Poverty: Individuals And The Wider Community

Poverty: Individuals And The Wider Community This essay will discuss what is meant by the term Poverty, how it affects individuals and the wider community as well explaining why it is important for Social Workers to have a clear understanding of these issues. By looking at the organisations in place in the UK, in areas such as education and health and social care establishments; this essay will demonstrate how the structures of these organisations both help and hinder Social Workers in their role and how it affects the workings of daily practice. The UK has the oldest and biggest National Health Services in the world, so this essay will also go on to compare the provision in this country with that in the USA. As a first world country, the USA has an economy and culture not vastly different from that in the UK, which makes for some interesting comparisons of the care they both provide. Both the UK and the USA spend the same proportion of their annual budget on social services and education and have a similar rate of poverty. Poverty is a common term which many people would define as simply being a lack of financial resources. This is a very constricted view which makes it difficult to determine how many people live in poverty because the definition is vague and subjective. To understand and measure poverty and its impact upon individuals and the community, it is important to define it further. Instead of one main definition for poverty, sociologists have agreed there are two main types; absolute and relative poverty, as described by Giddens (2009). Absolute poverty is used to describe the inability to provide the basic human needs; food, accommodation and clothing, on a budget of around $1 US dollar per day. The idea of absolute poverty is a global one which can be applied regardless of country or culture and applies equally to people of similar ages and abilities. According to a recent study by UNDP (2010), as many as a third of the worlds population live in absolute poverty. Due to the modern welfare state and benefit system in place in the UK today, no one is expected to survive on $1 per day. However, figures provided by The Poverty Site (2010) show that approximately 9% of the population in the UK have an income which equates to only 40% of the national median income. This has risen almost 7% in just over 20 years and suggests that poverty is on the increase in the UK. These statistics would also suggest that people living in the UK are affected by relative poverty as opposed to absolute poverty. Relative poverty compares the income of individuals to the national or local average, and where it falls below 40-60% of that average, the individual is said to be living in relative poverty. There is still some debate about where the percentage rate should fall but many agree it should be 60% of the national median income (Giddens, 2010). This is referred to as the poverty line; those below this line live in relative poverty. Certain groups of people are more likely to find themselves living in poverty, these include; children, women (particularly single mothers), people with disabilities, ethnic minorities and the elderly. Cunningham Cunningham (2009), Giddens, (2010) and Llewellyn, et al (2008) all agree the reason these groups are more likely to suffer from poverty than other groups is a direct result of social exclusion. Social exclusion is a term which grew in popularity in 1997 when New Labour was re-elected into government. Part of the pre-election campaign of New Labour was to tackle the root causes of the issues affecting those who were marginalised by main stream society (The Poverty Site, 2010). People, who for reasons including; age, race, gender and class are often denied access to service and opportunities making it easier to exclude them from society. This was evident when the BBC undertook a survey, and found that when considering job candidates, whose qualifications and experience were almost identical; those with a name traditionally given to people from non-white backgrounds were far less likely to be called to interview, proving that racism is still present in the workplace, (Cunningham Cunningham 2009). To tackle some of the inequalities present in mainstream society, New Labour introduced a number of initiatives and policy changes to improve the standard of life, these included; The introduction of Tax Credits for families and individuals on low incomes, Every Child Matters a 5 point framework to improve the quality of life for all children, Connections an easily accessible advice point on a range of topics for young adults ages 13 19yrs, SureStart aimed at giving babies and young infants the best start in life by providing advice, drop in centres and child care for their parents. People who face social exclusion often live in the same locality; council house estates for example, which tend to have a higher proportion of single parents and high rates of unemployment. These groups of people are frequently given negative labels, which over time can become self-fulfilling. For example, a young child growing up in a single parent family on an council estate as indicated above is more likely to be viewed negatively and given such labels as; trouble, lazy, good for nothing, which over time can have a detrimental effects upon the child who will begin to view themselves as the labels placed upon them (Llewellyn et al, 2008). This negativity can lead to an increase in truancy, which in turn will lead to a poor education and employment prospects, thus setting up a life in poverty (Mail Online, 2007). According to Bebbington and Miles (1989), children from an impoverished background are 700 times more likely to be involved with social services than children from a wealthy background. This statistic alone shows how vital it is for social workers to have a strong understanding of the impact and experiences living in poverty can have. It is argued by Cunningham and Cunningham (2009) that many professionals in the social work field feel overwhelmed by the structural inequalities faced when tackling poverty, this tends to mean that poverty is dealt with on an individual case basis. Changes in policy, both at national and at local level can have an impact on poverty by the way services are implemented and delivered. As social workers are present at both the point of service and within the organisations where policies are made, it puts them in a prime position to affect change. Understanding and recognising the factors that cause and keep poverty part of modern society will allow a social worker to understand how they can interrupt the poverty cycle encouraging positive change. Placing some of the responsibility for poverty on society and within the structural inequalities that exist, can sometimes be viewed as taking responsibility away from the individual and the choices they have made, making them less accountable. A social worker should always maintain a positive and optimistic outlook and believe that despite the inequalities that exist, change is still possible regardless of the situation. It is important to understand how the education system and health and social care organisations are set up in the UK to recognise how this can impact the access to care. Responsibility for education in the UK has become a devolved matter for each individual country and overseen by their own government. The Department of Education and The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills predominately oversee the education system in England, with involvement from Local Authorities. Since 2005/2006, Local Authorities are given a grant which is ring fenced for the purpose of education and with consultation from all schools under the Local Authorities control, the finance is distributed, (Department for Education, 2010). There are approximately 20,000 public schools in the UK; a growing number of these are faith schools, almost 7000 at present. In addition to these state schools, there are a growing number of independent schools, almost 2600; responsible for the