Racism in American Born Chinese - Literature Essay Samples

As much as the public is informed of the efforts to combat racism in today’s world, Gene Luen Yang proves in his graphic novel American Born Chinese that racism exists at considerable strength today. Through three intertwining stories, Yang demonstrates the ostracization and fear alien cultures receive from a so- called â€Å"normal† society, where those who blend in are accepted. His goal remains to prove the statement that â€Å"Racism detriments ego, degrades the identity of cultures and individuals, and leads to a forced assimilation under the thumb of the so-called normal public.† The statement above represents the journey of each character in the book, as they experience racism, lose a sense of ego, and undergo a forced assimilation. The Monkey King is perhaps the most ancient protagonist represented in the book, almost a deity, his story resounds most clearly as a personification of the beginning of the theme statement. In the beginning of the story, the Monkey King is detained by a guard under the grounds of being a monkey, and is denied admission to a heavenly party: â€Å"You may be a king you may even be a deity but you are still a monkey†¦ Have a good evening sir† (Yang 15). The Monkey King subsequently gives in to an animalistic nature, thrashing the gathered populace and then leaving to his mountain, the next morning giving a decree that all under his realm must wear his shoes. Primarily, this serves to emphasize a detriment to ego due to racism, the Monkey changing the fundamentals of his kingdom to better emulate the accepted culture. He feels less, debased, an ancient form of racism impacting a holy being that resounds thoroughly through his entire story. The ramifications of impacting an individual as such do not manifest only in this specific story, one sees it in the other two intertwined storylines in the book as well as in real life. Those who are hurt often lash out and attempt to change themselves, often doing so for the worse. Human nature is to attempt to please everyone as well as yourself, and to appease a whole, one often needs to cede a part of their selves, a part that makes them who they are and defines them as an individual. Elsewhere in the narrative, Danny is a representation of Jin’s desires and wants personified, a typical white, all-American, sitcom male. However, he clearly represents the secondary part of the theme statement; how racism degrades the identity of individuals. Danny is quite literally a change in identity, Jin creating a separate persona that mirrored the expectations set by American society, namely his peers. His change is fully illuminated on page 198, where he names himself Danny. The consequences of identity change are profuse, as mentioned in the theme statement, identity change leads to a loss of culture and identity. Danny, or Jin, effectively gives up his identity, or as the herbalist’s wife says, his soul. Him losing his soul is an analogy for the loss of culture; he gives up what makes him unique for that which homogenizes him. However, most prominent in his loss of identity is Chin- Kee. Chin-Kee does not just personify stereotypes, he further personifies a r egret in the loss of the unique characteristics that made Jin who he was. Chin-Kee’s constant presence represents a constant reversion to the characteristics Danny and Jin wish to hide, and his actions represent their inability to suppress their true nature. Jin represents the final part of the theme statement. Through the story, Jin changes himself to better match the characteristics he sees exemplified in those who antagonize him. The first example of this occurs through the depiction of Jin’s lunch. On page 33, he is seen eating dumplings, a stereotypical Chinese food. However, the next time we see him eating lunch, he is eating a sandwich, a more typical American food. The other primary example of a true transformation based on others occurs on page 96-98, where Jin becomes increasingly jealous of Greg, to the point where he emulated the boy’s hairstyle, donning a typical afro. The reader is able to delineate Jin has been impacted by racism from a young age, and therefore, this may have had an impact upon how he feels about himself in general, relating further back to the statement, where the reader easily identifies Jin has not simply changed himself, the process to the point involved a detriment to ego and a subsequent loss of identity and culture. One sees the foreshadowing in this as well, in regards to the Herbalist’s Wife, who states on page 29 that one can become anything, so long as one is wiling to forfeit ones soul. Jin does not explicitly forfeit his soul; however, he does, like Danny, give up what makes him Jin, a theme that can be seen in the Monkey King as well, leading any observer to note Yang’s purpose in this: to highlight the death of cultures at the hands of others due to alien cultures being different. He is forced to assimilate not because he wants to, but because he is forced to by the banal and impudent rules of today’s society. Racism leads to the homogeneity of cultures and also an elimination of culture in general, those who are different forced to assimilate and live in unfriendly environments. The above theme statement and its ensuing analysis proves that the so- called accepting public of today is not at all accepting, and prioritizes homogeneity over a variation in culture. However, the importance of the novel truly stems from the depiction it promulgates of the effects of racism. Truly, Yang’s intent is clear enough, his attempts to hide racism and its effects are prolific and poignant, yet he makes no attempt to hide them. He does so because racism exists, and its existence is enough to justify any sort of outcry a solitary man can provide.

