Human suffering and joy can be expressed through narrating stories that have social significance. Various authors develop stories that exhibit the social life of human beings and their environment. Although non-fictional stories are persuasive due to the presentation of factual information, fictional stories are significant in connecting human thinking with that of ‘non-human’ organisms. The use of animals and other strange organisms helps the fictional stories’ readers see the world from a new perspective. Samuel R. Delany’s “Driftglass” and Terry Bisson’s “Bears Discover Fire” are explicit examples of fictional stories with various themes crucial in human life. While “Driftglass” uses human beings to illustrate various themes, “Bears Discover Fire” aesthetically uses bears to illustrate humanity. Human suffering is inevitable, but love relieves people from pain and helps them understand each other better.
Platonic love helps people share their experiences and understand each other’s cultural backgrounds. “Driftglass” is a collection of human stories expressing their relationships and emotional epiphanies. The author tells a story of a telepathic Black girl called Lee who befriends a White ex-con, a janitor called Buddy. Lee and Buddy bond over Bobby Faust’s music from the Ganymede colony. The narration of Lee and Buddy exhibits racism since Buddy refers to Lee using terms like ‘colored’ and the prejudicial term ‘nigga’. Therefore, having a cordial relationship with someone may not change their perspective about cultural differences. However, human pain and suffering are inevitable across all races since Lee and Buddy live dead-end lives and do crappy jobs. The platonic love between Leen and Buddy shows how human suffering is inevitable regardless of race.
Family love is significant for the sick in terms of moral support. Unlike platonic love, families love someone unconditionally, and people count on their families to be there through good and bad times (Heinämaa 433). Terry Bisson expresses the theme of family love in his fictional story “Bears Discover Fire.” The story’s narrator is a middle-aged man, Bobby, who returns from visiting his mother on a Sunday evening (Bisson). Bobby is accompanied by Wallace Jr., who observes that bears have discovered fire. Bobby’s mother escapes the care home to join the bears that discovered the fire (Bisson). Bobby reunites with his mother in the wilderness, but she dies. The story bears personify a family reunion and represent family values. Family love is expressed when Bobby visits his mother in the care home. The love is figuratively compared with other platonic love when the care home only calls Bobby to inform him that his mother is lost but does nothing to find her. Meanwhile, Bobby expresses his genuine love for his mother by going into the wilderness to find her and mourning her death. Unlike platonic love, family love is shown throughout human suffering.
Fictional stories can express the theme of love and human suffering. race does not determine the level of human suffering, as illustrated in the “Driftglass.” Music is significant in relieving people from pain and suffering. However, music’s relief is temporary since humans continue to experience pain upon the end of music. Unlike plutonic love, family love is strong and is expressed regardless of the situation. “Bears Discover Fire” shows the importance of family love during difficult situations. While platonic love is temporary, human love is persistent, and one can count on family members.
Delany, Samuel R. Driftglass.1967. Galaxy Publishing Corp.
Heinämaa, Sara. “Values of Love: Two Forms of Infinity Characteristic of Human Persons.” Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, vol. 19, no. 3, 2020, pp. 431–50.
Throughout the centuries black people fought for their rights and freedoms trying to prove that they were worth being equal with the whites. The topic of oppression of black people has always been of great interest to poets and writers this is why a lot of present-day poems, short stories, novels and other pieces of writing present the life of African-American people who over the years suffered from being treated extremely unfairly and very often brutally and violently by white people. The three poems written by Langston Hughes, namely “Negro Speaking of the Rivers”, “Democracy” and “The Negro Mother” show the depth of black people’s sufferings and the immensity of their desire to obtain freedom and equality in rights with the white people. In them Langston Hughes expresses faithfulness and devotion to his people as well as pride in how bravely black people fought for their freedom. Three poems, even when written by the same person cannot be all alike and to find out structural and sense differences and similarities between “Negro Speaking of the Rivers”, “Democracy” and “The Negro Mother” it is necessary to analyze each of them first.
“Negro Speaking of the Rivers”
The first to analyze will be “Negro Speaking of the Rivers”. The poem was written in 1920 and it is devoted to all African-American people. In this poem Langston Hughes represents himself as a “Negro” who is laying out suffering of black people in the lines of the poem. The theme of the poem is to show how much African-American people have gone through when being oppressed in the period of racial discrimination. Almost in each line the repetition of the pronoun “I” can be observed. The main function of any repetition is to turn attention to a specific notion or idea. In case with “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” Langston Hughes speaks in the name of all African-American people and “I” is used as a generalization for each of them. Each repetition of this pronoun expresses the desire of the poet to remind once again about the tragic experience of his people. The poet’s wisdom and deep knowledge of the history of African-American people is expressed in the lines “I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the/ flow of human blood in human veins” (Arnold Rampersad, Hilary Herbold 73). These lines also serve as a connection of the present with the long period of time during which African-American people fought for their rights. The poem also contains a brief flashback to the times of American Civil War: ”I heard singing of Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to/New Orleans” (Arnold Rampersad, Hilary Herbold 73). It is used to remind of Abraham Lincoln’s fight with slavery, the fight which demanded numerous victims but which ended up successfully with abolishment of slavery once and for all. The river is the embodiment of the poet’s vast experience and “My soul has grown deep like the rivers” (Arnold Rampersad, Hilary Herbold 73) shows that throughout his life the poet met a number of obstacles each of which contributed to his gaining of experience. This line also lays emphasis on the significance of the life of every African-American. Different stylistic devices can be observed throughout the poem. It abounds with comparisons and similes like “ancient as the world“ (Arnold Rampersad, Hilary Herbold 73) which is used to show the vastness of the poet’s knowledge and experience; the same goes for the “soul” “deep as the rivers” which not only shows how much the poet has gone through in his life but how significant the mark the tragic events left in his soul is; a personification “young dawns” shows that the poet describes the events of the far past but which he still remembers very vividly; another personification, “singing of Mississippi” is used to remind of those glorious times when Lincoln put an end to slavery; and finally, in “I’ve known rivers:/ Ancient, dusky rivers” (Arnold Rampersad, Hilary Herbold 73) the epithets “ancient” and “dusky” show that Hughes’ life was full of grief, sorrow and sufferings. The poem is written in a free prose style and its form is free; the set rhyme scheme is not employed in it but a number of parallel structures make it resemble a chorus of a song. The language it is written in is casual but at the same time dignified which proves that the poet took pride in his people and their fighting for liberation. Representation of the four greatest rivers of the world speaks of the meaning of each of them to the history of the poet’s culture. The poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” unites and connects all African people and their descendants.