education of 7% of the population, (Independent Schools Council, 2010). There schools are funded primarily through tuition fees and in some faith schools, donations from the associated church. A large proportion of these schools are faith schools who do not take children outside the designated faith of the school within their catchment area. Historically, health and social care has been provided by the private and voluntary sector. Until the introduction of the Poor Law Act 1930, the majority of care for those in need was provided by charities and the work houses. People who lived in poverty had to rely on hand-outs, if they were deemed worthy of charity, or would have to pay at the point of service. Often it was those most in need of the service that were unable to pay forcing them to go without. The Poor Law Act 1930 moved the responsibility of care from these sectors to the Local Authorities, who began to take over the work houses and Poor Law hospitals (Spicker, 2010). The National Health Service was established in 1948 with the ideology that everyone should be entitled to the same level of health and social services which were free at the point of service. Todays modern National Health Service is overseen by the Department of Health. The country is split into 10 Strategic Health Authorities who control the care provided by the trusts in its area. Care is split into two main areas, Primary and Secondary care. Primary care services include; GPs, Opticians, Dentists and NHS Direct. Secondary care is acute health care and normally only accessed in emergency or extreme situations and includes; The Ambulance Trust, Emergency and Urgent Care Units, Mental Health, Care and NHS Trusts. (NHS, 2010). The National Assistance Act 1948 called for Local Authorities to set up Health and Welfare comities, providing the first form of residential care. In 1970, The Local Authority and Social Services Act of the same year created the first Social Services departments including; childrens, welfare and mental health. (The National Archives, 2010). The National Health Service remained largely unchanged until 1990 when the first major reforms took place. With the general population living longer, the cost of providing care was increasing and becoming unviable. The organisation of the National Health Service had also become unproductive and unyielding to those it was meant to help. Bureaucracy and red tape became the norm when trying to access any services or treatment. The National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 was the first step in the reforms to the health and social services departments. The introduction of the Purchaser/Provider split meant for the first time since the establishment of the National Health Service, government departments were no longer responsible for the provision of all services (Kirkpatrick et al, 1999). The reason for this was threefold; firstly, to lessen the financial responsibility of care provision, secondly, removal of public provision would allow the private and voluntary sectors to grow and expand, making the care market more competitive, and thirdly, to increase choice for service users. This act was also the start for a number of large care homes and institutions being closed and the care provided in the community. The principles behind these changes were well intentioned; allowing people to be cared for within the community promoting independence and control over personal care. However, in reality what was offered were standard care packages and limited resources which did not deliver the true freedom of choice that was promised, (Llewellyn et al, 2008). To supplement the care provided for under the new system, many people have turned to charities to help fill the gap left by the lack of financial assistance. Providing people with the finances to pay for their own care, rather than provide the care itself, has meant people are able to choose how and by whom the care is provided. Many people have chosen to pay friends and relatives for the provision of care rather than rely on agencies and strangers. For Social Workers, this gives an opportunity to think outside the box when producing care plans with individuals. In communities, people are now able to form groups and committees to address and tackle problems and difficulties to provide a tailor made solution. This not only gives people control over their own care but also encourages the community to take action and to help itself. Although the UK has the biggest National Health Service in the world (NHS, 2010), the change in direct care provision and growing reliance on the private and voluntary sectors is more in line with the health and social care services in the United States of America (USA). The USA has a minimalist National Health Service which provides the most basic of health care; caring for those on very low incomes and or in emergencies. Many people living in poverty will be eligible for Medicaid which is a healthcare programme paying for the whole cost of care, but poverty alone is not an automatic eligibility criteria. Many older people, 65yrs and over, are reliant on the Medicare system, which only covers 80% of the cost of care, the remaining 20% must be funded by other means. Anyone who is outside the eligibility for these benefits must pay for private health care insurance, unless it is provided for through employment, (US Department of Health Human Services, 2010). Another benefit provided by the USA government is food stamps; however this is being phased out and replaced by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, which is a short term benefit aimed at getting families back on their feet, (US Department of Health Human Services, 2010). The health and social care system in the USA is structured much the same as the UK, in that the government provides each state (Local Authority) with a budget to spend on care. In addition to this, states in the USA are allowed to set its own tax rates on things such as Income Tax, Sales Tax and House Tax. The proportion of money put back into care differs between states, some providing a higher level of benefits than others. The USA has a much higher dependency than the UK on voluntary organisations, namely the church; who provide care and financial assistance to those in their communities. Comparing the UK and the USA, there seems to be a different attitude towards the provision of care. The UK system is geared up to help prevent poverty and social exclusion, whereas the USA system is designed to help people get out of poverty but placed a bigger reliance on the individual helping themselves. Both systems are becoming more reliant on the community, voluntary organisations and the private sector for the provision of care; lessening the financial burden on the state in the face of an ever aging population. Both countries seem to be unified in the attitude that people should help themselves out of poverty. Although the role of the Social Worker will always be required, there is a strong shift in the role from the provision of direct care to one of care co-ordination. To provide the best possible level of care for both individuals and the community, Social Workers must maintain a high level of knowledge of both statutory and non-statutory providers of care and how best to access them. This essay has demonstrated that poverty is a global problem which is maintained by the way society works by socially excluding people and keeping them impoverished. It has also shown how two similar countries differ in their approach to care; the UK government provides the majority of care with assistance from charities and the private sector, whereas the USA government provides only the most basic forms of assistance which a strong reliance on the church, charities and the public sector. Both countries are in agreement that with an increasing older population, each government needs to do more to lessen their contribution to the provision of care. During this time of change, Social Workers will need to find a way of providing the best possible care for those in their charge.

