The Wife of Bath and the Battle of the Sexes Essay -- The Canterbury T

How far do you concur that in the skirmish of the genders it is the spouse of Bath who has the most effictive weapons and reinforcement? The Wife sees the connection among people as a fight wherein it is critical to pick up the advantage, 'Oon of us two must bowen, douteless' Her reinforcement was to be sure important, as in Medieval England, ladies definitley were peasants who were seen as products and belongings, with no budgetary freedom. They were frequently beaten, and it is obviously in the Wife's temperament to secure herself. She utilizes weapons like her sexuality and her childhood to cause her spouses to endure, to such an extent that they feel inept. 'How pitously a-night I made trim swinke!' This weapon was exceptionally compelling with initial three spouses who she figured out how to command, 'I hadde fix hoolly in myn hond' furthermore, they gave over 'lond and hir tresoor' as she with held sex so as to get her own particular manner with them. The Wife likewise utilized a weapon of double dealing and she unmistakably remarks that ladies have this weapon from birth, 'Swere and lyen as a womman kan' She discloses to her crowd tha... ...nce is that she is by and by in charge as 'he yaf me al the bridel in myn hond To han the administration of ous and lond' In spite of the fact that her marriage with her fifth spouse is rarely settled and there is no victor since he kicks the bucket while she is on a pilgrimmage, she has a decent fight, and likely the most troublesome of every one of her husbands. The general picture is of a Wife who has positively stayed the course. To be expected as her mysterious sign is Mars, inferring quality in war. She is as yet sure and hoping to invite spouse number 6.

Description Essay

During my time as a kid, I visited such a significant number of spots with my family all through Southern California. Perhaps the best memory was the point at which I visited Lake Arrowhead. Situated in the lovely heaps of San Bernardino, Lake Arrowhead is a little city where each family would appreciate living in. Not exclusively is Lake Arrowhead Village an extraordinary spot to live yet incredible spot to appreciate nature’s magnificence whenever of the day. I recollect Lake Arrowhead for its wonderful view, it is family-arranged, and it has numerous open air exercises. While visiting Lake Arrowhead in the winter time, I fell head over heels with the excellent view that nature brought upon my eyes. As I showed up to the house at night, I turned upward and I had the option to see the stars that lit up the sky above me. As I stroll down to the lake, I had the option to hear the crickets’ trilling and the owls hooting as they hear the snapping of the snow that I’m venturing upon. As I glance through the skyline of the day off, saw the ceaseless slant falling towards the lake that clearly was solidified. As I sat on one of the unfrozen advances, I turned upward by and by, and I see the lovely full moon sitting on a cloud. The stars sparkled significantly more splendid when the moon flickered its light rational. The lake looked truly quiet and I just observed two or three waves being brought about by a female duck and her ducklings swimming in the lake. In the first part of the day when I looked outside the window, the sun sparkled wonderfully through the icicles that dangled down the side of the house. At the point when I drove down to the city, you can see the urban areas that are adrift level. As I kept looking down, I see the mists ascending the mountains. Furthermore, as I connect of the car’s window, I can feel the reviving fog that contacts my fingertips. The landscape of the urban communities down beneath can’t never again be seen due to the mists the spread the scene like a cover that extends miles away over the sky. While strolling through the woodland, the leaves continued falling individually. As the night approaches by and by, the dusk looks like on the off chance that somebody painted it correctly to seem like an orange-ish and purple like sky as it gets darker consistently it passes. Other than having wonderful view, Lake Arrowhead is family-arranged. While going through the end of the week in Lake Arrowhead, I got the chance to invest a lot of energy with my family. In The Lake Arrowhead Village my family and I got the opportunity to eat in a Mexican situated eatery called â€Å"Papagayos†. While eating in Papagayos, I got the chance to chat with my family about numerous circumstances that we never had spoken about. For example, I discussed what I figured I ought to do as my profession. My family upheld my choice and is helping me get to it. We likewise got an opportunity to investigate their outside shopping center. There are numerous occasions in The Lake Arrowhead Village that are family arranged, for example, family ability appears. Each Saturday, there is a competion for nearly everything. There are times where they open up a reasonable near the town for the end of the week. Me and my siblings got the chance to play a large number of the matches and dominated numerous prizes. In Lake Arrowhead, there are numerous pleasant exercises all over for families to make the most of their time regardless of in what season we are in. Other than having an excellent view and being family-arranged, Lake Arrowhead has numerous kinds of open air exercises all through the whole year. During spring time, you can run for a significant distance while getting a charge out of the warm sun beams hitting your back. You can likewise climb between make of the hotels that give mountains that are protected to ascend. Throughout the late spring, you can make the most of your time playing numerous games, for example, volleyball. You can likewise invest your energy onâ your private pontoon and swim in the lake at whatever point there are heatwaves. Numerous individuals get their tan at whatever point the sun is extremely brilliant. In fall,

Commencement 2009