“Democracy”
Second to consider is another poem by Langston Hughes called “Democracy”. In this busy and cruel world it is often the case that people forget about each other and become preoccupied only with their own problems and thus get desensitized. “Democracy” returns those who got lost in hardness of every day life to the state of compassion and understanding as it penetrates each cell of the body reminding of those times when black people were treated differently only because of their skin color. In 1900s democracy was unknown to the Unites States and black people were extremely limited in their rights and freedoms. Langston Hughes was a black himself and this, as well as insult, offence and resentment, can be easily felt throughout the poem “Democracy”. The theme of the poem is to prove that black people are also humans and deserve the same treatment as the white ones: “I live here, too. /I want freedom/ Just as you” (Langston Hughes, Arnold Rampersad 199) and that in fight for democratic society black people also have a right to demand it. These lines contain so much sorrow and offence but at the same time they sound like words of a worthy person who does not only demand equal right with the others but is ready to fight to death for this rights if it is what it is going to take. Unlike the poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” the language “Democracy” is written in is more strict, demanding and concrete. “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” contains a lot of hidden meanings but “Democracy” openly reveals what the poet wants to say “I have as much right/As the other fellow has” and “I want freedom/ Just as you” (Langston Hughes, Arnold Rampersad, 200). “Democracy” is written in an open form and it consists of four stanzas each of them having different number of lines. “Democracy”, like “Negro Speaks of Rivers” is written in a free style, though it is more organized and most of the lines rhyme following one and the same pattern. Some of the lines in “Democracy” are negative, such as “I do not need my freedom when I’m dead. /I cannot live on tomorrow’s bread” (Langston Hughes, Arnold Rampersad 200) and “Democracy will not come” (Langston Hughes, Arnold Rampersad 199) which shows how determined the poet is in his desire to prove the worthiness of black people and their right to be free and equal with the others: “Just as you” (Langston Hughes, Arnold Rampersad 200). The lines “Let things take their course. /Tomorrow is another day” (Langston Hughes, Arnold Rampersad 200) show that the poet does not believe the promises and is very impatient in his getting the freedom. Moreover, certain graphic means, namely, writing these lines in italics, show that the poet wanted to express his indignation and to emphasize the importance of these words. The same repetition of the pronoun “I” in the meaning of “we” as in “Negro Speaks of Rivers” can be observed in “Democracy”. It possesses the same meaning of the poet’s portraying himself as a representative of black people. “Democracy” is a poetic protest and in it Langston Hughes succeeded in expressing his negative opinion about democracy and such opinion of his is justified as the society he lived back then was racist.
“The Negro Mother”
And, final to analyze is Langston Hughes’ poem “The Negro Mother”. This poem is less famous than the other two analyzed above but it is even deeper and more impressive. It reflects the life of black people before they were freed and discloses their immense desire to be liberated as well as their readiness to struggle for their freedom. Unlike “Negro Speaks of Rivers””and “Democracy” this poem is written on the part of a woman and completely from her point of view. Nevertheless, Hughes did not break the tradition and made this woman, the mother, a representative of the whole black nation which gave to the poem even more sadness and persuasiveness. The repetition of the pronoun “I” can be observed in this poem as well but in “The Negro Mother” this repetition means not only speaking for black community but speaking for all mothers as well. Partly, this is the poet’s turning to white people, but mostly, it is a black woman’s turning to black community calling them to be faithful to their culture and to remember about those times when their people fought for freedom and was oppressed and humiliated. The Negro mother is represented as a woman who is ready to go through this oppression and humiliation if it is what her children’s freedom is going to take. She addresses her African-American sons and daughters asking them to be persistent in their fight for rights and never to step back: “Believe in the right, let none push you back. /Remember the whip and the slaver’s track” (Michelle Fine 163). As compared to “Negro Speaks of Rivers’ and “Democracy” the poem “The Negro Mother” has a slightly different theme. Whereas the former two poems are about suffering of black people from oppression and their demand for equal rights the theme of “The Negro Mother” is what the mothers get through in order to make the lives of their children better. The life of a black mother is even more complicated as apart from the problems white mothers face she has to protect her children from public oppression and persecution. The theme finds its realization in such lines as “I am the dark girl who crossed the red sea /Carrying in my body the seed of the free. /I am the woman who worked in the field /Bringing the cotton and the corn to yield” (Michelle Fine 162) as well as “But I kept trudging on through the lonely years. /Sometimes, the road was hot with the sun, /But I had to keep on till my work was done…” (Michelle Fine 163). These lines show that the mother has gone through a lot of difficulties and now she calls her children, the black community, to always remember about these sufferings of hers. The mother is the history, the representation of the whole black nation asking them to remember who they are. The poem consists of three stanzas: the opening one, which is the introduction of the mother, the second one is short; it consists of four lines only and states that it has been “three hundred years” before the struggle for black people’s rights began; the third stanza is the longest one; it contains description of the mothers’ sufferings and advice to her children to remember their ancestry and to respect those who fought for their freedom. The language, the poem is written in is dramatic and figurative which adds the poem educational tone. Unlike the language of two other poems the language of “The Negro mother” is able to express the full meaningfulness of the idea without hidden sense, like in “Negro Speaks of Rivers” or negativity and resoluteness like in “Democracy”. “The Negro Mother” is the most rhyming of the three poems and it follows aabbcc rhyme scheme resembling a ballad.