Literary Techniques in “The Things They Carried”

A literary technique is a device employed in literature to add depth to a writer’s work. These techniques can be obvious, such as the technique of rhyme in a poem, or subtle, such as juxtaposition, which can go unnoticed by the reader. In The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien uses many such techniques to provide more depth to his book. Four literary techniques used by Tim O’Brien are symbolism, pathetic fallacy, irony, and juxtaposition. One literary technique prominent in The Things They Carried, particularly in the story by the same name, is symbolism. Throughout this story, O’Brien mentions all the things that the soldiers carry with them, both physical and emotional. However, the physical items that the men carried is more than just equipment- they are symbols that represent various facets of each soldier’s personality. For example, â€Å"Rat Kiley carried†¦ morphine and plasma and malaria tablets and surgical tape†¦ and all the things a medic must carry, including M&M’s for especially bad wounds† (O’Brien 5). The fact that Kiley carried medical necessities shows that he is a good paramedic devoted to doing his job well, but the M&M’s represent something different- Kiley’s optimistic and kind outlook on the war and life in general. Conversely, the tranquilizers carried by Ted Lavender represent his terror of the fighting in the war and his inability to face reality, rather choosing to escape from it by taking drugs. This is an effective technique because, by using these symbols, O’Brien can let the reader figure out for him/herself deeper aspects of certain characters’ personalities without actually stating them outright. Another literary device Tim O’Brien employs is pathetic fallacy, or nature mirroring humans’ emotions. In the story Speaking of Courage, Norman Bowker attempts to save Kiowa’s life but fails. He becomes depressed and remorseful about what he should have been able to accomplish. For a long time afterward, Bowker struggles with the fact that he was â€Å"braver than he ever thought possible, but†¦ not so brave as he wanted to be† (153); he is overcome with sadness and guilt. This is reflected in the weather at the time of Kiowa’s death. The soldiers were camping out in a field along the Song Tra Bong, and â€Å"the rain kept getting worse. And by midnight the field turned into soup† (145). The rain emulates the emotions of the weary and despondent soldiers. Pathetic fallacy is a very useful technique because it helps to provide the tone for the story. If the story was a sad one but the weather was bright and sunny, the tone of the story would be wrong, and vice versa. In Speaking of Courage, the fact that it was raining during the main event of the story helps the reader gain and understanding of just how bleak and dismal the events that occurred were. Irony, or a discrepancy between expectation and reality, is another literary technique used by Tim O’Brien in The Things They Carried. Many of the titles of the stories contain irony themselves. For example, Speaking of Courage is more centred on the themes of failure and the inability to be courageous than it is about courage. The story Love is not, as it would seem, about mutual love, but rather unrequited love. Field Trip, an expression with a usually very positive connotation, is a story about a visit to a battleground where many lives had been lost. The Story How to Tell a True War Story also contains much irony within it. The main point of this story is that a true war story cannot be told because the simple act of telling it makes it untrue. The title of this story is ironic- O’Brien makes the reader think that he wants to instruct them how to tell a true war story, but the reader soon finds out O’Brien’s real intention- that telling a true war story is impossible. Another ironic idea within this story is the idea that war can be beautiful. You hate it, yes, but your eyes do not. Like a forest fire, like cancer under a microscope, any battle†¦ has†¦ a powerful, implacable beauty† (81). This catches the reader off-guard because of how greatly it contrasts with the view of war we have been previously given. He continues to say that, â€Å"a true war story will tell the truth about this, though the truth is ugly† (81). This is very ironic because although the actual event may be beautif ul, if a true story is told about it, the story is ugly. This adds to O’Brien’s point that telling a story, even a true one, can only take away from the truth of the event. Using irony, O’Brien can present his message in a creative an interesting way, and this helps the readers understand his point better. Another technique used by Tim O’Brien is juxtaposition. The story The Lives of the Dead seems to be a bit of a non-sequitur to the rest of the book, however, O’Brien has put it where it is for a reason. The point of The Things They Carried is not simply to tell stories about the Vietnam War- the lesson goes deeper than that. It comes to teach that war is about more than just fighting- it is about the connection between life and death. It is about learning to detach oneself from death. It is about the sacredness and fragility of life. It is about so many things that many people never have to experience. But the Vietnam War is not O’Brien’s first time coming into contact with these kinds of issues. As a child, he had a beloved friend named Linda who died of cancer. Linda’s death was a major part of his growing up process. As a child, he already had to learn to distance himself from her death, saying, â€Å"It didn’t seem real†¦ the girl lying in the white casket wasn’t Linda† (241). And although he did not realize it at the time, her death helped him to deal with all the deaths he encountered in the war. For example, when Curt Lemon dies, O’Brien refuses to see his body as a friend who died. Instead he says, â€Å"his body was not really a body, but rather one small bit of waste in the midst of a much wider wastage† (238). The lessons that O’Brien learned as a child are very relevant and linked to his experiences in the Vietnam War, which is why he chooses to include The Lives of the Dead. But this is not the only message that O’Brien wants us to take out of the inclusion The Lives of the Dead in The Things They Carried- he wants to convey that even though something that happens in one’s life may seem horrible and meaningless, it may become of use to him or her later in life, and it may help him or her to get through an otherwise unmanageable time. O’Brien wants his reader to know that everything in life comes for a purpose. Throughout The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien makes use of many different literary techniques. In the story The Things They Carried, O’Brien uses symbolism. In Speaking of Courage, the literary technique is pathetic fallacy. Irony is used in How to Tell a True War Story, among others, and juxtaposition is used in the story The Lives of the Dead. It can be seen that literary techniques have a simple but powerful effect in The Things They Carried.

