawl of the internet led to websites, which started offering free music, which was available for download for everyone (Burgelman, Year). In this regard, the music industry started losing quite a lot in revenues. Some worrisome statistics will properly paint a picture of the loss of the music industry, because of an increase in digital media. Since peer-to peer, networking sites have evolved, around 47 percent of the music sales in the United States have dropped. Moreover, internet users consume aroun d $7 billion to $20 billion of the music, which is completely pirated, and the proceeds do not reach the right owner of the music. Around 30 billion songs illegally downloaded on the internet, through different websites in a span of five years (RIAA, n.d). ... Lastly, it tries to explain solutions to this problem in this dynamic and globalized world, where information is shared in nano-seconds. Concerning the legal issues involved in the music industry, it is important to discuss the matter of copyrights initially. Copyrighting is a way of providing legal protection, given to different forms of art, especially musical compositions such as lyrics, records and songs. In the music industry, the issue of copyrighting includes protecting the music itself (which includes lyrics and a melody) and the recording (such as mp3s, CDs, cassettes, DAT and other form of recording). If the music is recorded on a tangible medium, the creator has copyright protection. It is more prudent to register with the Copyright office, to gain maximum protection (Lawyers for the Creative Art, n.d). In this regard, distribution of music on the internet, without obtaining the permission from the original owner becomes a copyright infringement. The United States Copyrigh t Act states that the protection of a musical recording applies to sound recording. The reproduction of a particular sound recording forms the exclusive right of the Copyright owner. Infringement occurs when another party reproduces the musical recordings, without the permission of Copyright owner. Much of the music on the internet is obtained and transmitted without this permission. Therefore, it becomes illegal. However, not all the websites on the internet transmit the music illegally. These websites include iTunes, Rhapsody, MusicNet, and Liquid Digital Media among others. When an individual downloads music off this website, he or she has to pay a certain amount to the website (Bass, n.d). The mp3 technology or the

Analysis of Ethnic Conflict in KOSOVO Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Analysis of Ethnic Conflict in KOSOVO - Essay Example Furthermore, the area needs proper management of these diverse societies so that such conflicts can be avoided since these altercations might escalate into a bloody civil war2. Such is the case of Kosovo, formerly a province of Serbia which have erupted into a bloody war towards the latter part of the 90’s. The carnage in the area was only halted by the intervention of NATO. Although this temporarily stopped the fighting and an independent state seems to be forming, the area remains in a precarious ceasefire as relative tensions remain between the Albanians and the Serbians wherein the secession resulted in the breakaway of an Albanian dominated Kosovo. This left the remaining Serbians in a quandary since they may be subjected to discrimination. The fear of possible persecution threatens to drive the Serbs away from Kosovo in effect dislocating them from their homes and towards a life of uncertainty3. Part 1 Kosovo Ethnic Conflict History has been teeming with ethnic conflicts and there have been numerous cases of violence that bordered on genocide. Through each of these conflicts, the diversity of culture as well as past excessiveness and offenses of one culture to another serve as fertile grounds for multi-ethnic conflicts to escalate into bloody wars. In Kosovo, the people of the neophyte state have been trying to lead a life of normalcy but as mentioned, considerable tension remains. After the breakaway, Kosovo was held by the majority Albanians that through the years have accumulated in the area. However, these people have experienced severe persecution when the autonomy of the then Serbian province has been revoked. There had been an apparent attempt to cleanse the area of Albanians when the ruling Serbs massacred numerous Albanians. This did not spare women, children and the elderly. Likewise, summary executions, kidnappings and arrests were rampant.4 The memories of these horrible events have been seared deep within the Albanians that now control Kosovo. As mentioned, there is a lingering anxiety within the remaining Serbs that have been relegated into the minority in the area. In a statement by