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it should be mentioned that the three poems under consideration though united by common idea have certain differences. “Negro Speaks of the Rivers” and “Democracy” are more alike as they have very close themes. The theme of “The Negro Mother” is a bit different but it resembles “Negro Speaks of the Rivers” in figurativeness of language which differs them both from “Democracy”. All three poems are different in styles, the first one reminding blank verse, the second written in a free style though with most of the lines rhyming and the third follows a definite rhyming pattern. They all are different according to their forms as well with “Negro Speaks of Rivers” simply written in fourteen lines, “Democracy” organized in four stanzas of different length and “The Negro Mother” consisting of three stanzas divided according to their meaning. What unites the three poems is the poet’s desire to bring to people, both black and white, the depth of black people’s suffering in the period of their oppression and make it clear once and for all that black people differ from others simply by the color of their skin having the same ability to love, hate, suffer and, in case with “The Negro Mother” to sacrifice whatever it takes for the sake of future children. Even differing from each other in style, language, form and some other techniques these three poems by Langston Hughes produce equal impression on the reader arousing compassion and sorrow for black people who had to suffer so much in order to survive and live till the moment when they gained freedom and equality.
Works Cited
Langston Hughes, Arnold Rampersad. The Poems, 1941-1950: 1941-1950. University of Missouri Press, 2001.
Arnold Rampersad, Hilary Herbold. The Oxford Anthology of African-American Poetry. Oxford University Press US, 2006.
Michelle Fine. Framing Dropouts: Notes on the Politics of an Urban Public High School. SUNY Press, 1991.
The prize of life depends upon a range of priorities a person settles. Sometimes people are unable to point out the values and, therefore, they do not realize that life itself is the actual value. However, when people are on the edge of death they are ready to overcome all the difficulties. The inborn instincts induce people to suffer to live further. Still, there are cases when people’s salvation is reached only through confession and death. Both stories under consideration depict the theme of salvation through suffering. However, this concept is revealed in different ways. Thus, A Good Man is Hard to Find by O’Connor discloses salvation in the light of false confession for the sins whereas Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe touches upon veritable issues of religious confession.
Salvation through religion
At first sight, the ideas of the work are different due to the different genres and styles. However, what is common about them is that both revealed the topic of salvation from sin and the religious faith in God. Thus, O’Connor’s Grandmother calls herself a rather religious person so that when she encounters the Misfit she tries to flatter him and to remind him about the sins. In its turn, the novel Robinson Crusoe is a story about a sailor who became the symbol of salvation himself. On the island, Robinson did not forget the Word of God believing that it is the only way for the salvation of soul and mind (Defoe, 241). He was convinced that through suffering God helps him to reduce to redemption. His Christian devotion was also revealed through his constant telling Friday about God and Devil as if being obliged to God’s missioner.
Solitary existence as a path to salvation
Both books depict that the protagonists are isolated from the real world and society. The grandmother is confident that there is no good man in the world. She is disappointed with the society she lives in thus creating some moral barriers. Being stuck in the past, she suffers from solitary existence since no one in the family does not deserves her respect. In that regard, the only salvation from solitary existence is the trip to her past that would bring her relief. She despises the world and the family who do not understand her feelings. The only person that deserves her attention is the Misfit, the murderer who helps her to deprive her of all the sins by killing her.
Unlike Grandmother, Robinson was isolated from the world against his will. He was forced to be separated from civilized society to create his own world on the island. The shipwreck was perceived by him as the sign of redemption for the sins he had done in the other world. Thus, the island symbolizes the beginning of new life where moral but not material values mattered. The reappraisal of the values through suffering and confession triggers him to live further. Like Grandmother in A Good Man is Hard to Find, he gets disappointed with the world he lived in but the difference is that Robinson finds his salvation not through death but through his burning desire to live. In the course of living on the desert island, he improves his outlook on the sense of his existence.
The nature of suffering
It should be stressed that books accentuate the similar nature of their suffering. Like Robinson, Grandmother is torturing since she cannot find someone who would conform to her ideas and therefore she intentionally separates herself from society. She is grateful to the Misfit who set her free from loneliness by granting the eternal life. In Robison Crusoe, Friday saves the sailor from being alone on the desert island. Hence, in both cases, the main problem is the lack of human understanding. Still, what differentiates Robinson from Grandmother is his willingness to be a part of the society whereas the old “lady” expresses her reluctance to live in it. Therefore, the Misfit and Friday are the only way to fulfill their needs of human communication and to open the path of redemption.