I Am Sam

Mikaela McMorine October 21st, 2012 Analyzing an Interview Movie: I Am Sam (directed by Jessie Nelson) The individuals involved in the interview are a man diagnosed with Autism (subject S) and a female lawyer (subject R). They are connected through a professional-helping relationship. The incidents leading up to the interview are with regards to a custody battle concerning subject S and his seven year old daughter. His doctors have declared that the intellectual capacity of subject S does not exceed the age of seven.The issue arises when Child Protective Services deem subject S unfit and incapable of raising his daughter due to the fact that he is unable to hold down a steady job and that his daughter will eventually surpass his brain capacity in age. Subject S makes the conscious decision of hiring a lawyer to plead his case. The lawyer in question, or subject R, chooses to provide services to subject S free of charge. During the custody battle, subject S is granted the opportunity to have short, supervised visits with his daughter.Shortly before the occurring of the interview, subject S and his daughter meet, followed by his daughter proposing to go to the park. She lies and tells him that the social worker gave her permission to go with him due to the fact that she did not spend enough time with him and she was crying. Once on their way, she explains to her father that the only possible way for them to be together was to run away. Subject S, makes the concrete decision to find his way to the police station and return his daughter to the social worker.This scene is followed by a court hearing where they call upon subject S’s neighbor as a witness. Earlier on at the start of the movie we see that this neighbor aids subject S in taking proper care of his daughter. Subject S has been promoted in his job from cleaning the restaurant to making the drinks. On the first day of his new position, the restaurant is very busy and subject S begins working too fast , causing him to make a mess and send away some customers. He then attends his court hearing, covered in coffee and still dressed in his work clothes, where he is asked multiple uestions about his ability to care for his daughter. Nearing the end of the hearing, subject S is faced with questions that result in him crying and agreeing with the fact that he is unable to take care of his daughter. After this hearing, he gets to see his daughter for a matter of seconds before she is literally ripped from his very arms. Later, subject S is seen observing his daughter outside of her foster home from a distance with flowers and a card in hand. Then, the foster mom joins the daughter where she explains that her father is supposed to come visit for her birthday that day.Upon seeing the arrival of the foster mom, subject S decides to leave without getting a chance to see his daughter. The young girl waits for her father and hugs her teddy bear with tears in her eyes when he does not show up. After this, subject S is seen in his room banging his head on a miniature piano with the blinds closed. Subsequently, the subject begins making origami figures which he then stacks up to create a wall. Subject R comes to his house and begins to yell at him through the locked door. She explains that she left work early to meet him at his first evaluation only to find out that he did not show.After shouting for a few minutes, she threatens to leave but turns around and kicks down the door. This is the exact moment leading up to the interview. After discussing about the incident the occurred at subject S’s job, he states that he believes his daughter no longer needs him because she has a new family now. Subject R expresses that she disagrees with this notion and that he should never give up trying. The goal of the interview that follows is for subject R to encourage subject S to keep fighting for the custody of his daughter.Sam is the main character in the movie. He is approxima tely 30 years old and has a developmental disability. He has the mental capacity of a seven year old, the same age as his daughter. This has posed a great problem for Sam, as he must now fight for custody of his daughter, with the help of his lawyer, Rita. The problem for Sam is that in a year, his daughter will have developed more intellectually than he ever will, making him unsuitable to raise a child, let alone a young adult in the eyes of the defence. Sam's self-concept is quite complex.There is no doubt in his mind that he is capable of raising his daughter, and providing her with the tender, love and care that she needs. To him, no one understands Lucy as well as he does, nor do they know how to adequately take care of her. As shown in the interview scene, Sam seems to think no one truly understands what it's like to have a mental disability. As he says in the interview, â€Å"You don't know what it's like when you try and you try and you try and you don't ever get there beca use, because you were born perfect and I was born like this. † He also states that, â€Å"People like you (Rita) don't know what it’s like to get hurted†¦ eople like you don't feel anything. † These things were said in a moment of anger and distraught, and it told us a lot about how Sam feels deep down about his disability. Sam's self-concept is not distorted and he strongly believes that he is a stable adult, capable of raising his daughter. Constantly needing to defend his rights throughout the movie, Sam's self-concept becomes evident, and is clearly accurate. According to Sam, being a good parent is about â€Å"constancy and patience and listening and pretending to listen when you can't listen anymore.It's all about love. † Stemming from this, Sam has come to the conclusion that he is an adequate parent, and that Lucy has everything she needs when living with him, and being under his care. Sam knows he is far from being the perfect parent, and he is realistic about it. Being a competent father is a huge part of Sam's self-concept, and he is, which proves that it is accurate. In Sam's case, it is particularly hard to decipher his non-verbal communication from a bodily movement he can't control due to his disability.The first non-verbal cue I noticed was the sucking of his bottom lip, indicating that he felt uneasy and did not know how to react to Rita's tears. Secondly, when Rita raises her voice, we see that Sam instinctively pulled back, with a look of shock written across his face. Thirdly, as Rita starts to regain her calm but is still very sad, we see Sam's eyebrows raise and his mouth start to pout, making him look very sad and empathetic. Fourthly, as he approaches Rita to console her as she begins to cry, Sam uses his fingers to gently pat Rita, as if to say â€Å"I'm here for you, you're not alone. Lastly, Sam gives Rita a hug, which is a clear indicator that Sam sees and reacts to strong feelings, and knows how to act appropriately and comfort someone. Many verbal messages were exchanged during the interview. â€Å"Lucy doesn't