Dr. Covic in front of the UN Security Council in New York over half a decade after NATO intervened and an uneasy ceasefire ensued, he advanced the concerns that the agreements have yet to be met by the Albanian authority. Dr. Covic lamented on the over 200,000 internally displaced Serbs and called on the council to act on these problems along with the need to implement court decisions in order to return properties to heir rightful Serbian owners. He likewise mentioned the seemingly disturbing solid line up of Albanians in the governing body of the area which may be detrimental to non-Albanians5. Hence, this essay will look into the situation of the now minority Serbs in Kosovo and the persisting multi-ethnic tensions between the two groups. Divisiveness and Scars of the Past The Albanians have constituted the majority of the populat ion in Kosovo long before the province split from Serbia in a bid to become independent. Previously, despite the lack of economic prosperity which was instrumental in driving most of the Serbs out of the area, the Albanians enjoyed a respectable degree of autonomy. This was shattered by the revocation of this autonomy paving the way for conflicts to arise. The human rights violations intensified and the massacres heightened to almost genocide

A Case Against Slavery & Uncle Tom’s Cabin Essay Example for Free

A Case Against Slavery Uncle Tom’s Cabin Essay HB Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin was a powerfully evocative condemnation of slavery, and was famous in its own time. While many held that Stowe herself knew nothing about slavery or southern life, having never seen southern plantation life, it had its intended effect regardless: to stir up anti-slavery sentiment in the north, and to a lesser extent, in the South. Chapter VII is called â€Å"A Mother’s Struggle,† and it brings together many of the themes that dominate this book. First, the centrality of motherhood and the invincible power of a mother that is soon to be separated from her only son leads the action of this work. Second, the dominance of the Protestant Christian faith, a faith that serves to both assist slaves in tolerating their condition as well as providing them the strength to escape is the engine of the action. Since God is on the side of those who oppose slavery, ultimately, their struggle will emerge victorious and hence, the strength to persevere is present. Hence, this chapter is a central part of the work as it synthesizes the main themes of the book in rather stark terms, since this chapter is really the first â€Å"action† chapter of the book, that is, it is the beginnings of Eliza’s escape from her bondage and traces her moves northward to the Ohio river. The first real issue that drives Eliza to escape is the fact that she and her son are possibly to be sold. The Shelby family that owns them seeks to sell several slaves to pay off debts, and Eliza, who is not poorly treated by her mistress, Mrs. See more:  First Poem for You Essay Shelby, will not be separated from her only son (1-2). Here, the institution of slavery is shown in its worst aspect: the breaking up of families in the interest of the financial solvency of their masters. It was debated how often this was actually done, but this first few pages show the slave owning Shelby family as more or less humane, but forced due to circumstances to part with slaves, slaves, like Tom himself, who has befriended the son of the Shelby family. But stronger than all was maternal love, wrought into a paroxysm of frenzy by the near approach of a fearful danger. Her boy was old enough to have walked by her side, and, in an indifferent case, she would only have led him by the hand; but now the bare thought of putting him out of her arms made her shudder, and she strained him to her bosom with a convulsive grasp, as she went rapidly forward (1). This passage is an important part of the introduction to this chapter in that it places maternal power at the center of the war against slavery. It is this fear mixed with love that will keep Eliza moving forward. â€Å"Sublime is the dominion of the mind over the body, that, for a time, can make flesh and nerve impregnable, and string the sinews like steel, so that the weak become so mighty. † It is love, ths power of mind, the love for her son that keeps her moving forward, rather to face death, freezing, or torture if caught rather than be apart from her boy (2). It seems that, as Eliza continues her trek forward, that her body has become completely subsumed under her mind, and her love. Hence, she refuses to eat what she has packed for the trip North, and instead only wants her son to eat (3). But along with the power of a mother’s love, is the power of the belief in God and his Scriptures: â€Å"An hour before sunset, she entered the village of T , by the Ohio river, weary and foot-sore, but still strong in heart. Her first glance was at the river, which lay, like Jordan, between her and the Canaan of liberty on the other side. † (4). This passage is telling, in that it provides Old Testament references to the move toward liberty. The move of slaves northward to freedom is likened to the move of Israelites, themselves slaves to the Egyptians, over the Jordan river to the Canaanite valley which God has chosen for his people. For the slave treated harshly and not given even basic freedoms, the move northward was considered the promised land, the land of freedom, regardless of the hardships of slavery: this is the indictment of the institution as a whole. Slaves wold risk everything to avoid the institution, even a more or less comfortable existence that Eliza enjoyed with the Shelby’s. In this chapter, the mood is that if God closes one door, He opens another. So with Eliza gets to the river, the barrier between herself and freedom, it has been largely iced over (5). Given this, the ferry will not run. However, she is briefly taken in by a family connected with the ferry house on her side of the river. The action quickly and awkwardly shifts back to the slave quarters at Mrs. Shelby’s, where the slaves are speaking about the upcoming sale. Speaking of the slave trader, Chloe says, â€Å"He desarves it! † said Aunt Chloe, grimly; â€Å"hes broke a many, many, many hearts, I tell ye all! † she said, stopping, with a fork uplifted in her hands; â€Å"its like what Masr George reads in Ravelations, souls a callin under the altar! and a callin on the Lord for vengeance on sich! and by and by the Lord hell hear em so he will! † (7). This is very important, since it is clear that the slaves hold that God is on their side, not the other way around. On the other hand, this point of view is made more ambagious by Uncle Tom’s statement that damming people to Hell is not a very nice thing to do, and that eternal punishment is not a fit crime for selling slaves, which after all, is not eternal (7). This creates a concept of equivocalness where two factions of the slave population have two different points of view: the first, that of Chloe, that slavers are evil and will be punished to Hell, and the more moderate view of Uncle Tom, that slavers are victims of circumstance, who themselves, did not invent this institution. But Aunt Chloe responds, though indirectly to Uncle Tom: â€Å"Dont natur herself kinder cry out on em? † said Aunt Chloe. â€Å"Dont dey tear der suckin baby right off his mothers breast, and sell him, and der little children as is crying and holding on by her clothes, dont dey pull em off and sells em? Dont dey tear wife and husband apart? † said Aunt Chloe, beginning to cry, â€Å"when its jest takin the very life on em? and all the while does they feel one bit, dont dey drink and smoke, and take it oncommon easy? Lor, if the devil dont get them, whats he good for? † And Aunt Chloe covered her face with her checked apron, and began to sob in good earnest. (8) Again, Stowe is making another attack on slavery here, using the splitting up of families as her center line of argument. Since she is dealing with a family that treats their slaves moderately well, she cannot really rely on the physical violence argument so common in anti-slavery polemics. Since motherhood is at the center of this work, it seems that the basic argument against slavery is that since slaves have no freedom, they cannot fight back when their families are taken apart. Hence, Stowe holds that the family, especially the mother, is the institution of society that maintains moral norms and hence, will be the institution that takes slavery apart. If anything, this is the primary case against slavery being made here. Moving back to the action on the Ohio river, Eliza has been spotted by the slave trader, the very focus of evil throughout this book. It must also be pointed out that the trader and his style of life are equally repugnant to the Shelby’s (10). But as far as Liza is concerned, when she is spotted, A thousand lives seemed to be concentrated in that one moment to Eliza. Her room opened by a side door to the river. She caught her child, and sprang down the steps towards it. The trader caught a full glimpse of her just as she was disappearing down the bank; and throwing himself from his horse, and calling loudly on Sam and Andy, he was after her like a hound after a deer. In that dizzy moment her feet to her scarce seemed to touch the ground, and a moment brought her to the waters edge. Right on behind they came; and, nerved with strength such as God gives only to the desperate, with one wild cry and flying leap, she