Dreams - 2623 Words

The average amount a human will sleep in their lifetime is 229,961 hours. Part of those 229,961 hours sleeping is spent dreaming. What are dreams? This question has fascinated the human race throughout history. From the Ancient Greeks and Romans, to Sigmund Freud in the late 1800’s, till now, people have queried what the mystical stories that play out in the sleeping mind are and why we have them. The Sumerians in Mesopotamia left evidence of dreams dating back to 3100 BC. According to these stories, gods and kings, like the 7th century BC scholar-king Assurbanipal, paid close attention to dreams. In his archive of clay tablets, some accounts of the story of the legendary king Gilgamesh were found (Seligman). The Mesopotamians†¦show more content†¦During this stage, many people experience sudden muscle contractions preceded by a sensation of falling. In stage 2, eye movement stops and brain waves become slower with only an occasional burst of rapid brain wave s. When a person enters stage 3, extremely slow brain waves called delta waves are interspersed with smaller, faster waves. In stage 4, the brain produces delta waves almost exclusively. Stages 3 and 4 are referred to as deep sleep or delta sleep, and it is very difficult to wake someone from them. In deep sleep, there is no eye movement or muscle activity. This is when some children experience bedwetting, sleepwalking or night terrors. Usually, REM sleep occurs 70-90 minutes after someone has fall asleep. The first period of REM typically lasts 10 minutes. Each REM stage gets longer, and the final one may last up to an hour. A sleeping individuals heart rate and breathing quickens. People experience more intense dreams during REM sleep, since the brain is more active. Dreams are constantly occurring throughout the sleep cycle so do not believe anyone who says they do not dream. Sleep and dreaming causes improved brain activity enabling people to function more productively. Matthew Wilson, a neuroscientist at the Picower Institute at M.I.T., during the early 1990s, was recording the neuron activity in the brains of rats as they navigated through a difficult maze. The machines translatedShow MoreRelatedDreams And Dreams : Dreams1425 Words   |  6 PagesAvery Alexander English III Mr. Tarr 26 April 2015 Dreams Throughout our dreaming experience, we feel different sensations, emotions, and thoughts interpreted through images in a person’s mind. During our unconscious process, the meanings of our inner thoughts are experienced through dreams. Some psychologists believe dreams are connected to our real emotions and others may see dreams as a specific meaning related to one’s life (Young). Dreams can put us in touch with our real motives in life dueRead MoreDream And Dream - Dream Killers1012 Words   |  5 PagesDream killers You know the type, the ones who think that just because they did not make it, then you can t, the Debbie Downers who can t see beyond their pathetic existence to dream of something bigger. The one who will never achieve much because they fail to dream and dream to fail, these are the dream killers. Conversation #1 You   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I am thinking of starting my own business Them   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Why you want to do that? You   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Because I have always wanted to work for myself? ThemRead MoreDreams And Dreams1729 Words   |  7 Pagesinterpretations and true meanings of dreams has expanded and has varied over centuries and cultures. Many of the earlier studies were based on culture’s and the interpretation of dreams, but also used as a form of prophecy, inspiration, and guidance. Many people still believe this such, people today beliefs and theories have opened up to a more vast interpretation, they are made up of; dreams are rare brain activity, dreams allow people to reflect on themselves, or that dreams are too massive to be correctlyRead MoreDreams And Dreams1893 Words   |  8 PagesEvery single one of us dreams and each one is experienced at a personal level, but interpreting them and figuring what they actually mean is still a mystery to us all. The histories of dreams, dates all the way back to over 5,000 years ago. These were the times where they would still write things down on clay tablets. Even then, we were already interested in what dr eams meant. During the Greek and Roman eras, dreams were perceived in a religious sense. If they were good dreams, they would be interpretedRead MoreDreams And The Subconscious : Dreams Essay1276 Words   |  6 PagesDreams and the Subconscious Are dreams a way of processing life events, or are they really messages from the subconscious? This phenomenon has always interested me, and I am extremely grateful this opportunity has arisen for me to research dreams in more depth. Since childhood, I have been intrigued with dreams and how similar they can be for each person. For instance, many people have recurring nightmares of being chased. According to Huffington Post, being chased is one of the most common dreamsRead MoreDreams : A Lucid Dream1097 Words   |  5 PagesBeing able to understand what dreams represent and how they effect a person should be something everyone should understand. Dreams can be a small glimpse or feel so real that it is unbelievable. The issue people have the most is remembering. They can not remember if they spoke with another