need me anymore† is the first thing Sam says that seems to have triggered the exchange between him and Rita.Sam is conveying the fact that he believes Lucy doesn't need him anymore simply because she has a â€Å"new† family, he says this with a great amount of vulnerability in his voice, showing us the thought truly bothers him. The second verbal message that Sam conveys was said with a lot more anger and emotion. †¦ and you're perfect. People like you don't know, people like you don't know what it's like to get hurted, because you don't have feelings. People like you don't feel anything. † In that very moment, Sam is indicating to Rita that he is at his wit's end, and that he feels misunderstood and helpless. Lastly, when Sam says to Rita, â€Å"You're enough. You're much more than enough† we are seeing a completely different side of Sa m, one that is tender, and empathetic and that feels the same pain that Rita was feeling in that moment. His verbal communication is telling us that he knows how to comfort someone.Yes, Sam's non-verbal cues are congruent with his verbal messages. During the interview, Rita was clearly upset, and Sam's nonverbal cues indicated his empathy and uneasiness (i. e: sucking his bottom lip and pouting his mouth) which were congruent with his words aimed at consoling Rita, and making her feel better (i. e: â€Å"You're enough, you're more than enough. †). Sam's consistent use of verbal and non-verbal communication messages reveal a lot about Sam's character, self-concept and abilities. For example, Sam revealed to us that he feels terribly misunderstood by his peers and by Rita.He feels un-capable of getting his point across, resulting in Sam's voice raising and him getting angry. Another instance where we gained insight about Sam was when Rita broke down and started crying, his firs t reaction was to approach her, and gently caress her, showing us that he is very empathetic, understands emotions and knows how to react to them appropriately, which is an important ability. I believe that no emotional barriers were interfering with Sam's ability to communicate his feelings. His disability allows him to be extremely sensitive, empathetic and emotional.He â€Å"feels† more than the average person, and many things in his life affect him immensely. He is passionate, which gained him the ability to fight for his daughter as hard as he did. Actually, Sam believes people do not â€Å"feel† as much as he does, because they don't know how it feels to truly be hurt, like he has. That is why i believe emotional barriers are the least of Sam's problems. Referring to the communication process diagram, I believe there is nothing hindering the communication process. Messages are both being sent and received, and interpreted well and fully. Sam and Rita both share a good communication rocess. Rita walks into Sam’s apartment after breaking down the door unprofessionally. She comes up to Sam to talk about his evaluation that day with Child Protective Services. Sam breaks down in tears and begins to tell her that she doesn’t understand and that she will never know what he is going through. This is when Rita tells Sam that she isn’t perfect and that she does understand how he is feeling; the hurt, the pain and the incapability to fulfil their ambitions. Rita admits to Sam that she is not perfect, that she has a son that hates her and a husband that is cheating on her.At this moment, she is not establishing a professional relationship because she discloses her feelings and emotions to her client. Many factors demonstrate that the interviewer is unable to check her perception at this point in the movie. Due to the fact that she is breaking down in tears and mentally, she cannot take the time to sit down and analyze the situation rationally. At this point in the film she is consumed by the problems that she is having in her home-life and is incapable of putting forth techniques to check her perception of the client’s situation.Rita is very verbally expressive; she does not hide what she is feeling either mentally nor physically. She has built up so many walls lined with hurt, frustration and anger that she had finally hit her breaking point. She expressed everything she was feeling and how mad she has been for so long. At this point she says that realizes that she needs to change her life because she too has made mistakes in the past. Sam tells Rita that people like her have no feelings because people like her are born perfect when Sam was born as he was.This causes her to tear down Sam's origami wall and get close to him and say, â€Å"You think you have it pegged on human suffering? Let me tell you something about people like me. People like me feel lost, little, ugly, and dispensable, people like me have husbands cheating on them with people far more perfect then me. People like me have sons that hate them. † By saying this Rita is making Sam realize that he is not the only one with problems and that she is going through things that are equivalently terrible as losing his daughter.She is testing his ability to have an understanding and empathy for what is going on in her life. At this point in the film Sam’s perception of Rita has dramatically changed. This is caused by the abrupt moment when Rita begins countering her problems with Sam’s (ex: her husband cheating on her and her son hating her, then comparing it to Sam’s problem of losing Lucy). She is testing him to see if he will admit that she is, in fact, un-perfect like Sam himself and everyone else in the world. Rita uses assertiveness when she is communicating with Sam.Her language is direct and honest when explains to Sam that she is not perfect and that people like her feel, lost, little, ugly and dispensable. She uses a firm tone of voice to get her message across and try to make it clear to Sam that no human being is perfect, including herself. Rita uses emotive language when she talks to Sam. She expresses her feelings in a disruptive or controlling way. She isn’t simply telling Sam that she is having a bad day and that she needs to talk, but instead is expresses her anger in a disorderly way.For example, when she storms over to Sam and tears down his origami wall, because what he said had triggered something in her. Rita when communicating also uses a lot of â€Å"I† and â€Å"but† statements. It is obvious that the situation is revolving around her at this point and not the client. She explains to Sam that she knows the way she treats her son is not right, yet she feels she has no choice but to be this way, â€Å"He looks at me with such anger and I hate him then, I know I failed you, I know I’m disappointing you, I know you deserve better. But get in the F***king car†.Rita uses kinesics in an intentional fashion to show Sam that she was irritated and frustrated. She chooses to walk over to the origami wall, knocking it out of her way and intruding Sam's space to make him feel intimidated and uncomfortable. You can clearly see that she is tense and offended at what Sam has said to her. Rita demonstrates individual factors that reveal how she is feeling; the tone of her voice gets really low when she is being serious and reaches a topic that is sensitive to her. Throughout the scene her tone of her voice changes.When she is explaining to Sam that she is far less than perfect, she raises her tone of voice to put emphasis on what she is saying. Rita uses the external factors to her advantage. She intrudes Sam’s personal space to make herself heard. This also exhibits territorialism because by tearing down the origami wall that Sam had made she is clearly stating that she is in control at this moment. Rita also uses Chronemics frequently to regulate her communication. To allow the information to sink in she uses small pauses between statements such as, â€Å"You think you got the market cornered?