Commencement 2009 Now that its been almost three months since I graduated, I figure its about time to blog about it. Turns out Im just as bad as blogging things on time as I always have been. Sorry about that. So. I graduated. And took lots and lots of pictures for your enjoyment. I woke up super early so I could stand around the track in the athletic center for several hours for no apparent reason. Hopefully my blurry photo does something to capture the huge number of people milling around in caps and gowns. I originally thought that we needed to report extra early so that we could have the details of the day explained to us. No such luck. We checked in at a pre-determined station and then just stood around, chatting with friends for a few hours before starting the procession. Throughout the procession were people with clipboards who checked and re-checked that we had all stayed in the right order. Not a single thing was ever explained to us- people just directed us around and we went along with it. It all went perfectly smoothly, but it was pretty frustrating being left totally in the dark. It also seemed unnecessarily complicated- everyone was confused when station 17 left the gym first. I mean, why not just re-number station 17 as station 1, if theyre going to be first? As I was wondering about this, and discussing the stupidity of it with my classmates, I realized why no one explained anything to us. It was exactly because wed start having this conversation- organizing MIT students i s nearly impossible, because no matter what you do, someone else thinks they can do it a more efficient way and tries to change it in the middle. (Trust me, I lived through a few painful examples.) As annoying as it was, I have to give props to whoever organizes the whole thing for the wise insight to not explain any more than was absolutely necessary to the graduates. We walked out onto the astroturf, down Dorm Row, and towards Killian Court. I took a photo of my Brass Rat- it was the last time Id be wearing it beaver down. Kelly 09 is giving an excited thumbs up. Shes quite the character. I had to look at my photos carefully to make sure I didnt include any where she was making a rude gesture. =) Then came an unbelievably cool moment that I think will stay with me for a really long time. We walked through the tent and out onto Killian Court and an awesome view of the Great Dome to the soundtrack of Pomp and Circumstance. Its not something to be described so much as experienced, but it was sort of the exact moment when you realize Oh my God, Im about to graduate from MIT. Thats AWESOME. Its like the complementary bookmark to the equally memorable moment of opening your acceptance letter and realizing, Oh my God, Im about to go to MIT. Thats AWESOME. (Believe it or not, back in the day, we used to get our decision letters in the mail. Im a dinosaur, I know.) We took our seats and waited for all 1500 of us to file into Killian. Then Deval Patrick, the governor of Massachusetts, made a speech. No offense, but it was pretty boring. (It was also almost exactly the same as every other graduation speech hes made in the past 2 years. It was leaked to us in a joke flyer that was handed out before the ceremony, advising us to look out for certain keywords and stories that were sure to make an appearance.) Its only been a couple of months, but I dont remember a single thing he said except, I know none of you are going to remember anything I say today. Boring speaker or not, I guess that makes him pretty smart. Then Susan Hockfield got up and made another speech. I dont even remember if it was boring or not. I hope none of this sounds too disrespectful, but really, most of us were too excited to really pay attention to anything. We were too busy talking to our friends and throwing beach balls around and waiting for the moment when we got to turn our rings around. Theres a tradition surrounding the Brass Rat (MITs class ring). Students get their rings at the end of sophomore year, and wear them with the beaver facing towards them. Once they graduate and become alumni, they wear the ring the opposite way, with the beaver facing outwards. (There are also traditional colorful explanations about why the beaver sits on the student until graduation, but I leave that as an exercise for the reader.) Turning your brass rat around at commencement is a milestone everyone looks forward to, almost from the moment they first slip the ring on their finger. And while it was pretty exciting, it was immediately followed by hundreds of exclamations of it looks so weird that way! After that it wasnt long before I shook hands with President Hockfield and claimed my diploma. This is really the moment I looked forward to. It was like a final, triumphant gesture saying, Aha! MIT, you were a worthy adversary! But despite your sleepless nights and insanely hard problem sets, I have conquered you! And then I put my fists on my hips in a superhero pose. But not really. I was near the beginning of the ceremony (Degrees are awarded alphabetically by school, numerically by course, alphabetically by last name, and alternating graduate and undergraduate. Dont worry, its nearly impossible to understand, even when youre standing there counting down the names until they call you.) so after getting my diploma I got to spend a lot of time sitting around while everyone else got their diplomas. I started reading the book I had snuck in with me. Finally, the ceremony was over and we got to start the fun of taking a million pictures. I normally hate getting my picture taken (ask me about prom sometime, ugh) but this was actually kind of fun. My grandma made the trip up to watch me graduate. My sister decided that she should be the one holding my diploma in the pictures so I had to steal it back and protect it from her. (My sister is 18, my parents and I just dropped her off at her freshman dorm about a week ago.) Me and my parents. And of course, the Conner 2 delegation! Our old GRT, Chris, was supposed to graduate two years ago but had a lot of technical hangups that needed to get cleared up first. So he moved to DC with his wife while he ironed out the kinks, and then came back to graduate with Adelaide, Rick and I, which we were very excited about. So of course we had a Conner 2 reunion (Chris and I had both left the floor, technically, although I hadnt gone very