individual in actually life or if it was all apart of their dream they had. There is so much confusion that the person is almost embarrassed to ask if the event actually happe ned. A dream like this is considered oneRead MoreThe Dream Of A Lucid Dream1403 Words   |  6 PagesIt is said that a lucid dream is a dream that can be induced or controlled and is characterized by the dreamer being aware that he or she is dreaming (Lucid). When lucidity occurs, the dreamer â€Å"wakes up† inside the dream during fixed states of cognizance. Dreams are caused by things â€Å"†¦our mind knows, however which we cannot handle, is disturbing or something that we keep reiterating to ourselves† (Ganguly). This is why distinguishing significant dream symbols from ambient symbols is important forRead MoreDreams : What Are Dreams?1174 Words   |  5 PagesWhat are dreams? Are they the mind’s way of entertaining itself while you sleep, or are they your unconscious trying to tell you something? If you chose the ladder, you are on the right track. The mind can’t talk to you, you don t hear voices in your head unless you are a Schizophrenic. T he only way that our unconscious mind has a way to communicate, is when you are asleep. The idea that dreams are trying to tell you something is simple, but understanding what the dream is trying to say can be difficultRead MoreDreams : The Awareness Of Dreams1030 Words   |  5 PagesDreams are stories our mind creates while we are asleep. Dreams can be witty, cheerful, passionate, disturbing, horrific, and downright confusing. All my life I have always wondered what goes on in our brains when we dream. I also have wondered why our brains create dreams. Are dreams something the brain creates to make sense of what it views so it organizes images into coherent stories. Dream content also varies depending on life experience. A child will dream of candy and toys but an adult willRead MoreDreams And Its Effects On Dreams3206 Words   |  13 PagesDream content reflects aspects of waking-life experiences. After memories are made, they are often fragmentally merged with other informati on to construct larger, holistic dreams. Autobiographical memories are predominantly represented in dreams in comparison to episodic and semantic memories. Among various characteristics from waking-life experiences such as places, people, and events, emotions are highly incorporated into dream content. There is also a decreasing relationship between the cognitive

Defining Affirmative Action Free Essays

Affirmative action, by definition, is a program designed to favor minorities and remedy past discrimination (Cummings, p. 192). It started in 1961 with President John F. We will write a custom essay sample on Defining Affirmative Action or any similar topic only for you Order Now Kennedy, by instructing the federal contractors to take affirmative action to ensure that all people are treated equally regardless of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Ever since it started, for more than thirty years now, it has been a controversial issue regarding employment practices (Anniston). This research paper will discuss the history of affirmative action, the pro’s and con’s of affirmative action in the workplace and in the educational system, and proposition 209. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy was the first to use affirmative action. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 barred discrimination by universities or others that received federal assistance (Cummings, p. 192). After it came the Voting Act of 1965, Immigration Act of 1965, The Fair Housing Act of 1968 (Nieli, p. ). In 1978, President Carter created the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Program (OFCCP) to ensure compliance with the affirmative action policies by the department of labor (Brown). Also in 1978 was the Bakke v. Reagents of the University of California, where Supreme Court upheld that use of race as one factor in choosing among qualified applicants for admission and reserving certain seats in each entering class of students for disadvantaged minorities were unlawful. Affirmative action began to go downhill and fading away during the presidency of Ronald Reagan and later George Bush. The republicans in the White House and in congress ignored the affirmative action. Finally to the presidency of Bill Clinton, the republicans were attempting to scare people into changing their party lines by saying that affirmative action is nothing more than a quota or reverse discrimination (Brown). Just by watching the history of this issue, one can come to a conclusion that we’ve come a long way in regards to racial and gender discrimination. Affirmative action programs offer individuals such as women and minorities a chance at equal employment opportunities and representation through positive, results-oriented practices that purposely take race and gender into account (Anniston). In the work force, minorities and women are source of cheap labor. The employers higher them to work with very little pay and little or no benefits. Higher paying jobs were always filled with white males. Even when women wanted to be as successful as that of men, they had a limit hanging over their head called the â€Å"glass-ceiling†. But through affirmative action, women and minorities were able to get higher paying jobs and even promotions and some even going up to the professional jobs. For example, women have made significant