†¦ on human suffering?†¦Let me tell you something about people like me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Rita’s verbal and non-verbal communication is very congruent. A perfect example would be when Sam says you don’t know Rita turns around and throws her hands in the air saying, â€Å"I don’t know what? † this proves that she is feeling frustrated (her hands thrown up as a sign of giving up due to frustration). Another example is after she knocks down the origami wall she points at Sam and says â€Å"You think you got the market cornered†¦Ã¢â‚¬  this shows that she is directly stating her comment towards him and the pointed finger provides that extra shove towards Sam.When Sam tells Rita that she doesn’t understand him because she was born perfect, her h ead is seen pulled back slightly. Sam begins saying things to her such as, â€Å"People like you don’t know† which results in Rita replying with, â€Å"People like me? † This demonstrates that Rita is effectively listening to what Sam has to say. She uses techniques such as prompting to demonstrate that she has understood what Sam has said. The way that Rita acts throughout the interview is very unprofessional.Examples of this are the way she stormed over to Sam and tore down his origami wall and the way that she speaks to him. She has forgotten that Sam has the mental capacity of a 7 year old and treats their relationship on a much more personal level. She does not keep a professional distance from her client because she opens her heart to him as though the two were friends. She shares with him information about her son and husband, when the focus is supposed to be on Sam and his battle for custody of his daughter. I Am Sam Mikaela McMorine October 21st, 2012 Analyzing an Interview Movie: I Am Sam (directed by Jessie Nelson) The individuals involved in the interview are a man diagnosed with Autism (subject S) and a female lawyer (subject R). They are connected through a professional-helping relationship. The incidents leading up to the interview are with regards to a custody battle concerning subject S and his seven year old daughter. His doctors have declared that the intellectual capacity of subject S does not exceed the age of seven.The issue arises when Child Protective Services deem subject S unfit and incapable of raising his daughter due to the fact that he is unable to hold down a steady job and that his daughter will eventually surpass his brain capacity in age. Subject S makes the conscious decision of hiring a lawyer to plead his case. The lawyer in question, or subject R, chooses to provide services to subject S free of charge. During the custody battle, subject S is granted the opportunity to have short, supervised visits with his daughter.Shortly before the occurring of the interview, subject S and his daughter meet, followed by his daughter proposing to go to the park. She lies and tells him that the social worker gave her permission to go with him due to the fact that she did not spend enough time with him and she was crying. Once on their way, she explains to her father that the only possible way for them to be together was to run away. Subject S, makes the concrete decision to find his way to the police station and return his daughter to the social worker.This scene is followed by a court hearing where they call upon subject S’s neighbor as a witness. Earlier on at the start of the movie we see that this neighbor aids subject S in taking proper care of his daughter. Subject S has been promoted in his job from cleaning the restaurant to making the drinks. On the first day of his new position, the restaurant is very busy and subject S begins working too fast , causing him to make a mess and send away some customers. He then attends his court hearing, covered in coffee and still dressed in his work clothes, where he is asked multiple uestions about his ability to care for his daughter. Nearing the end of the hearing, subject S is faced with questions that result in him crying and agreeing with the fact that he is unable to take care of his daughter. After this hearing, he gets to see his daughter for a matter of seconds before she is literally ripped from his very arms. Later, subject S is seen observing his daughter outside of her foster home from a distance with flowers and a card in hand. Then, the foster mom joins the daughter where she explains that her father is supposed to come visit for her birthday that day.Upon seeing the arrival of the foster mom, subject S decides to leave without getting a chance to see his daughter. The young girl waits for her father and hugs her teddy bear with tears in her eyes when he does not show up. After this, subject S is seen in his room banging his head on a miniature piano with the blinds closed. Subsequently, the subject begins making origami figures which he then stacks up to create a wall. Subject R comes to his house and begins to yell at him through the locked door. She explains that she left work early to meet him at his first evaluation only to find out that he did not show.After shouting for a few minutes, she threatens to leave but turns around and kicks down the door. This is the exact moment leading up to the interview. After discussing about the incident the occurred at subject S’s job, he states that he believes his daughter no longer needs him because she has a new family now. Subject R expresses that she disagrees with this notion and that he should never give up trying. The goal of the interview that follows is for subject R to encourage subject S to keep fighting for the custody of his daughter.Sam is the main character in the movie. He is approxima tely 30 years old and has a developmental disability. He has the mental capacity of a seven year old, the same age as his daughter. This has posed a great problem for Sam, as he must now fight for custody of his daughter, with the help of his lawyer, Rita. The problem for Sam is that in a year, his daughter will have developed more intellectually than he ever will, making him unsuitable to raise a child, let alone a young adult in the eyes of the defence. Sam's self-concept is quite complex.There is no doubt in his mind that