far). By the way, I know it may look as if Im dressed nicely underneath my gown, but looks can be deceiving. I knew that to survive the hours-long ceremony I would need my cell phone, my camera, a book, and some snacks. I also knew they wouldnt allow us to carry bags into the ceremony, which left only one attire choice: cargo pants. So I found an appropriate black t-shirt that would blend in with the collar of my gown and my cargo pants with the biggest pockets. Then I rolled the pants up so they wouldnt show beneath the hem of my gown, and put on some nice but comfortable shoes (which I bought in Madrid for 6 euros- believe or not, those shoes are a huge fashion trend in Spain) and figured no one would know the difference. Well, my mom made fun of me, but I think it just represents the MIT ingenuity that will serve me for years to come. After the Conner 2 reunion, I ventured over to the first aid tent to say hi to the EMTs. This might have been the most fun part of my day. I havent been involved in the organization for the past year, but I really love all the people in the group and missed them a lot, so it was great to see them on commencement day. I listened intently while our supervisor, Mark, brandished my own diploma at me while dispensing life advice. Mark is great. Like I said, there were a lot of pictures. My sister just wouldnt stop snapping her camera. There are actually quite a few photos of the back of my head walking in front of her, on the phone coordinating the Conner 2 reunion, and waving sarcastically to my sister as she took a picture of me talking with my friends. But mostly, there are lots of pictures showing just how excited I was. After all of that we headed back to the dorm for a few hours. Then Sarah, Adelaide and I went out to dinner with all our families. (It was a pretty enormous group for only 3 graduates.) The next day we packed my dads pickup truck to the brim with all my stuff and headed back to New Jersey. And now? Well, now Im hanging out at home, searching for a job, and working at the awesome summer job I had before I ever left home for MIT. Thats right, I graduated from MIT and promptly got a job as a lifeguard at a waterpark. The skys the limit when youre an MIT engineer. =) Post Tagged #Commencement

Substance Abuse At Tulane Reily Center - 930 Words

Last week I have been on my first A. A. meeting that was held at Tulane Reily Center. Because I have not been exposed to the issue of substance abuse before, I did not know what to expect and, frankly, was a little scared. I did not know how people who have real issue would react to me, what questions they might have, and whether they will be welcoming to the newcomers- observers or not. Watching television, I had some idea of what it would be like – chairs placed in a circle, middle-aged group of people, mostly males, depressed facial expression and stories, full of pain. Arriving there, I was surprised, shock and overwhelmed by the experience at the same time. First, I have noticed how young all of the participants are, most of them barely reaching the age of 21. There were roughly 15 people, 2/3 were females. I could not believe when I first arrived that they were there because they were having an addiction. Moreover, the atmosphere of the group was welcoming, and half of the group seemed cheerful and healthy, the other half seemed melancholic and attentive. The meeting started with the welcoming greetings from the facilitator, and she read some rules for the meeting from a â€Å"12 Traditions† book: keep confidentiality, stay in the â€Å"here and now†; make â€Å"I† statements, share feelings, no crosstalk or advice giving. There was some tension when it was time for someone to share the story, so we all sat patiently and waited when someone would finally have enough courage to talk

Diabetes Diabetes And Digestive And Kidney Diseases

Diabetes mellitus has risen to epidemic proportions in the United States, from 1980 through 2011, the number of adults with diabetes has increased immensely from 5.5 million to 19.6 million (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], n.d.). Diabetes global prevalence research by Wild, Roglic, Green, Sicree, and King (2004) predicted that, the total number of people with diabetes will rise from 171 million in 2000 to 366 million in 2030. Diabetes has many causative factors that encompass genetic, lifestyle, and environmental categories. Diabetes can vary in different individuals in correlation with their surrounding population and environmental exposures. Individuals who manage their diabetes often need specific plans and counseling. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases [NIDDK] (2014) describes, diabetes as a disorder of metabolism, and it develops when the body cannot make enough insulin or is unable to use it effectively and release it into the blood. In short, people with diabetes have high blood sugar or glucose. The NIDDK (2014) explains the following: Over time, high blood glucose damages nerves and blood vessels, leading to complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, dental disease, and amputations. Other complications of diabetes may include increased susceptibility to other diseases, loss of mobility with aging, depression, and pregnancy problems. No one is certain what starts the processes thatShow MoreRelatedA Brief Note On Diabetes And Digestive And Kidney Disease Essay1649 Words   |  7 PagesUnit 7 Assignment: Unfolding Case Study Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death. 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Aboriginal Suicide Free Essays