progress in recent year; in 1963, women earned fifty-nine cents for every dollar earned by men. Today, women earn on average seventy-one cents for every dollar earned by men (Curry, p. 179). Affirmative action may reduce racial tension forcing people to interact together and work as a unit in a professional and intellectual level across racial lines (Lewis). This program gives the minorities the opportunity to join the competition in the â€Å"white† American society and to defy the stigmas and stereotypes cast upon them by others. Some people believe that affirmative action is wrong because it discriminates. For example, and employer hires anyone because he/she is a minority, even if someone else is more qualified for the job. In this case, the employer is not discriminating against the minorities but against the majorities. Some also argue that affirmative action programs incite racial tension (Lewis). Since employers are very sensitive about affirmative action programs and if a white male is more qualified for the job than the minority, it may stir up some tension between those people involved. And because of the tension, the employers are more likely to higher a minority, who is less qualified for the job. By doing so, the employers may have a feeling that they are left with the short end of the stick and a lesser quality worker (Wit). If a workplace made decisions on hiring and promoting on the basis of ethnicity, such a workplace would go under. Decisions make in workplace should be merit-base; the eligibility and quality of the employee, not race-base. The outcome of the case of Allen Bakke v. Reagents of the University of California in 1974, helped many minorities to go into college. Allan Bakke had applied for medical school in University of California at Davis in 1973 and in 1974 and was rejected because they only set aside 16 seats for minorities each year. He sued contending that he had been excluded on the basis of his race in violation of the Constitution and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Cummings, p. 193). The California Supreme Court called the act of the university unconstitutional and Bakke won along with other minorities who could not get into college. In the case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas in 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that although the physical factors and tangible factors may be equal in public school systems, the children of the minority group were deprived of the equal education. Therefore they are deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the fourteenth amendment (Cummings, p. 182). Even though the compliance of this law was very slow, eventually all states complied with the law and made public school available to the minorities. By 1969, all the public schools in the country were trying to comply with the law. The history of the campaign against racial injustice since 1954, when the Supreme Court decided Brown v. Board of Education, is a history in a large part of failure (Nieli p. 79). The law may have said to put an end to segregation and racism in public schools, but even now, the racism and the segregation still live in the hearts of American people. In 1979, the case was reopened because even twenty-five years later, schools were still segregated. Affirmative action is supposed to treat everyone as equals. But actually and in reality, it does not treat everyone with equality. When admitting a person to a college, in the registration form, it asks what race the person is. If it were to treat everyone equally, it wouldn’t ask that question. And because of the affirmative action law and trying to comply with it, the colleges will pick a minority, who may not be as qualified, to attend the school, therefore lowering the standard of the school to match that person’s standard. The standards for all the people should be the same no matter what. Proposition 209 was proposed by Californians that wanted to outlaw programs based on affirmative action. It was passed by a narrow margin in the November 5,1996. Proposition abolished all public sector affirmative action programs in the state in employment, education and contracting. It also permits gender discrimination that is reasonably necessary to the normal operation of public education, employment and contracting. This proposition means that people should not have special privileges on the basis of their race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in any kind of public services where it’s funded by the government. In regards to the affirmative action issue, this proposition makes it hard for people to get hired just because they are a minority. The proposition tries to bring balance between all the people not on the basis of their minority or majority but on their merits. When I first started this research, I only did it because the subject was well known and easy to find. After finishing the research, my opinion towards affirmative action was swayed a little. I first thought that affirmative action was an absolute good that helps the minorities of the community to have the equal opportunity as that of others. But now, I feel that affirmative action itself was contributing to discrimination. It was discrimination against those who were more qualified in a job or in a college who couldn†t’ get in because there was a minority and the rule had to be bent a little to accept those minorities. I believe that the standards should