It is obvious that there are considerable differences in the validity of their faith and the way people experience suffering in order to achieve salvation. Thus, in the story, A Good Man is Hard to Find the main heroine, Grandmother, finds her salvation in death since had never been a better woman but only now. The writer tries to show her redemption in the way she died with her legs “crossed under like a child’s” (O’Connor, 51) However, her redemption was not real but the result of fear to pass away. Throughout the novel, there is an interruption between her behavior at the beginning of the story and her false confession at the end of it.
Different hopes but the common end
Though both stories end in a different way, the final outcome is common. Thus in A Good Man is Hard to find the Grandmother finds her relief only at the end of her life. She rigorously believes that her soul would reincarnate and she would finally obtain freedom. Death helps her put off barriers and achieve equilibrium; she believes that in Heaven she would find good men. In the second work, Crusoe stays alive outsight but her dead insight. Being on the island, he undergoes suffering both physical and moral. Still, he realizes that human communication is of paramount importance for a person. Hence, his salvation through suffering is reached by depriving him of society. As a result, both protagonists undergo moral and physical suffering.
The major difference between the works also lies in their perception of time and space. Thus, the Grandmother strives to the past believing that the trip to the past would help her to acquire forgiveness. Still, she exists beyond real-time because she has no prospects in the future. In contrast, Robinson was gone with the past finding himself in the primitive world where he also loses the perception of time. However, unlike Grandmother, the sailor is in a desperate search of the future. The hope for the future did not leave whereas the old lady is already predetermined to die since she is convinced that this world does not have chances for salvation. By this, she shows her superiority over the people. In Defoe’s story, the hero discovers his reincarnation through social degradation placing himself on the lowest stage of civilized development.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that both books were written in different times and manners, they reveal similar values and vices of humanity. Both stories show how different people in different ways find confession and the sense of existence. Though salvation from sins was uncovered in both stories, still the prize they paid for this is different.
Works Cited
Defoe, Daniel, The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. London: Routledge, Warne, and Routledge, 1984.
O’Connor, Flannery,& Asals, Frederick A Good Man is Hard to Find. US: Rutgers University Press, 1993.
Human suffering has been manifest in human existence throughout history. Unfortunately, there is no likelihood of the vice ending in the near future. New forms of sufferings inflict innocent people by those in authority directly and indirectly. The main instigators of human sufferings are power struggle, the social construction of class, race, gender, and ethnicity. To unravel the extent of human suffering, this paper focuses on the main instigators of suffering. This article aims at exposing suffering inflicted deliberately on poor persons by those in power.
The role of the government has changed from preserving and protecting its citizens from protecting greedy firms. In America, government agencies such as USDA and FDA have authorized multinational food companies to produce and supply health-threatening products (Food Inc 2008). Instead of the American government protecting its subjects, it was busy planting a tyranny in Haiti (Farmer 428). Tyrannies that ruled Haiti instead, they deployed available, am never machinery to stamp their authority.
For instance, the American government violated its pro-democracy campaign to install Haiti’s autocratic leadership in 1916 (Farmer 429). As Farmer reveals, power corrupts, and the election of Aristide – a representative of the poor serves to illustrate that. Although he hailed from a poor background, Aristide did not represent their interests. However, what followed during his rule is largely detestable. The poor man’s expectations never saw the light of the day as the new leader’s brutality surpassed that of his predecessors.
Former Equatorial Guinea, President Teodoro, was and is still a close ally of the US government. His humanitarian injustices compare to those of Muammar Gaddafi. Teodore’s dictatorship helped him amass an untold wealth of the rich-oil-country. His greed leftover 700,000 – seventy percent of the population living in abject poverty. Ironically, notwithstanding his corrupt and dictatorial past, he still enjoys his loot in the US (His second country). It is thus very surprising that the same government i.e., the US, which is protecting him, is determined to oust Gaddafi (The Gambia Voice).
Elsewhere, foreign intervention was also evident in the establishment of Mobutu Sese Seko, who lavished in US protection. Kelly (1) reveals that America backed the Tyrant for 30 years and offered him World Bank subsidies. Fegley highlights that the poor economic performance of the current DRC Congo is a legacy of Mobutu.
Just like the case in Haiti, poor governance has subjected most peasants to anguish and suffering. Public resources are diverted from providing public goods or furthering economic growth to increase military funding. Thus, the rich use cheap labor offered by the poor to improve their welfare, while the later becomes poorer. As a result, the poor’s vicious cycles and dependence on donor aid become the norm rather than the exception.
Unless the world resolves to uproot tyrannies unselectively, suffering will continue to be the order of the day. However, this may never happen as the American government is determined to give a blind eye to its allies (The Gambia Voice). For instance, America is reluctant to freeze assets invested by both Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Ben Ali of Tunisia as a token of their long partnership, whereas citizens of the two countries are in utter poverty.
The social construction of class has exacerbated suffering and anguish in the world. The majority of Haiti citizens lacked good education, improved health services, and security. Worst still, d back the poor Haitian asylum-seekers worsening their condition (Farmer 429). The police officers whose mandate is to protect and preserve the welfare of the citizens violate citizen’s rights. In fact, the rich reduces the significance of employees to that of mere commodities. The poor have no rights, and the rich are at liberty to walk with whatever they wish. In most countries, the rich corrupt the way while the poor face the wrath of the law.