string(47) " You fought for bread, you fought for clothes\." Suicide and Healing: Aboriginals Overcoming the Hardships and Barriers Aboriginal peoples have had to endure many tragedies throughout history, which has affected them emotionally and mentally. It is no wonder that this group of people are amongst the highest suicide rates in Canada (Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, 1995). This is a look at those tragedies and how it is tied in with suicide, also mechanisms used by Aboriginals to start the healing process. We will write a custom essay sample on Aboriginal Suicide or any similar topic only for you Order Now Definition of Suicide amongst Aboriginals Suicide and its roots in Aboriginal communities is said to be one of the many outcomes of colonialism and are matters of great concern. The impact of someone dying from suicide affects the family and the community. Many contributing factors of suicide and its attempts in both Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal are as followed: sexual abuse, family violence, solvent abuse, addictions, lack of proper leadership, deterioration of family structure, etc. Studies have shown that the rate of suicide of all age groups amongst Aboriginals is 2 to 3 times higher than compared to the rate of non-Aboriginals. When it comes to the youth it is 5 to 6 times higher. This could be due to the fact that Aboriginal communities are so close knit that when one commits suicide it causes a ripple effect. That being said we must take into consideration that, â€Å"suicide is not just a problem in itself, but the symptom of deeper problems† (Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, 1995, p. 2). Residential Schools In the early 19th century the Canadian government took it upon themselves to educate and care for the Aboriginal peoples. They thought that the best way in doing so was to assimilate Aboriginals with Christian beliefs, the English language and Canadian customs. Their idea was that Aboriginals would take their adoptive lifestyle and teach it to their children, with the notion that the native traditions and practices would be diminished or completely abolished within a few generations. The Canadian government felt that children were easier to mold than an adult (N. A. , 2010). They wished to minimize the amount of contact a child had with his or her parents and elders, so Aboriginal children were forced to relocate off reserve to a boarding school. Here the children would learn how to survive in mainstream society, and forget who they were and what their culture had taught them. The schools were not geared toward academics, but sought to train them in manual labour and industrial work. These Aboriginal children were forced to live, work and learn in unsafe conditions; due to the fact that facilities were not up to par, and the cheapest of supplies were used to erect the buildings (Kirmayer et al. , 2007). The church officials used punishment to humiliate, undermine and cause pain to the children. For instance, upon arriving at the residential school the children were assigned numbers that would identify them and given severe haircuts; hair has tremendous symbolism in many Aboriginal cultures. Many of the children were sexually abused, and in most cases it did not stay closeted in the residential schools, but made its way back to the communities where the victims would then become the perpetrators (Kirmayer et al. , 2007). Indian agents saw the Aboriginals extended family living as unfit and unnatural, and sought to shape them into a ‘normal’ nuclear family. Aboriginal children were taking from their homes and placed in residential schools, which were usually located a significant distance off reserve. This made it nearly impossible for the families to visit one another. The children were allowed to write letters in order to keep in contact with their family, but the letters were looked over by the school officials to ensure no complaints were being made about their harsh treatment. This form of assimilation had a harsh impact on aboriginal community, culture and society. It also took a toll on the parenting practices amongst many of the Aboriginal peoples (Kirmayer et al. , 2007). Impacts of Residential Schools When the law that allowed government officials to take Aboriginal children out of their communities passed, the effects were tragic. Many of the surviving adults are still tremendously traumatised, that they find being a good parent and community member troublesome (Alberta Health, 1995). The amount of abuse that Aboriginal children had to endure during those dark times has been connected to the current suffering of their communities. A lot have turned to alcohol and other substances to deal with their pain; this in turn causes dysfunctional family units and communities. Many of the former students cannot speak their languages and more or less feel too ashamed to teach it to their own children. This is because the staff took it upon themselves to punish ever child who acted or spoke like an ‘Indian’. When the children returned home there was a communication failure with their elders, because they were too ashamed to speak in their language; reasons stated earlier on. Since they could not communicate to one another the opportunity to respect their elders and learn their language and culture diminished. The gap on communication also led to a rejection of their traditional values and beliefs, because the elders were the teachers of the community. While attending the school a significant amount of students were victims to sexual abuse at the hands of educators, fellow students and administrators. But, the abuse didn’t stop there the victimized students began internalizing, normalizing and even recreating the sexual abuse within their own communities. They themselves sought the power those of authority once had on them. This in turn added more dysfunction to the family ties with Aboriginal communities. The parents whose children were taken from them felt guilty, like the children blamed them for the reasons they were being taken, they no longer felt needed anymore. Some may say this is the reason many turned to alcohol and drugs (Kirmayer et al. , 2007). Jealousy and greed were taught in the schools and missions. You fought for bread, you fought for clothes. You read "Aboriginal Suicide" in category "Papers" There was no love involved. You were taken from your family and held in the missions for 10 months straight. The mothers and dads couldn’t exercise their love. Now there are lots of people, who don’t know how to raise kids, because this is what they went through, and that’s what they pass on, because that’s the only thing they know (Alberta Health, 1995, p. 9). The 60’s Scoop The term Sixties