Marriage and European Dowry Custom Essay Example for Free

Marriage and European Dowry Custom Essay Lobolo or Lobola (Mahadi in Sesotho; sometimes translated as bride price) is a traditional Southern African custom whereby the man pays the family of his fiancee for her hand in marriage (Compare with the European dowry custom where the woman brings assets[citation needed]). The custom is aimed at bringing the two families together, fostering mutual respect, and indicating that the man is capable of supporting his wife financially and emotionally. Traditionally the lobola payment was in cattle as cattle were the primary source of wealth in African society. However, most modern urban couples have switched to using cash. The process of lobola negotiations can be long and complex, and involves many members from both the brides and the grooms extended families. Often, to dispel any tensions between the families, a bottle of brandy is placed on the table. This is usually not drunk; it is simply a gesture to welcome the guest family and make everyone feel more relaxed (it is known as mvulamlomo, which is Xhosa for mouth opener). Lobola may have some unintended negative effects. It may have created a financial barrier for some young men looking to take a bride. It is common for a couple that are emotionally ready to commit to each other to stay unmarried if they do not have the financial resources to satisfy the impeding traditional ritual. For those who do have the financial means, the issue can be Lobolas opportunity cost. Young men who are in the wealth-creation stage of life may feel that their future is better secured if they invest their money elsewhere to receive significant financial returns. Lobola is seen by some as an extravagance that has little relevance in a society where young Africans are trying to lift themselves out of inherited poverty. However, the tradition is adhered to as strongly as ever, and in families where tradition and intention override greed, lobola can be a great way of showing commitment between families, not just between the bride and groom. Many traditional marriages utilise a cash-based lobola; this can be then followed by a European-style wedding ceremony, where the lobola funds are used to pay for expenses. In this way, any outlaid costs are returned to the payer in another form, preserving tradition, honour and finances.

What is Economics? :: Economic Systems Economy Scarcity Essays

Economics, in one aspect, is the study of how individuals, societies, and countries manage to deal with the problem of scarcity. Scarcity is a problem within economics because the wants of people are unlimited and the resources available to fulfil those wants are finite (Sloman, 2001). The answer to scarcity is efficiency which Gowland and Paterson (1993) described as the most benefit from a certain amount of scarce resources. Within the economic system, there are several types of economies, each generating a different level of efficiency. It is said that an economic system that has allocative efficiency, productive efficiency, and equity will be effective. Along with the latter mentioned, the division of labour and comparative advantage, when exploited also bring about the effectiveness of a system. Within an economic system there are two contrasting ideals: the market economy and the planned economy. A free-market or laissez-faire economy makes decisions on an individual level with minimal government intervention. On the other hand of the spectrum lies the planned economy where all economic decisions are made by the government (Sloman, 2001). Both economies have their advantages and disadvantages. In a free-market economy there is freedom of choice, high incentives, and the belief in consumer sovereignty, yet, there are problems such as inequality of income, macroeconomic instability, and the chance of market failure. Likewise, though a planned economy has advantages such as low levels of unemployment and equal distribution of income, there is a loss of personal freedom and lack of consumer choice. Many people feel that efficiency lies in the free-market economy where one can easily answer the questions what should be produced, how it should be produced, and for whom. However, the problem with this ‘capitalist’ economy is that poverty and boom and bust cycles reduce progress (Economic Systems: How Societies adapt to Problems, 2003). â€Å"If you care about economic efficiency, you should like free markets†¦But they would also believe the second one should be qualified, in addition to its stabilisation and distribution functions, governments will be needed to correct market imperfections†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Rhoads, 1999, p.66) Rhoads (1999) mentions how a market economy leans towards more efficiency but needs the government sporadically, a combination which makes the so-called mixed economy. A mixed economy which leans towards laissez-faire, as in the case with the U.S or the United Kingdom, is rather successful. On the contrary, countries, such as Burma or North Korea, which slant towards a planned economy, lack progress. Along with allocative efficiency, how resources should be allocated, productive efficiency, which production method should be utilised, and equity, â€Å"specialisation and exchange are both necessary to have an efficient economy† (Demmert, 1991 p.3). Specialisation comes in the