Similarly, the rich whites perceive themselves better than the blacks and thus subject the blacks to exploitative work. Although racial stigmatization may seem insignificant, the consequences of the same are dreadful. In South Africa, blacks’ mortality rate was ten times high compared to that of the whites.
Elsewhere, a survey conducted in the US revealed that life expectancy was 69.5 years and 75.5 years for the blacks and whites, respectively (Farmer 434). All these indicators reveal discrepancies between the lifestyles of people of different races, which not only affect lives but also dictate the population growth. Hughes (163) contends that the rich are using human organs (especially from marginalized groups) as spare parts. This is the highest level of human exploitation i.e., the rich mining for body organs from the poor.
The form of government in place matters a lot. For instance, while the dictators aggressively and selfishly guard their empires, democratic governments provide public goods. High misappropriation of resources in the countries under dictatorship makes it difficult for them to produce enough food for subsistence needs. According to BBC News, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Mozambique have rejected supplies of GM food donations in their countries.
On the other hand, fierce drought has forced Angola, Swaziland, and Lesotho to allow the distribution of GM corn (BBC News). Large American multinational companies are producing substandard food in order to amass huge profits. These firms disregard the health of consumers by supplying junk foods causing many health disorders (Food Inc 2008).
Modern food production technologies have brought about many health-related problems. In American, cattle are given feed that is biologically incompatible with their digesting system causing E.coli bacteria. The bacterial affects 73,000 Americans annually. In addition, biological modified food has increased epidemic complications, such as an increase in processed food has increased the level of obesity, diabetes, and cancer.
The multinational corporations have placed a huge veil to prevent the consumer from understanding the quality they produce in order to retain the market. For instance, Chickens that used to take three months to reach maturity are now taking 45 days due to hormones injected. In fact, some of these chickens die even before reaching the market (Food Inc 2008). When all this is happening, the government remains silent while people’s life is at stake.
Human suffering and poor governance are inseparable. Bad leadership voluntarily widens the gaps between the rich and poor (Fegley 153). Autocrats lavish when their subjects remain in a dependent state (Fegley 158). In such situations, it is easier to manipulate them and exercise brutality to silence the rebellious people.
In the1930s, there was a plan by President Roosevelt to improvise on crucial ideas on projects until they worked out successfully. According to him, there had to be some willingness to identify the existing problems and also, try to figure out the solution to the existing problems. This was regarded as the chunk from Roosevelt’s republican successors. A document, which was written by activists in the government, reflected the actions that the country would life to emancipate itself from what was referred to as the era of a suffering nation (Johnson 5).
Main body
Franklin pointed out that there was a need to watch every word of individualism in America if the change was anticipated to take place any time in the vicinity. “…so began, in American political life, the new day of the individual against the system, the day in which individualism was made a great word of America…” (Johnson 165). This was a kind of policy where the business sector was not to interfere with the government. There was the introduction of what is commonly regarded as the industrial revolution which made a great achievement in the country. There were more machines invented to improve peoples’ way of life as it had been before.
According to a speech delivered in the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco in 1932, these were the dreams that never went far. This was because there was an introduction to the policies which counteracted their operations. For instance, there was a rise in the debate that there was a need for the government to compete with private sectors. This in turn never brought competition but drove the private investors away.
According to a letter posted to Perkins in 1935, some years after the president was voted in, working citizens started complaining over small wages. This was an urge for the state to consider wages, which unskilled workers were getting from the tobacco factories. With the workers earning less than $10 working 40 hours per week, this clearly shows that there was “slavery” in the companies. Though it raised some questions on if those poor could claim for better pay, and why they decided to channel their request directly to the government, the fact was still the same that people working at those factories as unskilled were underpaid, while they were working for many hours.
There was also a demand which proposed that there should have been a good distribution of wealth. The US senator Huey Long delivered a speech to members to share the wealth around the country equitably stating that “For twenty years I have been in the battle to provide that, so long as America has, or can produce, an abundance of the things which make life comfortable and happy…” (Johnson 174). This illustrates that for a long period, there was no equality in the country, and they were fighting for it to end, but they were not in a position to eradicate inequality. There was also an indication that there was much wealth in the country, but in contrast, it only was in the pockets of a few citizens of the United States. It was reflected in the speech which was delivered some nights before the date of the election of Mr. Herbert.
Conclusion
To sum everything up, it is necessary to note that there was also a call from a Mexican American farmer who emphasized the need for the people to stick together. A group does not go as far as much as the achievement of the overall goals. This farmer is a citizen in the US noted that there was no unity among fellow Americans.
Works Cited
Johnson, Michael P. Reading the American Past, Volume II: From 1865: Selected Historical Documents. London: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. Print.
Background and Significance: Pain Management as an Essential Element of Healthcare Services
Painful experiences are part and parcel of numerous clinical conditions (Pergolizzi et al., 2015). Therefore, it is crucial for a healthcare practitioner to be able to address the pain-related experiences of the patients and reduce the pain as efficiently as possible. Pain treatment options are especially important for suffering patients that are forced to deal with pain as part and parcel of their condition (Medical Education, Inc., 2016).