be the same for all people and the law shouldn’t be bent just because a minority couldn’t keep u with the standards of the society. If the person is not qualified for the field, then they shouldn’t be hired, because if they were, they’re robbing another wee qualified person their job and the opportunity to achieve their goal and do their best. It may be the case that a minority, picked over the more qualified person, might quit or get fired because they were way in over their heads. Affirmative action should not be something that the society would have to abide to. It should be a reference to when there are conflicts among controversial issues that is related to discrimination on workplace or in educational system. I believe that in the society that we live in, discrimination should be something that of the past. To believe in racism and discrimination against minorities, just wouldn†t be America. How to cite Defining Affirmative Action, Papers

Human Rights Persuasive Essay Example For Students

Human Rights Persuasive Essay I agree that human rights do not lend themselves to neat formulae. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) aims at guarding the interest of people residing in different countries. However, the political and cultural environment of a country would shape these rights. Some of the rights the essay would be discussing are the equality of the sexes, right to freedom of speech and education. Contrary to the West, women in Asia are often exploited and deprived of their rights in many areas, particularly in employment. This phenomenon can be attributed to the tradition and cultural differences between the two. Despite the influence of the west brought about by industrialization, the Asian Society is still rather conservative and very much in touch with the teachings of Confucius. Even till today, they are unable to completely abandon the concept of women being the weaker sex. Although the UDHR proclaims, Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work. (UN, 1948, Article 23 (2)), it is not uncommon to hear that women are paid lower than men are. Women accept the fact that they are weaker as compared to men in terms of work in this male dominated society. They are taught to be submissive and regard their family as the top most priority in their childhood. Moreover, employers believe that women are home bounded and contributions to t!he compan y would be minimal as they work fewer days, in comparison to men, due to the entitlement of their maternity leaves. In the eyes of the west, this would be a violation of human rights but to an Asian, a cultural difference. Everyone has the right to education. (UN, 1948, Article 26 (1)) does not hold in Asian context. Every American child is endowing with the right of education but receiving education is a form of luxury to the unfortunate Asian children. Most Asian countries are agricultural based and children are view as helping hands in the fields. Hence, children below the age of ten are often seen helping in the fields. Agrarian societies are generally poor parents are more concern with earning enough money to feed the family than paying for their childrens education. Although the United Nations emphasize the importance of education and stress that Education shall be free, (UN, 1948), these countries have no means of providing education as a free good. Families that are better o ff would send only the males to school, as they believe that males have to provide for the family in future. Girls are thought to be a burden to the family and would eventually marry off, hence, educating them !would not be economical to the family. The US is able to provide free education because of its strong economic foundation after years of development. Hence, it would not be fair to accuse the east of being a violator of rights for not providing education as a public good to its people because they simply cannot afford it; education comes after development. This statement manifest in the following extract, In the developed countries, universal primary education and literacy came after the process of development as well on its way. (Kamla Bahsin, Literacy for Women, Why and How!). Many governments are inclined to define human rights in the manner most convenient to suiting their own political interests. (Boutros Butros Ghali, 1993). The definition to freedom of speech is highly debatable. The differences in political environment between Singapore and the US have cast different viewpoints on this contention. Singapore takes a firm stand in this issue and will hold the speaker responsible for what he declares. The government clamps down on remarks that promote civil unrest such as those of religious and racial issues. Many countries see this as under-mining of the UDHR but this restriction is necessary for the survival of Singapore. Without it, a multiracial society in Singapore would collapse and the consequences, civil unrest and eventually civil war. No doubt that countries are obliged to uphold the UDHR, certain diversities should be tolerated as most countries are endowed with ancient and sophisticated cultures (Alatas, 1993) which may differ from one anoth er. Thus, the international community must take into consideration the countrys traditions, social values and political environment before ostracizing them. In conclusion, I agree that human rights do not lend themselves to neat formulae and a pragmatic approach to it is necessary.