vaulted sheer over the turbid current by the shore, on to the raft of ice beyond. It was a desperate leap impossible (14). This passage is worth extended comment. First of all, as God has closed the door of the ferry, he has opened another, more dangerous door, that of skipping over the ice cakes. This seems powerfully symbolic: the ice represents the cold hearts of the slave traders and even the good slave owners. Under intense pressure, the power of family–of motherhood–takes over, what seems impossible is not so, if God is on your side. Slavery, it seems, will be defeated by slave mothers trampling on the cold hearts of the slave owners through material love and devotion to get to freedom. On the other side, Eliza meets a friendly farmer, Mr. Symmes, who assists in her escape. Stowe remarks on page 10, â€Å"So spoke this poor, heathenish Kentuckian, who had not been instructed in his constitutional relations, and consequently was betrayed into acting in a sort of Christianized manner, which, if he had been better situated and more enlightened, he would not have been left to do. † Again, a powerful statement is being made here: since slave owners were normally of the â€Å"gentlemanly† class, that is, the civilized class, civilization is equated with the dominating of slaves. Since poor whites were not slave owners (and treated only little better than the blacks) and were not part of their civilization, they had not â€Å"learned† about the inferiority of blacks and the racial and class hierarchy of the South. Therefore, their lack of civilization is a good thing, since simple common sense seems to dominate over â€Å"civilized manners. † Hence, the hero of the story (or at least of the chapter) is this simple farmer from Kentucky who does not represent civilization, but simple agrarian manners and common sense morality. Hence, in conclusion, Stowe is making several points here. First, that the real evil of slavery is the destruction of the family. If the family is the center of social life in that it is the bearer of tradition and moral values, then its destruction must lead to the beastialization of society. This might explain the evil of the slave traders, since they seem to specialize in breaking up families, and hence, are the very symbol of this beastialization. Second, a mother’s love, coupled with God’s force, will lead the southern slaves to freedom. Third, that freedom must be earned, and this is applicable to slaves and slave owners, both of which have not known freedom. Slave owners are as debased by slavery as the slave, since he is dependent upon them and hence, not free. Lastly, that nothing is impossible with God, and with a love of freedom. This is the case against slavery, in that it crushes all of these impulses, impulses that God as implanted in the human spirit and hence, are part of His creation, now enslaved by others. All quotes above are from the Virginia University edition of Uncle Toms Cabin, Published by the University of Virginia E-Text Center of the University of Virginia Library System. (http://etext. lib. virginia. edu/etcbin/toccer-new2? id=StoCabi. sgmimages=images/modengdata=/texts/english/modeng/parsedtag=publicpart=7division=div1)

Abortion: A Growing Concern Essays -- essays research papers

Abortion The issue of abortion causes discussions about human interactions where ethics, emotions and law come together. There are many reasons why women decide to have abortions. Whatever the reasons a woman decides to have an abortion, it seems only justified that she should be able to make decisions in regards to her life and body. The decisions that she makes will be beneficial to both the woman and the foetus because it will prevent many problems from occurring in the future. If a woman were to have an unwanted baby, she may neglect or even abuse the child causing the child to go into the care of the government. The government has no valid reason in bringing an unwanted life into the world. Bringing an unwanted child into the world is not helpful to the parents, the child and the government, because if the parents cannot take care of the child, eventually, the government will be responsible for the child. The right to have an abortion is personal and essential to a woman’s life, because having a baby in one’s life causes dramatic changes. Pregnancy and childbirth can prevent women from keeping and getting jobs. When women are pregnant many employers do not want to hire them because when the woman has a baby, the company or employer must still pay her for the time that she is out of work by law. Also, raising a baby and providing for all the needs that a child has is a lot of money, which can create an insufficient income for many women. Another factor that imposes on ...