scoop refers to the adoption of Metis and First Nations children that took place during the 1960’s. The name was derived due to the fact that during that decade the number of adoptions that took place in Canada was the highest in its history, in most cases children were literally scooped up from their families and community without the consent of their parents and fellow band members. During this time government officials and social works saw the Aboriginal peoples as unfit and could not adequately provide the children with what they needed. One of the reasons they thought this was because their houses were not similar to the Euro-Canadian houses for example; children ate wild meat and bannock and rather than having their cupboards stocked full of food, Aboriginals simply hunted and gathered what was needed. Many of the Aboriginals who were affected saw the removal of their children as a deliberate act of cultural genocide (Sinclair, 2011). About 70% of the children taken from their families were placed in non-Aboriginal homes, many of these homes denied them of their heritage and culture. A vast majority of the foster families told the children they were of a different race such as Italian or French, rather than telling them where they had originally come from. A lot of the children suspected they were of Aboriginal decent, but could not confirm it. This was due to the Government policy that birth records could not be issued unless both the child and parent had given their consent. Many of the children floated from foster family to foster family and never really experienced true stability. On numerous occasions Aboriginal children went from loving, caring and well intentioned Aboriginal families; to places of slave labour and physical, sexual and emotional abuse. For, abuse of any kind was not uncommon and usually covered up, to hide just how unjust the government was (Hanson, 2009). Impacts of The 60’s Scoop Many of the children experienced marginalization, identity confusion, attachment disorders, emotional emptiness, abuse, self-hatred, racism and even substance addictions. These experiences later affected their family units and communities, because they were taught that this was right. A study done in Prince Albert penitentiary found that 95% of incarcerated Aboriginals had been in foster care as a child. Also, a vast majority of surviving children are sexually exploited or live on the streets. This tragedy was yet another blow that language and culture amongst Aboriginals peoples had to endure (Kirmayer et al. , 2007). Linking Tragedy to Suicide As stated earlier both of these tragedies have led to further cases of physical and sexual abuse, but there are links between them and the high number of suicides in Aboriginal communities as well. Studies have found hat mental illness, family breakdown and child abuse are higher in those who have experienced these tragedies than those who haven’t. Some of these mental health problems have been diagnosed as residential school syndrome or RSS, some may say that the government spends too much time trying to diagnose them rather than trying to fix the problem. Aboriginal peoples not only suffered during these times, bu t the long lasting effects still reside with them today. So, Aboriginal peoples are still suffering. In fact, these negative consequences have a substantial impact on Aboriginal families and communities. Although many have not been able to cope with their pain, some have gone on to live healthy and successful lives. The many types of abuse these children faced have been very traumatic, and studies have shown that separation from families has the severest impact on one’s mental health. Suicide itself is associated with emotional deprivation, separation of families and losses in early life. That being said, when the children were separated from their families and taken from what was familiar to them during both of these tragedies spoken of earlier, they became high risk (Kirmayer et al. 2007). There are 4 families of related factors of suicide within Aboriginal communities, they are: * Psycho-biological factors- which are the various mental disorders linked with suicide. * Life history or situational factors- which are the trauma one faces in early childhood, dysfunctional family, unable to relate or trust both peers and members of authority, absence of spiritual and religious b eliefs, imprisonment and substance abuse. * Socio-economic factors- unemployment, poverty, stability, prosperity and low class status. Culture stress- the loss of norms, values and beliefs there were originally to taught to one in their own culture (Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, 1995). Aboriginal Healing Processes Every community and Aboriginal individuals are unique in their own way. But, the beliefs these communities and band members hold are quite similar. In these communities the care and love everyone has for one another is tremendous, they feel a sense of belonging within the larger universe. When looking at any issue within a community the Aboriginal peoples believe that ou can’t just look at one aspect of a person or community, but rather the total person, total community and total environment. In order for a person to be healthy they must take care of themselves as a ‘whole’. For Aboriginal peoples this means that the mind, body, soul and emoti onal spirits must all work together in order for one to be healthy. They also believe in the circle of life, that in order for the human race to progress we must follow the values of balance and harmony. Traditional healing is very important in the Aboriginal culture, in fact many traditional healers are now working within hospitals all across Canada. But, there are many hardships facing these healers such as; finances, conflict with hospital staff and even Aboriginals who do not value this approach (Alberta Health, 1995). What happens in one stage of a person’s life is interconnected with every other aspect of his or her life. Although many of the children who survived these above tragedies do not remember what happened or do not wish to think about it, they must try to heal and explore in order to keep on