Unrelieved pain is likely to lead to a significant drop in inpatient mobility rates, as well as possibly contribute to suppressing the immune system of the patient due to the effects of the negative experience on the pituitary-adrenal axis (Generaal et al., 2014). Indeed, studies show that pain experienced by patients on a regular basis may lead to the development of psychological issues (Mawdsley, Twiddy, & Longworth, 2015).
Particularly, if viewing the painful experiences as a stress factor, one must admit that the target population is likely to develop PTSD and depression as a result of the suffering with which they are forced to deal (Toblin, Quartana, Riviere, Walper, & Hoge, 2015). The rapid increase in cortisol levels in the patient’s body as a response to the pain that they suffer can be viewed as the primary factor contributing to the development of depression and anxiety disorders (Bala, 2013).
Therefore, the significance of the pain management problem is very high, and the issue needs to be addressed successfully. Unless the subject matter is addressed accordingly, the threat of patients developing a comorbid psychological issue and, therefore, experiencing significant difficulties recovering from the disease becomes very high. With the introduction of new approaches to pain management in suffering patients, a healthcare practitioner is likely to create the foundation for the successful management of the issue (Eckard et al., 2016).
Furthermore, the emphasis on providing the patient with an opportunity to control the process of pain management should be viewed as an innovative element that will allow improving the overall experience of the target population. By offering the patient a chance to participate in pain management, a healthcare practitioner is likely to build the foundation for addressing the major stress factors, such as the patient feeling helpless, and reduce their effects to a considerable degree (Rattani, 2015). Proving the target population that they are at least partially in control of their pain, one will create premises for successful cooperation between a patient and the healthcare practitioner (Bener et al., 2013).
As a result, a significant improvement in patient outcomes is expected due to the positive changes in the communication process and, therefore, more accurate compliance with the recommendations provided by the healthcare practitioner, as well as a better understanding of the patient’s needs (Woehrle & Russell, 2015).
Research Question: Exploring the Nature of Pain Management and Determining the Strategy
Seeing that the current study aims at not only exploring the effects of peer mentorship and self-management as the tools for addressing pain in patients but also measuring the effects of the said approaches, the study design should be quantitative. The study will seek to explore the effects that the use of the said approaches has on the management of pain in the target population. Therefore, the research question can be formulated in the following way: To what degree does the introduction of peer mentorship and self-management programs into the treatment process allow alleviating the pain experienced by the patients?
Hypotheses: Self-Management Strategies and Peer Mentorship for Pain Management
Hypothesis A: The use of self-management strategies and the adoption of the peer mentorship approach allow improving pain management in patients by providing them with more control over the process and encouraging them to acquire the relevant skills required to manage pain successfully.
Null hypothesis: The application of self-management strategies and peer mentorship programs does not have any tangible effect on the success in pain management among patients.
Variables: Operational Definition
In the course of the research, several factors affecting the success of pain management in patients suffering from regular pain will be considered. The efficacy of pain management among the target population should be viewed as the primary dependent variable, i.e., the subject of the study. As far as the independent variables are concerned, peer mentorship programs and self-management strategies should be regarded as such.
It should be borne in mind, though, that the study outcomes may be affected by certain extraneous variables. For instance, the effects of the environment in which the patients will be outside of the research, i.e., their relationships with their family members and the possible stress factors associated with the identified area, will not be under the researchers’ control. Therefore, it should be noted that the study outcomes may be affected by the said variables slightly; therefore, influencing the research outcomes.
Among categorical variables, the suggested strategies and programs for pain management should be listed. Quantitative variables, in their turn, are represented by the number of stress factors, the frequency of exposure to the said factors, etc.
References
Bala, N. A. (2013). Pain management, mental health and psychological well-being among patients diagnose with chronic pain in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. American International Journal of Research in Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, 14(1), 194-197.
Bener, A., Verjee, M., Dafeeah, E. E., Falah. O., Al-Juhaishi. T., Schlogl. J., …Khan. S. (2013). Psychological factors: anxiety, depression, and somatization symptoms in low back pain patients. Journal of Pain Research, 6(1), 95-101.
Eckard, C., Asbury, C., Bolduc, B., Camerlengo, C., Gotthardt, J., Healy, L.,… Horzempa, J. (2016). The integration of technology into treatment programs to aid in the reduction of chronic pain. Journal of Pain Management Medicine, 2(3), 1-5.
Generaal, E, Vogelzangs, N., Macfarlane, G. J., Geenen, R., Smit, J. H., Penninx, B. W. J. H., & Dekker, J. (2014). Reduced hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity in chronic multi-site musculoskeletal pain: partly masked by depressive and anxiety disorders. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 15(1), 227-237.
Mawdsley, A., Twiddy, H., & Longworth, M. (2015). Involvement of family and friends in pain management interventions. Journal of Observational Pain Medicine, 1(5), 12-21.
Medical Education, Inc.. (2016). Pain management for New Mexico Advanced Practice Nurses. Web.
Pergolizzi, J. V., Raffa, R. B., Fleischer, C., Hussein, O., Samir, M., Hameed, K. A., … Taylor, R. (2015). The clinical challenge of cancer pain management with emphasis on healthcare in Egypt. Gavin Journal of Anesthesiology, 16(8), 8-15.
Rattani, S. A. (2015). Ethical perspective of cancer pain management. International Journal of Nursing Education, 7(3), 90-93.
Toblin, R. I., Quartana, P. J., Riviere, L. A., Walper, K. C., & Hoge, C. W. (2015). Chronic pain and opioid use in US soldiers after combat deployment. JAMA Internal Medicine, 174(8), 1400-1403.