Abortion Should Not Be Banned

Abortion is a widely debated topic that has been conflicting politicians and women around the world. Abaluck’s article, â€Å"Late-Term Abortion Should Not Be Banned† did not provide half as many sources or facts as Boland’s article, â€Å"Second Trimester Abortion Laws Globally. † Boland provided more statistics and alternant resources for the reader. It can look impressive if an author throws in an extensive reference list, but if he does not persuade you in an argument, all he has done is give you a history lesson. This is a perfect example of what Boland did in his essay. Of the two articles I researched, Abaluck’s article was more argumentative and forced me to question my own morals and view-points on abortion. Abaluck stated his opinion immediately by having his argument presented in his title. I loved this about his article because when I am reading something, it is hard for me to follow only numbers. I do not want a math lesson; I want my brain and beliefs to be challenged. I believe Abaluck’s article provides the necessary evidentiary support to persuade the audience to have mutual feelings about his stance on late-term abortion. There are two completely different vibes given off in each article. Abaluck’s article, â€Å"Late-Term Abortion Should Not Be Banned† was definitely my favorite because he gave an actual argument. With all of the facts he provided, he seems to know a significant amount of information about abortion and acts so passionate about it. However, Boland’s piece is the polar opposite of an argumentative article. This is one of the most informative pieces I have ever read and I feel much more aware of how other countries view abortion. I know this is the effect Boland was going for, and the article succeeded its purpose. Boland’s article was just straight facts and kind of boring. Although I was given more information in Boland’s article, I was not persuaded either way on the argument. The credibility of each author is high, but when it comes down to who I would want on my side in an argument, it would be Abaluck. Both authors work for Harvard in different areas. Jason Abaluck is the president of the Harvard Liberal Monthly Magazine and Reed Boland is a research associate at the Harvard School of Public Health. This spikes heir credibility through the roof and gives me no doubt that they know what they are talking about when it comes to research. Since Abaluck writes for a liberal magazine, I am sure his argument is a little biased considering his political views, but unlike Boland, he actually has an opinion. I am more apt to be pulled towards something with a little bit of passion and heart. Part of human nature is forming an opinion by listening to, reading, or watching someone else’s opinion and deciding if you agree or disagree depending on your moral beliefs. I believe late-term abortion should not be banned. A woman’s health should always be taken into consideration especially when there are expected complications. During a second trimester check up, you are likely to be able to see any abnormalities developing in your child. This is the time where it is not only crucial to be able to ensure your baby’s life is developing correctly, but also that the woman is remaining healthy. Most late-term abortions are not done just because a woman changes her mind about having a child. These abortions should not be banned because a lot of times, it is crucial to the woman’s life to have this done. Not only does this affect her physical well-being, it also affects her mentally. For the rest of any woman’s life, she will remember and think about the baby she â€Å"almost† had and she will likely require therapy. Yes, there is always the chance a woman is not having an abortion for all the right reasons, but the attachment that forms between a mother and child cannot be torn so easily. If late-term abortion were to be made illegal, a woman would have no choice but to have a child and risk her own life due to the known abnormalities of her child. The claim in Boland’s article is strictly informative. His article not only provides multiple, if not too many, statistics but also gives a table showing every country’s abortion laws. Maybe his intended audience was for people who were visiting the United States and wanted to see how their country lined up next to others. Most likely, he was writing this article just to inform whoever wanted to know about all the abortion laws worldwide. Regardless of who his audience is, he provides no information on what his personal view of abortion is. This fact made it hard for me to assess which article is better all around. I decided against Boland’s article because with all of the numbers and statistics, it was hard for me to follow along. If Boland had provided a little of his own opinion to spice things up, I would have gladly and openly considered his stance. The claim in Abaluck’s article was argumentative in that he gave his opinion and allowed no room for the other option. I liked that Abaluck’s article was argumentative rather than being strictly factual because he states his opinion, but was not pushy about it. Granted he does not acknowledge the other stand-point, he does not really make it seem like you should believe his argument. It is hard for an author to persuade their point without seemingly throwing it in your face, and I believe Abaluck demonstrated this perfectly. I was definitely persuaded by his article