surviving. As children, there are limited options, but as an adult we have choices to overcome these hardships, whether we choose to or not is totally up to oneself. In order to survive one must follow a positive path and take the following steps into consideration: * Acknowledge that they have been hurt * They must ‘own’ these feelings of hurt and pain. * Explore and try to remember what happened to them. * Learn to share these feelings with people who care and are not judgemental. * Make choices that will help you live in a more positive lifestyle (Mussell et al. 1993). Some may say that the government succeeded in bringing down the Aboriginal peoples, but they are wrong to think that they will stay down. Many Aboriginal peoples have gone on to live happy healthy lives and will continue to teach their children these ways. But, in order for the people to survive we must help and try to live balanced lives free of racism and hate (Alberta Health, 1995). Healthy communities are our greatest resource. But there are barriers that prevent us from experiencing good health and they are often as a result of our own lifestyles. Most of us have the knowledge of how to enhance our own health but knowing does not always translate into doing. Enhancing our health may require lifestyle change and habit changes, and that is difficult. It is easier to do things that make us feel good if we have resources available and support from those around us and our community (Alberta Health, 1995, p. 68). References Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. (1995). Choosing life: Special report on suicide among Aboriginal people. Ottawa, ON: Canada Communication Group. Alberta Health. (1995). Strengthening the circle: What Aboriginal Albertans say about their health. Edmonton, AB: Aboriginal Health Unit Alberta Health. Kirmayer, L. J. , Brass, G. M. , Holton, T. , Paul, K. , Simpson, C. , amp; Tait, C. (2007). Suicide among Aboriginal people in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Aboriginal Healing Foundation. Mussell, W. J. , Nicholls, W. M. , amp; Adler, M. T. (1993). Making meaning of mental health challenges in First Nations: A Freirean perspective. Chilliwack, B. C. : Sal’I’Shan Institute Society. Sinclair, R. (2011). Origins Canada: Supporting those separated by adoption; The 60’s scoop. Retrieved from http://www. originscanada. org/the-stolen-generation/ N. A. (2008, May, 16). Residential schools: A history of residential schools in Canada. Retrieved from http://www. cbc. ca/news/canada/story/2008/05/16/f-faqs-residential-schools. html Hanson, E. (2009). Sixties Scoop: The sixties scoop amp; Aboriginal child welfare. Retrieved from http://indigenousfoundations. arts. ubc. ca/home/government-policy/sixties-scoop. html How to cite Aboriginal Suicide, Papers

Aboriginal Suicide Free Essays

string(47) " You fought for bread, you fought for clothes\." Suicide and Healing: Aboriginals Overcoming the Hardships and Barriers Aboriginal peoples have had to endure many tragedies throughout history, which has affected them emotionally and mentally. It is no wonder that this group of people are amongst the highest suicide rates in Canada (Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, 1995). This is a look at those tragedies and how it is tied in with suicide, also mechanisms used by Aboriginals to start the healing process. We will write a custom essay sample on Aboriginal Suicide or any similar topic only for you Order Now Definition of Suicide amongst Aboriginals Suicide and its roots in Aboriginal communities is said to be one of the many outcomes of colonialism and are matters of great concern. The impact of someone dying from suicide affects the family and the community. Many contributing factors of suicide and its attempts in both Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal are as followed: sexual abuse, family violence, solvent abuse, addictions, lack of proper leadership, deterioration of family structure, etc. Studies have shown that the rate of suicide of all age groups amongst Aboriginals is 2 to 3 times higher than compared to the rate of non-Aboriginals. When it comes to the youth it is 5 to 6 times higher. This could be due to the fact that Aboriginal communities are so close knit that when one commits suicide it causes a ripple effect. That being said we must take into consideration that, â€Å"suicide is not just a problem in itself, but the symptom of deeper problems† (Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, 1995, p. 2). Residential Schools In the early 19th century the Canadian government took it upon themselves to educate and care for the Aboriginal peoples. They thought that the best way in doing so was to assimilate Aboriginals with Christian beliefs, the English language and Canadian customs. Their idea was that Aboriginals would take their adoptive lifestyle and teach it to their children, with the notion that the native traditions and practices would be diminished or completely abolished within a few generations. The Canadian government felt that children were easier to mold than an adult (N. A. , 2010). They wished to minimize the amount of contact a child had with his or her parents and elders, so Aboriginal children were forced to relocate off reserve to a boarding school. Here the children would learn how to survive in mainstream society, and forget who they were and what their culture had taught them. The schools were not geared toward academics, but sought to train them in manual labour and industrial work. These Aboriginal children were forced to live, work and learn in unsafe conditions; due to the fact that facilities were not up to par, and the cheapest of supplies were used to erect the buildings (Kirmayer et al. , 2007). The church officials used punishment to humiliate, undermine and cause pain to the children. For instance, upon arriving at the residential school the children were assigned numbers that would identify them and given severe haircuts; hair has tremendous symbolism in many Aboriginal cultures. Many of the children were sexually abused, and in most cases it did not stay closeted in the residential schools, but made its way back to the communities