Woehrle, J. R., & Russell, B. E. (2015). Dry needling and its use in health care: A treatment modality and adjunct for pain management. Journal of Pain & Relief, 4(5), 1-3.
Central Asia is a unique region in terms of natural resources. Several countries, including Kazakhstan, have the abundance of oil, natural gas, and several metals. However, the huge potential is almost undeveloped on a commercial scale, leading to the emergence of the so-called “resource curse.” This paper is aimed at determining the causes of the phenomenon, as well as exploring the potential solutions to the problem and outlining future economic development.
The resource curse is the adverse economic condition that arises from natural resource abundance without proper development of its potential. It usually has the social, economic and political background as its reasons. Termed by Karl as “paradox of plenty”, the process starts with the steep rise of the income in the relatively undeveloped state, which results in the unprecedented power granted to its government (1997).
This power is often used ineffectively, which, coupled with faulty taxation, leads to massive adverse effects. After Kazakhstan has left the Soviet Union and discovered its vast oil reserve shortly afterward, it was expected to make use of its natural resources abundance to promote economic growth in Central Asia. When the discovery was made, there was indeed a rapid increase in the Kazakhstan’s economy, but since the economy is only driven by the natural resources, the growth was subsided with an average GDP growth rate estimate of 10.3 percent annually from 2000 to 2006 (Collier & Goderis 2008).
Kazakhstan is the most interesting country when it comes to analysis of the paradox of plenty because the discrepancy between the resource potential and the development of the business sector is the biggest among the countries of Central Asia (Franke, Gawrich, & Alakbarov 2009).
The Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan, have failed to diversify their economy to other sectors. With this resource curse, several institutions are mismanaged or affected by the resource curse. These include education, individual investment, social services, currency inflation, and hampered financial growth. Resource curse in the key reason the Central Asian countries have been unable to sustain the continuous growth rate (Luong & Weinthal 2001).
The paradox is often ascribed to the Dutch disease in the central Asian countries, a term that characterizes the situation where a country suffers a decrease in one of the branches of the economy while trying to revitalize or sustain other branches. Karl famously changes this notion by pointing to the political reasons as opposed to focusing on the economy (1997).
This view is supported by other experts, who name the involvement of the state authorities among the primary reasons. Nurmakov specifically points at the almost overwhelming level of government control over the oil industry in Kazakhstan as the key factor of the phenomenon (2010). The excessive control results in two drawbacks. First, the technological, managerial, and investment capabilities of the controlling party do not allow the proper development of the sector. Second, it gives way to authoritarianism, and, as a result, to corruption (International Crisis Group 2007).
Currently, the reserves are exploited by corrupt leaders to fund their needs. Such state of events has led to ethnic wars within the countries and, in some cases, power struggle which sometimes results in the death of civilians. Despite all this the economy of Kazakhstan remains under the control of the government elites and the people who support the government. This is due to the causal mechanism known as the repression effect, which correlates the increase in the government security with the funding provided by the resource abundance (Ross 2001). Finally, the taxation effect, resulting from the lowering of taxes while at the same time raising the state expenditures, cannot be ignored (Gel’man & Marganiya 2010).
The resource curse may possibly lead to negative outcomes in both the social and economic trends in these countries. Kazakhstan has a greater dependency on oil and natural gas but a reduced tendency to affect growth from the benefits of these resources. Hence, its economy has seized to grow and became less competitive. The most obvious drawback is that of the economic sector, as the decline of predictability leads to the compromised security of supply and demand (Nurmakov 2010). The energy security is also under impact, as the majority of the Asian countries rely on oil and gas as the primary source of energy (Collier & Goderis 2008).
Kazakhstan’s economy does not attract outside investments despite the obvious potential for the foreign investors. This underdevelopment of the resource management results in the low cost of labor of the people involved and other social insecurities. Finally, the political scene remains insecure: Kazakhstan has limited room to change these outcomes since those in this business mainly control the social, economic and political environment. The corruption of government further hampers the process (International Crisis Group 2007).
There are ways to overcome the resource curse in the central Asian countries other than a reduction in the exploitation of these resources. According to Martin Raiser, there must be policies that are put in place to turn the natural resource abundance into a blessing rather than a curse (2006). These plans are faced with political difficulties when it comes to their implementation. The major fuel resources that are found in Kazakhstan include oil, natural gas, and coal.
There have been traces of other resources in lesser quantities, such as chromium, lead, tungsten, arsenic, beryllium, gold, phosphorus, silver, copper, and zinc. The policies should be aimed at reducing the amount of foreign debt that is borrowed by the country, controlling inflation and government expenditure, and increasing foreign investments. The economic development can be started by providing good infrastructure in the field of transportation and communication networks, by maintaining and building roads and railway systems. Another important point is investing in the education system to provide skills and learning materials for the future generation to secure the skilled workforce and management (Brunnschweiler & Bulte 2008).
Kazakhstan should invest in other sectors such as farming and education as the lack of diversification is among the primary reasons of the curse (Pomfret 2005). The poverty level in these countries is expected to increase with time if no measures are taken. Finally, Kazakhstan should prioritize the political reforms besides the economic growth. Although economic growth has been sustained by the development of authoritative regimes in the countries, there should be a subsequent growth in the economies of these countries once the authoritative government is democratized.