and took all of his ideas into consideration and even adjusted my view on the idea of late-term abortion. When beginning this assignment of researching my selected topic, I was completely against all types of abortion. Now, I realize there are a couple of reasons to reconsider this because you must always take the woman’s health into consideration. By including three personal stories in his article, I was forced to put myself in another person’s shoes and asked myself, â€Å"What would I do if this were me? † During the last few months of pregnancy, if the baby shows many signs of abnormalities or is going to threaten the life of the mother, late-term abortion should definitely be considered. If the unborn child stands little to no chance of survival, is it worth putting the woman’s life at risk? If Abaluck were to read Boland’s article, I believe it would only reinforce his viewpoint by giving him more reason to pull for not banning abortion. Since Boland does not provide an argument, it is easy to state that there is no disagreement shown when comparing the articles. If I were to sit down with both authors, I would first ask both of them to state their opinions and hopefully allow them to hash it out. It would not be difficult for me to assume that it would be an interesting debate knowing both writers know so much about the topic. Not knowing Boland’s stance makes it hard to assume that the two authors would argue, however I would love to assume there are at least a few differences in their beliefs. With Abaluck being a liberal, I am sure they would disagree on something. Or else, I hope they would because that would make sitting down with both of them way more entertaining. â€Å"When asked whether abortion should be legal, 80 percent of Americans say yes. When asked the same question about so-called ‘partial-birth’ abortion, 20 percent said yes. (Abaluck, 2007) Seeing this statistic, it is proven that terminology is crucial when presenting an argument. This proves that regardless of your argument, it would be easy to persuade an audience using harsh language like â€Å"partial-birth†. Even when I read an article against abortion, they used harsh terms like this and it made me resent people who would even consider having an abortion. However, once I learned the facts, I became aware that the language you use in an article is crucial to how you may persuade your audience. Abaluck brings this quote to your attention in the first paragraph of his article and clarifies the difference between real and harsh accusations against late-term abortion. By clarifying how to identify faulty terminology, Abaluck brings it to your attention that it is easy to sway people in your favor. I would undoubtedly say that Abaluck’s article was way better in not only getting a specific point across, but also persuading me and challenging my beliefs and morals. Being informed and having an opinion always go hand in hand and Abaluck’s article depicts this fact perfectly. On the other hand, Boland’s article was informative but very boring. To keep my attention, it is important to incorporate your opinion in order to challenge my beliefs. Although I was educated thoroughly on the topic of late-term abortion, I was not able to form an accurate argument after reading Boland’s article. He did not attempt to persuade me in either direction on the topic, so it was easy for me to determine the better of the articles.

Biology Of The Crispr Cas9 System - 866 Words

BIOLOGY OF THE CRISPR-CAS9 SYSTEM Functionality of the CRISPR system The endonuclease Cas9 is the core multifunctional protein of the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Two nuclease domains: HNH (39) and RuvC-like (40), within the Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9) protein conduct the function of cleaving DNA strands. Studies have confirmed that the tracrRNA: crRNA duplex structure will lead to the sequence-specific DNA cleavage (41). PAM short sequence facilitates crRNA to recognize the targeted DNA sequence (42). Cas9 protein cuts the specific DNA strand that is complementary to the 20bp crRNA sequence via HNH domain; on the other hand, the SpCas9 RuvC-like domain cleaves the opposite targeted DNA strand (42) (Fig. 4). Mutating either of these two nucleases domains of SpCas9 will introduce a single-stranded DNA nick, while mutating both HNH and RuvC-like domains will transform SpCas9 into a RNA-guided DNA binding protein (42). X-ray crystallography and has confirm that endonuclease Cas9 undergoes a series of conformational rearrangements when it binds to the gu ide RNA and target DNA (55). With the development of the CRISPR-Cas9 technology, the duplex structure tracrRNA: crRNA has been engineered as one sgRNA retaining both tracrRNA and crRNA’s features. 20 nucleotides at the 5’ side of sgRNA will act as crRNA: recognizing and guiding SpCas9 protein to the targeted DNA sequences through Watson-Crick base pairing; whereas RNA forms a double-stranded structure at the 3’ end of sgRNAShow MoreRelatedDna Editing System For A Type II Crispr System Mechanism1295 Words   |  6 PagesCRISPR/Cas9 DNA editing system is a prokaryotic immune system that becomes resistant to foreign genetics such as plasmids. CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly-Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, which are prokaryotic DNA strands that have a short repetition base sequence. 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