he is capable of raising his daughter, and providing her with the tender, love and care that she needs. To him, no one understands Lucy as well as he does, nor do they know how to adequately take care of her. As shown in the interview scene, Sam seems to think no one truly understands what it's like to have a mental disability. As he says in the interview, â€Å"You don't know what it's like when you try and you try and you try and you don't ever get there beca use, because you were born perfect and I was born like this. † He also states that, â€Å"People like you (Rita) don't know what it’s like to get hurted†¦ eople like you don't feel anything. † These things were said in a moment of anger and distraught, and it told us a lot about how Sam feels deep down about his disability. Sam's self-concept is not distorted and he strongly believes that he is a stable adult, capable of raising his daughter. Constantly needing to defend his rights throughout the movie, Sam's self-concept becomes evident, and is clearly accurate. According to Sam, being a good parent is about â€Å"constancy and patience and listening and pretending to listen when you can't listen anymore.It's all about love. † Stemming from this, Sam has come to the conclusion that he is an adequate parent, and that Lucy has everything she needs when living with him, and being under his care. Sam knows he is far from being the perfect parent, and he is realistic about it. Being a competent father is a huge part of Sam's self-concept, and he is, which proves that it is accurate. In Sam's case, it is particularly hard to decipher his non-verbal communication from a bodily movement he can't control due to his disability.The first non-verbal cue I noticed was the sucking of his bottom lip, indicating that he felt uneasy and did not know how to react to Rita's tears. Secondly, when Rita raises her voice, we see that Sam instinctively pulled back, with a look of shock written across his face. Thirdly, as Rita starts to regain her calm but is still very sad, we see Sam's eyebrows raise and his mouth start to pout, making him look very sad and empathetic. Fourthly, as he approaches Rita to console her as she begins to cry, Sam uses his fingers to gently pat Rita, as if to say â€Å"I'm here for you, you're not alone. Lastly, Sam gives Rita a hug, which is a clear indicator that Sam sees and reacts to strong feelings, and knows how to act appropriately and comfort someone. Many verbal messages were exchanged during the interview. â€Å"Lucy doesn't need me anymore† is the first thing Sam says that seems to have triggered the exchange between him and Rita.Sam is conveying the fact that he believes Lucy doesn't need him anymore simply because she has a â€Å"new† family, he says this with a great amount of vulnerability in his voice, showing us the thought truly bothers him. The second verbal message that Sam conveys was said with a lot more anger and emotion. †¦ and you're perfect. People like you don't know, people like you don't know what it's like to get hurted, because you don't have feelings. People like you don't feel anything. † In that very moment, Sam is indicating to Rita that he is at his wit's end, and that he feels misunderstood and helpless. Lastly, when Sam says to Rita, â€Å"You're enough. You're much more than enough† we are seeing a completely different side of Sa m, one that is tender, and empathetic and that feels the same pain that Rita was feeling in that moment. His verbal communication is telling us that he knows how to comfort someone.Yes, Sam's non-verbal cues are congruent with his verbal messages. During the interview, Rita was clearly upset, and Sam's nonverbal cues indicated his empathy and uneasiness (i. e: sucking his bottom lip and pouting his mouth) which were congruent with his words aimed at consoling Rita, and making her feel better (i. e: â€Å"You're enough, you're more than enough. †). Sam's consistent use of verbal and non-verbal communication messages reveal a lot about Sam's character, self-concept and abilities. For example, Sam revealed to us that he feels terribly misunderstood by his peers and by Rita.He feels un-capable of getting his point across, resulting in Sam's voice raising and him getting angry. Another instance where we gained insight about Sam was when Rita broke down and started crying, his firs t reaction was to approach her, and gently caress her, showing us that he is very empathetic, understands emotions and knows how to react to them appropriately, which is an important ability. I believe that no emotional barriers were interfering with Sam's ability to communicate his feelings. His disability allows him to be extremely sensitive, empathetic and emotional.He â€Å"feels† more than the average person, and many things in his life affect him immensely. He is passionate, which gained him the ability to fight for his daughter as hard as he did. Actually, Sam believes people do not â€Å"feel† as much as he does, because they don't know how it feels to truly be hurt, like he has. That is why i believe emotional barriers are the least of Sam's problems. Referring to the communication process diagram, I believe there is nothing hindering the communication process. Messages are both being sent and received, and interpreted well and fully. Sam and Rita both share a good communication rocess. Rita walks into Sam’s apartment after breaking down the door unprofessionally. She comes up to Sam to talk about his evaluation that day with Child Protective Services. Sam breaks down in tears and begins to tell her that she doesn’t understand and that she will never know what he is going through. This is when Rita tells Sam that she isn’t perfect and that she does understand how he is feeling; the hurt, the pain and the incapability to fulfil their ambitions. Rita admits to Sam that she is not perfect, that she has a son that hates her and a husband that is cheating on her.At this moment, she is not establishing a professional relationship because she discloses her feelings and emotions to her client. Many factors demonstrate that the interviewer is unable to check her perception at this point in the movie. Due to the fact that she is breaking down in tears and mentally, she cannot take the time to sit down and analyze the situation rationally. At this point in the film she is consumed by the problems that she is having in her home-life and is incapable of putting forth techniques to check her perception of the client’s situation.Rita is very verbally expressive; she does not hide what she is feeling either mentally nor physically. She has built up so many walls lined with hurt, frustration and anger that she had finally hit her breaking point. She expressed everything she was feeling and how mad she has been for so long. At this point she says that realizes that she needs to change her life because she too has made mistakes in the past. Sam tells Rita that people like her have no feelings because people like her are born perfect when Sam was born