In conclusion, two major directions for further action can be outlined. First, the correct economic measures need to be applied by the state to establish economic development and secure the financial stability. Second, a sustainable political system has to be established in Kazakhstan to maintain the welfare of the citizens and provide a favorable climate for economic growth and political as well as social security.
Reference List
Asian Development Bank 2010, Central Asia Atlas of Natural Resources, Asian Development Bank, Manila.
Brunnschweiler, C N & Bulte, E 2008, ‘The resource curse revisited and revised: A tale of paradoxes and red herrings’, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, vol. 55, no. 3, pp. 248-264.
Franke, A, Gawrich, A, & Alakbarov, G 2009, ‘Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan as post- soviet rentier states: Resource incomes and autocracy as a double ‘curse’ in post- soviet regimes’, Europe-Asia Studies, vol. 61, no. 1, pp. 109–140.
International Crisis Group 2007, Central Asia’s energy risks, Asia report No. 133. Web.
Gel’man, V & Marganiya, O 2010, Resource Curse and Post-Soviet Eurasia: Oil, Gas, and Modernization, Lexington Books, New York.
Karl, T L 1997, The Paradox of Plenty: Oil Booms and Petro-States, University of California Press, Berkley.
Luong, P & Weinthal, E 2001, ‘Prelude to resource curse’, Comparative Political Studies, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 367-399.
Nurmakov, A 2010, ‘Resource nationalism in Kazakhstan’s petroleum sector’, in I Overland, H Kjaernet, & A Kendall-Taylor (eds), Caspian Energy Politics: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, Routledge, New York, pp. 20-37.
Pomfret, R 2005, ‘Kazakhstan’s economy since independence: does the oil boom offer a second chance for sustainable development?’, Europe-Asia Studies, vol. 57, no. 6, pp. 859-876.
Raiser, M T, Lambert, C, & Majerowicz, S 2015, Oil to cash: fighting the resource curse through cash transfers. Web.
Ross, M 2001, ‘Does oil hinder democracy?’, World Politics, vol. 53, no. 3, pp. 325-361.
Tim Lowly defines suffering as a new experience in life. Tim Lowly and Sherrie bore a child with complications such as respiratory problem, brain damage, and cardiac arrest. The complications presented some challenges to the life of Lowly and Sherrie since they had no experience in parenting. Lowly describes the experience using “a metaphor of being on a journey in a desert” (22).
Moreover, Tim Lowly defines suffering from using physical features and posture. In the painting of Autumn of Ashes, Tim Lowly reveals Temma lying on the ground while struggling to wake up.
The posture of Temma shows that she suffers because she is unable to stand and the painting of Strange Progeny portrays Temma lying in an awkward position, which depicts suffering. In the painting of Temma on Earth, Tim Lowly demonstrates her lying desolate and therefore, he gives a picture of suffering as loneliness.
Tim Lowly frames sufferings of Temma using different illustrations in his paintings. In one of the illustrations, Day to Day, Tim Lowly presents Temma as a dependent child, who relies on social support of her parents and other people in the society (Lowly 26).
The Day to Day painting shows a hand, which holds Temma, and thus, it implies that she is suffering. Another illustration is in the paint of Autumn of Ashes, where Tim Lowly depicts Temma lying on the ground, while struggling to wake up. The painting shows that the child suffers and requires support from the parents. Carry Me is also a painting, which illustrates women coming together to carry Temma (Lowly 31).
This painting indicates the cooperation of women in assisting the disabled child. Comparatively, the painting of Temma on Earth shows her in a desolate place, which is a representation of suffering as loneliness. The painting of Culture of Adoration renders that the students, who painted her were her age mates. Culture of Adoration also renders the respect, which the age-mates gave to Temma despite her disabled condition.
A new experience is an aspect of suffering in the story of Tim Lowly. When Tim Lowly and Sherrie bore their first daughter, Temma, the child had some complication such as respiratory problems, brain damage, and cardiac arrest. Since Tim Lowly and Sherrie were new in parenting, they saw complications as great suffering.
The new experience is important because it encourages people to face challenges that they encounter in their daily lives. Earlier, I thought that people suffer because of their own wishes, but I have learned from the new experience and noted that suffering is a natural phenomenon.
Social support is another aspect of suffering since The Carry Me painting illustrates women coming together to carry the disabled child. Women portray the spirit of cooperation and assistance, as from the time Tim Lowly and Sherrie bore Temma with complications, they got support from the community and friends.
Social support is important because it shows that when one has a problem, friends come together to give social support and help. I thought that friends and community abandon people in times of need, however; from Tim Lowly’s experience, I have learned that social support is very important.
Endurance is another aspect of suffering since Tim Lowly and Sherrie endured the disabling condition of Temma for a long period. Even after seeking medical attention, the condition of Temma did not change. Endurance is important because it enables people to cope with suffering since it is part of the experience in life.
I thought people with complications take a short duration to recover and regain their health. However, from the experience of Tim Lowly and Sherrie, I have realized that suffering is a long-term condition, and thus, it requires endurance.
Tim Lowly perceive suffering as a new experience, which is overwhelming for families to bear, and thus, requires support from friends and community.
Works Cited
Lowly, Tim. “Regarding suffering: An artist reflection on perception of suffering in painting.” On Suffering: An Inter-Disciplinary Dialogue on Narrative and the Meaning of Suffering . Ed. Nate Hinerman and Matthew Lewis Sutton. New York: Inter-Disciplinary Press, 2012. 22-36. Print.