Elderly Patients In Hollywood Florida Nursing Homes - 825 Words

Use Of Psychotropic Drugs In Elderly Patients In Hollywood Florida Nursing Homes (Research Paper Sample) Content: Use of psychotropic Drugs in Nursing HomesNameInstitutional AffiliationDateUse of Psychotropic Drugs in Elderly Patients in Hollywood and Florida Nursing HomesIntroductionThe purpose of this research will be to access the use of psychotropic medications in nursing homes based in Florida and Hollywood. Psychotropic medications ae used to affect how the brain functions, and the activities that are associated with behaviour and mental processes. These drugs that have that effect are known as psychotherapeutic or psychoactive.BackgroundThe need to provide quality care to the elderly has increased given that the number of the older population has continued to rise. Nursing homes care for the dependent older people who need assistance with activities of daily living. These old people suffer from certain old age conditions that require medical attention such depression, anxiety, and dementia. Practitioners working with these elderly people need to monitor them closely so as to identify the kind of medication they require.Literature ReviewThere are four categories of the psychotropic drugs. These are anti-psychotic, anxiety suppressants, anti-depressant, and hypnotic drugs. Various neurologic and psychoses conditions are treated using anti-psychotic drugs. The conditions ae schizoaffective disorders, schizophrenia, delusional disorder, acute psychotic episode, psychotic mood disorder, and Huntingtons disease. When these anti-psychotic drugs are used for long, they lead to mental organic syndromes such as dementia and other agitated features that are shown by certain behaviors that may be harmful to them o those around them. These drugs are classified as either atypical or conservative. The conventional ones have severe side effects and this is why the atypical dugs were introduced.Anti-depressant drugs are often used to treat agitation and depression. In low dosage, they are used to treat insomnia. Like any other drugs, they also have side effects such as rapid heart rate, excessive sedation, confusion, constipation, dry mouth, urinary retention, and orthostatic hypotension. Most of the depressants administered to the elderly have a long half-life such that those that have low tolerance levels need smaller doses, or take them less frequently.The anti-anxiety medications help in managing insomnia and nervousness. Hypnotics are used as short term sleeping aids or the elderly. The two drug categories lead to the patients being unable to carry out daytime activities and they often result to disorientation and misperception.Research indicates that some of these drugs that are administered to the elderly are considered hazardous (Dwyer, Han, Woodwell, Rechtsteiner, 2010). There is a list of anti-psychotic drugs that are misused and unnecessary. There are several programs that have been established to monitor nursing homes and the quality of care they offer to the elderly. These programs can help fight against the inappropriate use of psychotropic drugs. It is important for all Medicaid and Medicare working in nursing homes to have the required federal qualifications. These certifications are given after routine surveys are conductedMethodologyFive methods will be used for this research. A review of the medical record of all the elderly residents in the nursing homes in both Florida and Hollywood that are taking the psychotropic drugs. Secondly, an analysis of these nursing homes certificates and supervisory program data. Thirdly, assessing the nursing homes drug review. Fourthly, there will be onsite visits to at least three hundred nursing homes in Florida and Hollywood. Finally, telephone surveys will also be conducted on the staff working in these nursing homes.A two-staged cluster sample will be used for the inspection of the nursing homes and the elderly living there. The first sampling will use the OSCAR survey and choose samples randomly in over 300 nursing homes in both Hollywood and Florida. For each o f the nursing homes selected, an enrolment census will be requested to determine which residents were receiving which drug. Out of the three hundred nursing homes in both regions, we expect to receive responses from at least two hundred of them.In the second sampling, we will randomly select a sample of 800 residents in these nursing homes. From each of the two hundred nursing homes we expect responses from, we will select four residents who will either receive anti-anxiety, anti-psych...