as he was.This causes her to tear down Sam's origami wall and get close to him and say, â€Å"You think you have it pegged on human suffering? Let me tell you something about people like me. People like me feel lost, little, ugly, and dispensable, people like me have husbands cheating on them with people far more perfect then me. People like me have sons that hate them. † By saying this Rita is making Sam realize that he is not the only one with problems and that she is going through things that are equivalently terrible as losing his daughter.She is testing his ability to have an understanding and empathy for what is going on in her life. At this point in the film Sam’s perception of Rita has dramatically changed. This is caused by the abrupt moment when Rita begins countering her problems with Sam’s (ex: her husband cheating on her and her son hating her, then comparing it to Sam’s problem of losing Lucy). She is testing him to see if he will admit that she is, in fact, un-perfect like Sam himself and everyone else in the world. Rita uses assertiveness when she is communicating with Sam.Her language is direct and honest when explains to Sam that she is not perfect and that people like her feel, lost, little, ugly and dispensable. She uses a firm tone of voice to get her message across and try to make it clear to Sam that no human being is perfect, including herself. Rita uses emotive language when she talks to Sam. She expresses her feelings in a disruptive or controlling way. She isn’t simply telling Sam that she is having a bad day and that she needs to talk, but instead is expresses her anger in a disorderly way.For example, when she storms over to Sam and tears down his origami wall, because what he said had triggered something in her. Rita when communicating also uses a lot of â€Å"I† and â€Å"but† statements. It is obvious that the situation is revolving around her at this point and not the client. She explains to Sam that she knows the way she treats her son is not right, yet she feels she has no choice but to be this way, â€Å"He looks at me with such anger and I hate him then, I know I failed you, I know I’m disappointing you, I know you deserve better. But get in the F***king car†.Rita uses kinesics in an intentional fashion to show Sam that she was irritated and frustrated. She chooses to walk over to the origami wall, knocking it out of her way and intruding Sam's space to make him feel intimidated and uncomfortable. You can clearly see that she is tense and offended at what Sam has said to her. Rita demonstrates individual factors that reveal how she is feeling; the tone of her voice gets really low when she is being serious and reaches a topic that is sensitive to her. Throughout the scene her tone of her voice changes.When she is explaining to Sam that she is far less than perfect, she raises her tone of voice to put emphasis on what she is saying. Rita uses the external factors to her advantage. She intrudes Sam’s personal space to make herself heard. This also exhibits territorialism because by tearing down the origami wall that Sam had made she is clearly stating that she is in control at this moment. Rita also uses Chronemics frequently to regulate her communication. To allow the information to sink in she uses small pauses between statements such as, â€Å"You think you got the market cornered?†¦ on human suffering?†¦Let me tell you something about people like me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Rita’s verbal and non-verbal communication is very congruent. A perfect example would be when Sam says you don’t know Rita turns around and throws her hands in the air saying, â€Å"I don’t know what? † this proves that she is feeling frustrated (her hands thrown up as a sign of giving up due to frustration). Another example is after she knocks down the origami wall she points at Sam and says â€Å"You think you got the market cornered†¦Ã¢â‚¬  this shows that she is directly stating her comment towards him and the pointed finger provides that extra shove towards Sam.When Sam tells Rita that she doesn’t understand him because she was born perfect, her h ead is seen pulled back slightly. Sam begins saying things to her such as, â€Å"People like you don’t know† which results in Rita replying with, â€Å"People like me? † This demonstrates that Rita is effectively listening to what Sam has to say. She uses techniques such as prompting to demonstrate that she has understood what Sam has said. The way that Rita acts throughout the interview is very unprofessional.Examples of this are the way she stormed over to Sam and tore down his origami wall and the way that she speaks to him. She has forgotten that Sam has the mental capacity of a 7 year old and treats their relationship on a much more personal level. She does not keep a professional distance from her client because she opens her heart to him as though the two were friends. She shares with him information about her son and husband, when the focus is supposed to be on Sam and his battle for custody of his daughter.

Pest Analysis Of China s Live And Recorded Music

PEST Analysis of China’s Live and Recorded Music The following is a PEST analysis showing the viability of recorded and live music sales in China. An analysis of the PEST factors divulges that it will be difficult for China to become a leading market in recorded and live music by 2028. Political factors China is politically stable relative to other emerging economies as regards to public service delivery and economic expansion. But the country’s public and private sectors experience rampant corruption and poor governance. There is a lack of democracy and people do not freely exercise their bill of rights like freedom of speech. this is extended to musicians who cannot freely sing about their mind but must adhere to the culture and country’s constitution. The system of communism ensures that the government is in charge of all aspects of business, eliminating the chances of liberal trade for investors (McGregor, 2011). The one party system creates an investment risk for businesses because it lacks transparency in standard business practice performed in other countries where liberal trade thrives. Hence, the music industry cannot operate freely because of heavy censorship reducing sale of music and, hence, limiting the overall growth of the industry. The Chinese government is not doing much to protect musicians and artists against copyright infringement. This is the case even after China signed the copyright agreement with other countries to restrict copyright violationShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of the Music Industry30024 Words   |  121 PagesMusic may be defined romantically as `the food of love (Shakespeare) or more prosaically as `sound with particular characteristics (Wikipedia), but it is undeniably a `vibrant artform (Arts Council England) and one which touches more people, in more ways, than any other art form. 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