where the victims would then become the perpetrators (Kirmayer et al. , 2007). Indian agents saw the Aboriginals extended family living as unfit and unnatural, and sought to shape them into a ‘normal’ nuclear family. Aboriginal children were taking from their homes and placed in residential schools, which were usually located a significant distance off reserve. This made it nearly impossible for the families to visit one another. The children were allowed to write letters in order to keep in contact with their family, but the letters were looked over by the school officials to ensure no complaints were being made about their harsh treatment. This form of assimilation had a harsh impact on aboriginal community, culture and society. It also took a toll on the parenting practices amongst many of the Aboriginal peoples (Kirmayer et al. , 2007). Impacts of Residential Schools When the law that allowed government officials to take Aboriginal children out of their communities passed, the effects were tragic. Many of the surviving adults are still tremendously traumatised, that they find being a good parent and community member troublesome (Alberta Health, 1995). The amount of abuse that Aboriginal children had to endure during those dark times has been connected to the current suffering of their communities. A lot have turned to alcohol and other substances to deal with their pain; this in turn causes dysfunctional family units and communities. Many of the former students cannot speak their languages and more or less feel too ashamed to teach it to their own children. This is because the staff took it upon themselves to punish ever child who acted or spoke like an ‘Indian’. When the children returned home there was a communication failure with their elders, because they were too ashamed to speak in their language; reasons stated earlier on. Since they could not communicate to one another the opportunity to respect their elders and learn their language and culture diminished. The gap on communication also led to a rejection of their traditional values and beliefs, because the elders were the teachers of the community. While attending the school a significant amount of students were victims to sexual abuse at the hands of educators, fellow students and administrators. But, the abuse didn’t stop there the victimized students began internalizing, normalizing and even recreating the sexual abuse within their own communities. They themselves sought the power those of authority once had on them. This in turn added more dysfunction to the family ties with Aboriginal communities. The parents whose children were taken from them felt guilty, like the children blamed them for the reasons they were being taken, they no longer felt needed anymore. Some may say this is the reason many turned to alcohol and drugs (Kirmayer et al. , 2007). Jealousy and greed were taught in the schools and missions. You fought for bread, you fought for clothes. You read "Aboriginal Suicide" in category "Papers" There was no love involved. You were taken from your family and held in the missions for 10 months straight. The mothers and dads couldn’t exercise their love. Now there are lots of people, who don’t know how to raise kids, because this is what they went through, and that’s what they pass on, because that’s the only thing they know (Alberta Health, 1995, p. 9). The 60’s Scoop The term Sixties scoop refers to the adoption of Metis and First Nations children that took place during the 1960’s. The name was derived due to the fact that during that decade the number of adoptions that took place in Canada was the highest in its history, in most cases children were literally scooped up from their families and community without the consent of their parents and fellow band members. During this time government officials and social works saw the Aboriginal peoples as unfit and could not adequately provide the children with what they needed. One of the reasons they thought this was because their houses were not similar to the Euro-Canadian houses for example; children ate wild meat and bannock and rather than having their cupboards stocked full of food, Aboriginals simply hunted and gathered what was needed. Many of the Aboriginals who were affected saw the removal of their children as a deliberate act of cultural genocide (Sinclair, 2011). About 70% of the children taken from their families were placed in non-Aboriginal homes, many of these homes denied them of their heritage and culture. A vast majority of the foster families told the children they were of a different race such as Italian or French, rather than telling them where they had originally come from. A lot of the children suspected they were of Aboriginal decent, but could not confirm it. This was due to the Government policy that birth records could not be issued unless both the child and parent had given their consent. Many of the children floated from foster family to foster family and never really experienced true stability. On numerous occasions Aboriginal children went from loving, caring and well intentioned Aboriginal families; to places of slave labour and physical, sexual and emotional abuse. For, abuse of any kind was not uncommon and usually covered up, to hide just how unjust the government was (Hanson, 2009). Impacts of The 60’s Scoop Many of the children experienced marginalization, identity confusion, attachment disorders, emotional emptiness, abuse, self-hatred, racism and even substance addictions. These experiences later affected their family units and communities, because they were taught that this was right. A study done in Prince Albert penitentiary found that 95% of incarcerated Aboriginals had been in foster care as a child. Also, a vast majority of surviving children are sexually exploited or live on the streets. This tragedy was yet another blow that language and culture amongst Aboriginals peoples had to endure (Kirmayer et al. , 2007). Linking Tragedy to Suicide As stated earlier both of these tragedies have led to further cases of physical and sexual abuse, but there are links between them and the high number of suicides in Aboriginal communities as well. Studies have