Look at the section from Charley’s entrance to exit

The scene featuring Willy, Charley and Willy's fictional vision of his brother Ben. This scene provides and excellent insight into the main body of the plays ideas and provides a debatable level of dramatic effectiveness which I intend to examine. It particularly provides an insight into the ideas of the romanticised, American, capitalist society within the play, Willies belief in ‘being liked' and his need to take self-esteem from others being the key part of his value system and his self-denial, pride and lying. I feel the scene conveys Willies self-denial and his fatally woven web of lies well as it highlights how this contributed to his insanity. His pride keeps him from accepting help from Charley when he even confesses ‘I got nothin' to give him, Charley, I'm clean. ‘ This is after Charley offers him a job and Willie tells him ‘I got a good job. ‘ He denies help for his family who he clearly loves so much because of his pride. He later contradicts himself when talking to his projection of Ben, his brother. As his brother is portrayed in Willies imagination as somebody of great similarity but also success, varying from Willie. Willie tells him a different story, desperately seeking self-esteem from Ben's approval. This self-denial has left Willie confused as a person and lead to his insanity. He tells Ben ‘business is bad. It's murderous, but not for me. ‘ He lies; telling Ben this as he feels it will make him believe it if Ben, a man very much the archetype Willie always dreamed of aspiring to, does too. This is very dramatically effective to both an audience and a reader as it shows Willies fallibilities in close up over a short space of time and almost amplifies to them to the extent where they are un-avoidable. The character of Ben, however may not be quite as effective when reading the play as Miller does not quite make it clear that Ben is actually a dream created by Willie immediately like the other younger characters, leading to confusion initially when Charley does understand who Willie is talking to. This may have been done on purpose to give the reader a feeling of confusion that mirrors that of Willies, causing them to be more immersed in the play. On stage the characters would be much more easily distinguished by use of lighting, positioning and costume in order to determine their origins. Another incidence where Willies self-denial rotting the core of this dysfunctional family is were his flashback is extended to include young Biff and Happy and younger Linda. Young Bernard rushes in to interrupt Willies love-in with Ben and Linda to tell him ‘The watchman's chasing Biff' and he has been stealing again. Willies initial anger and self-denial of ‘Shut up! He's not stealing anything! ‘ Willy denies to himself the fact that Biff has been stealing, as he loves Biff too much. He gets over this after convincing himself it's Biff being done wrong and tells Ben he has ‘nerves of iron. ‘ This shows how, instead of punishing Biff he has dodged it and consequently done what he sought to avoid by putting aside these events; failing as a father, something against what he values. This would be very dramatically effective as it gives a moment of tension and the pace would be fast. This would be a climax to an ‘episode' of the play as it is episodic. It also illustrates Ben's fallibility as well as Willies as they both agree on this as the right course of action whereas Charlie illustrates a more down-to-earth view. This scene also displays Willies faith in the ideas of the romanticised, American, capitalist society and how they are conveyed in the scene as a whole. Ben is the man of the American dream in many ways, he is a man who is a self-made success and represents the prosperous capitalist. Miller describes him as ‘utterly certain of his destiny' and he has ‘an aura of far places about him. ‘ Making him seem superior to the other characters, clearly confused and uncertain, particularly Biff and Happy. The idea that Ben was a ‘young man with a faulty view of geography' who went and came back rich goes very much along the lines of the idea that anybody can make their fortune in American society. Ben arrogantly preaches this capitalist idea towards his exit where he tells Willy ‘When I walked into the jungle I was seventeen. When I walked out I was twenty-one. And, by God I was rich! ‘ This shows the audience and the reader the potential success of capitalism but will install doubts in not only Ben but also the idea itself. Firstly, Willies dishonesty will lead you to believe his projection of Ben and his success is greatly exaggerated as he makes him so much like himself. The audience and reader will have also seen Willy, who provides a stark comparison of somebody following the same dream but ending up failing. This section also shows how Willies main principles are those in ‘being liked' and his need to take self-esteem from others being the key part of his value system. Ben is largely the character Willy is trying to impress throughout the scene. As I have mentioned previously, Willy and Ben bare many resemblances as they have similar value systems. For example, ‘being liked' is clearly one of them. Also both seem to share a keen belief in perspiration over inspiration. If a man works hard then he can do no more. Willy tries to impress Ben with his son's physical attributes, mainly Biff. Who he dubs a ‘Great athlete. ‘ He compares them to Bernard and Charley and reveals his opinions on perspiration when he talks about them inferiorly as ‘they can't hammer a nail! ‘ This shows the audience about Willy's beliefs and again exposes his failure to raise Biff and Happy on his ideas because of his denial and lies. This also shows Willies old-fashioned ways and opinions and how he is set in his ways. This entire scene is used predominantly as a chance to examine Willy and his ideas and principles in detail. Charley and Ben are used as examples of what Willy admires and aspires to and want to avoid and deter from. Ben in many ways represents the man Willy wanted to be, the successful citizen of a capitalist society, achieved through good honest hard work and belief in the American dream. Charley represents the alternatives to this, which Willy has strived to avoid being and has done, at a cost. He is now stuck living a false life where even he has forgotten what is real and true, leading to his insanity. This scene is very dramtically effective in displaying that and how it has effected the family as a whole.

Literacy Is A Fundamental Basis Of A Student s Academic...

Literacy is a fundamental basis of a student’s academic success. Without the skills of language, reading, and writing, children will have limited academic, economic, social, and emotional success in school and later in life (Maddox Fung, 2013, p.3). According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, 33% of U.S. students in elementary schools read below the basic reading level (NAEP, 2009). During this time, the Common Core initiative was in works to ensure that all students across America were graduating high school ready for college, career, and life. In 2010, a majority of the United States adopted the Common Core State Standards [CCSS]. Within these expectations the language, reading, and writing strands were developed for all grade levels. These three strands were developed to prepare children to become literate. The CCSS are the most effective way to implement goals for literacy education, for American students to succeed not only in school, but in the future. First, it is important to understand what it means to be literate and why being literate is important in today’s society. To be literate today means much more than being able to read and write. For a child today, it means that they are better able to create, critique, and analyze material. It is important to obtain these skills due to the rise in technology. Children need to be able to read, analyze, and evaluate what they find online in order to succeed in school. Building upon these skillsShow MoreRelatedRoles And Impact Of Of Academic Listening Skills1290 Words   |  6 PagesThe roles and impacts of Academic listening skills on EAL international students in New Zealand Colleges and Universities (B) The continuous increase in the number of international students mostly from non-native English speaking countries such as China, Iran, Malaysia and India, travelling to study in New Zealand is alarming. 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