found hat mental illness, family breakdown and child abuse are higher in those who have experienced these tragedies than those who haven’t. Some of these mental health problems have been diagnosed as residential school syndrome or RSS, some may say that the government spends too much time trying to diagnose them rather than trying to fix the problem. Aboriginal peoples not only suffered during these times, bu t the long lasting effects still reside with them today. So, Aboriginal peoples are still suffering. In fact, these negative consequences have a substantial impact on Aboriginal families and communities. Although many have not been able to cope with their pain, some have gone on to live healthy and successful lives. The many types of abuse these children faced have been very traumatic, and studies have shown that separation from families has the severest impact on one’s mental health. Suicide itself is associated with emotional deprivation, separation of families and losses in early life. That being said, when the children were separated from their families and taken from what was familiar to them during both of these tragedies spoken of earlier, they became high risk (Kirmayer et al. 2007). There are 4 families of related factors of suicide within Aboriginal communities, they are: * Psycho-biological factors- which are the various mental disorders linked with suicide. * Life history or situational factors- which are the trauma one faces in early childhood, dysfunctional family, unable to relate or trust both peers and members of authority, absence of spiritual and religious b eliefs, imprisonment and substance abuse. * Socio-economic factors- unemployment, poverty, stability, prosperity and low class status. Culture stress- the loss of norms, values and beliefs there were originally to taught to one in their own culture (Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, 1995). Aboriginal Healing Processes Every community and Aboriginal individuals are unique in their own way. But, the beliefs these communities and band members hold are quite similar. In these communities the care and love everyone has for one another is tremendous, they feel a sense of belonging within the larger universe. When looking at any issue within a community the Aboriginal peoples believe that ou can’t just look at one aspect of a person or community, but rather the total person, total community and total environment. In order for a person to be healthy they must take care of themselves as a ‘whole’. For Aboriginal peoples this means that the mind, body, soul and emoti onal spirits must all work together in order for one to be healthy. They also believe in the circle of life, that in order for the human race to progress we must follow the values of balance and harmony. Traditional healing is very important in the Aboriginal culture, in fact many traditional healers are now working within hospitals all across Canada. But, there are many hardships facing these healers such as; finances, conflict with hospital staff and even Aboriginals who do not value this approach (Alberta Health, 1995). What happens in one stage of a person’s life is interconnected with every other aspect of his or her life. Although many of the children who survived these above tragedies do not remember what happened or do not wish to think about it, they must try to heal and explore in order to keep on surviving. As children, there are limited options, but as an adult we have choices to overcome these hardships, whether we choose to or not is totally up to oneself. In order to survive one must follow a positive path and take the following steps into consideration: * Acknowledge that they have been hurt * They must ‘own’ these feelings of hurt and pain. * Explore and try to remember what happened to them. * Learn to share these feelings with people who care and are not judgemental. * Make choices that will help you live in a more positive lifestyle (Mussell et al. 1993). Some may say that the government succeeded in bringing down the Aboriginal peoples, but they are wrong to think that they will stay down. Many Aboriginal peoples have gone on to live happy healthy lives and will continue to teach their children these ways. But, in order for the people to survive we must help and try to live balanced lives free of racism and hate (Alberta Health, 1995). Healthy communities are our greatest resource. But there are barriers that prevent us from experiencing good health and they are often as a result of our own lifestyles. Most of us have the knowledge of how to enhance our own health but knowing does not always translate into doing. Enhancing our health may require lifestyle change and habit changes, and that is difficult. It is easier to do things that make us feel good if we have resources available and support from those around us and our community (Alberta Health, 1995, p. 68). References Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. (1995). Choosing life: Special report on suicide among Aboriginal people. Ottawa, ON: Canada Communication Group. Alberta Health. (1995). Strengthening the circle: What Aboriginal Albertans say about their health. Edmonton, AB: Aboriginal Health Unit Alberta Health. Kirmayer, L. J. , Brass, G. M. , Holton, T. , Paul, K. , Simpson, C. , amp; Tait, C. (2007). Suicide among Aboriginal people in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Aboriginal Healing Foundation. Mussell, W. J. , Nicholls, W. M. , amp; Adler, M. T. (1993). Making meaning of mental health challenges in First Nations: A Freirean perspective. Chilliwack, B. C. : Sal’I’Shan Institute Society. Sinclair, R. (2011). Origins Canada: Supporting those separated by adoption; The 60’s scoop. Retrieved from http://www. originscanada. org/the-stolen-generation/ N. A. (2008, May, 16). Residential schools: A history of residential schools in Canada. Retrieved from http://www. cbc. ca/news/canada/story/2008/05/16/f-faqs-residential-schools. html Hanson, E. (2009). Sixties Scoop: The sixties scoop amp; Aboriginal child welfare. Retrieved from http://indigenousfoundations. arts. ubc. ca/home/government-policy/sixties-scoop. html How to cite Aboriginal Suicide, Papers