Gentrification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Gentrification - Essay Example What is Gentrification? Through researching this phenomenon, one discovers that there is no finite definition of the term. The term was coined in 1964 by sociologist Ruth Glass when she used examples of London Districts as illustrations to define what the term meant: One by one, many of the working quarters of London have been invaded by the middle-class upper and lower. Shabby modest mews and cottages-two rooms up an two rooms down-have taken over, when their leases have expired, and become elegant, expensive residences [†¦] once this process of gentrification starts in a district it goes on rapidly until all or most of the working class occupiers are displaced and the whole social character is changed. In the Encyclopedia of Housing it is defined as â€Å"the process by which central urban neighborhoods that have undergone disinvestments and economic decline experience a reversal, reinvestments, and the in-migration of relatively well off, middle and upper middle class popula tion† (Smith) Then Hammel and Wyly difine gentrification as â€Å"the replacement of low-income, inner-city working class residents by middle-or upper –class households, either through the market for existing housing or demolition to make way for new up-scale housing construction: (Hammel) And the United States Department of Housing and Urban development defines gentrification as â€Å"the process by which a neighborhood occupied by low-income households undergo revitalization or reinvestment through the arrival of upper-income households†.... predominant common thread and motivation point to, (3) influx or the relatively affluent or gentry and (4) an increase in investment. Friedmann who lays down a hypothetical framework on which to build a study of global cities, used one of his components to his seven part theory the emergence of a bifurcated (to divide into two branches) service industry in major cities, which is composed of on the one hand, a high percentage of professionals specialized in control functions and, on the other, a vast army of low-skilled workers engaged inpersonal services[that] cater to the privileged classes for those whose sake the city primarily exists. (Friedmann) In Amsterdam social cleansing seems to be the appropriate name for deliberate policies aimed at removing a section of the population-a criminal underclass, or those with low-incomes. It is often inspired by a belief that a city (and its administration) has failed, if such people live there. The emergence of active policies to change the population mix in an entire city is related to the neoliberal idea that cities are a sort of business, competing in a global market of cities, and that successful cities have successful inhabitants. Unlike gentrification, Social cleansing is always government initiated. However, in Amsterdam, it is difficult to discern the difference between the two in either stated purpose or actual implementation. Low income bans in Amsterdam is a legal instrument. The first phase of gentrification in Amsterdam is where art and culture areprominent-the first art gallery in a working class neighborhood is a classic sign of

Persuading their Mistresses in The Flea and To His Coy Mistress Essay

Persuading their Mistresses in The Flea and To His Coy Mistress Examine the ways in which the poets in The Flea and To His Coy Mistress try to persuade their mistresses. Both "The Flea" by John Donne and "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell are seduction poems, written by the poets to seduce their mistresses. Both have three stanzas and a basic couplet rhyming structure. Donne and Marvell are metaphysical poets from the 17th century. They have taken simple ideas and stretched them far - for example, using a flea as a symbol of union. They have made philosophical poems about simple facts of life - for example, the fear of death seen in "To His Coy Mistress". The similarity seen between these poems is quite surprising - the use of imagery, enjambement and variation in rhythm and rhyme to relate their ideas, and the way they put forward their arguments to seduce their mistresses. In "The Flea", the flea is used as a symbol of their love, or his love for her. The word 'flea' has many connotations and denotations, but interestingly, when spoken sounds the same as the verb, to 'flee'. In addition to perhaps suggesting the fleeting nature of love, the word also connotes danger: "to run away as from danger; to take flight; to try to escape", is the Oxford English Dictionaries definition. It can also connote an abrupt ending "to run away from, hasten away from; to quite abruptly, forsake (a person or a place, etc.)". This insight would give an added dimension to Donne's use of a flea in his poem. The OED also provides us with the definition "a small wingless insect well known for its biting propensities and its agility leaping." The finding that fleas do not have wings could be quite significant, because ... ...blood, and that sex with him will take no more from than the flea did. Marvell's first persuasion tactic is a romantic one - that he loves her so much she should have sex with him, the second persuasive argument is that if she doesn't have sex with him, time will pass and she will die a virgin. His last is again one of time - that they should take hold of time how they can, and make "him [Marvell personifies time in his poem] run". The imagery in "To His Coy Mistress" is very effective, and the use of a flea as a symbol in a love poem holds together quite well, even if it is a rather surprising choice. The enjambment in both poems really gives the poems meaning, creating a tone in each of them, and whether the mistresses they were trying to persuade were every actually persuaded or not, it is clear that the poets went to great lengths in their attempts.

Dispatches Paper Essay

As I read Dispatches by Michael Herr, there is an overwhelming sense of fear and horror. His dispatches are populated by soldiers called ‘grunts’, whose enemy was everywhere and nowhere. Their maps were blank; their names for the enemy, ‘Charlie’ or ‘VC’, told them nothing. How do you recognize them? They all wear black pajamas; they are all alien to us. They are everywhere. That’s where the paranoia began. Herr’s dispatches are disturbing because he writes from inside the nightmare, with all the tension and terror that turned these young men into killing machines. It is all the more frightening because, emptied of any concerns for justice, or ethics, or solidarity, they opened fire anywhere, everywhere. After all, who could know where or who the enemy was? Herr’s use of brutal imagery absorbed me into his savage surroundings. From the soldier who can’t stop drooling as a result of a particularly dreadful gun battle, to the scenes of the dead, American and Vietnamese, adult and infant, on battlefields and village streets. The characters are real people in a situation that most of them neither like nor understand. They are young men who invoke the same shortcomings we all have. They are professional soldiers and act that way despite their misgivings. They push past the boundaries of fear and into the realms of heroism or insanity or death. Everyone that he introduces is individual. There are no carbon copy soldiers here. They are funny or musical or religious or delusional. I felt as though I was being introduced to people I knew throughout the book. From time off in Saigon and Hong Kong to his time spent in a bunker during the siege of Khe Sanh, Herr covers every aspect of the war. He shows how so many soldiers were so drastically affected by the war. He describes the strange, fearful moments when at night the jungle suddenly goes silent. Herr tells tales of Marines throwing themselves on top of him with incoming fire, people he has only just met minutes or hours before that are risking their lives to protect his. This book is very descriptive and one of the best examples of this is this sentence, â€Å"Every fifth round was a tracer, and when Spooky was working, everything stopped while that solid stream of violent  red poured down out of the black sky.† In this sentence Herr is retelling the feelings felt by everyone as they watched the gunships flying overhead, unleashing the fury of gatling-guns that could fire thousands of rounds per minute. Not only does Herr convey the impact of such a sight; he does it in such a manner that a vivid image is formed in the reader’s mind. One of the more disturbing and insightful quotes in the book comes when a Marine at Khe Sanh learns that his wife is pregnant, but not with his child. Herr retells with this account, â€Å"†Oh don’t worry,† Orrin said. â€Å"There’s gonna be a death in my family. Just soon’s I git home.† And then he laughed. It was a terrible laugh, very quiet and intense, and it was the thing that made everyone who heard it believe Orrin.† This quote shows how badly some soldiers were transformed during the war. A man who used to be very peaceful and calm would now snap at the slightest provocation. He would now plan the death of his wife for cheating on him. With these examples I would definitely say that one of the strengths of this book is its vivid descriptions. The other strength of this book is probably how it covers the emotional and physical aspects of the war. Still it is difficult to reconcile Herr’s disregard for the grunts’ brutality and his apparent admiration that surfaces. Herr feeds on the death and carnage of the battlefield. It is difficult to grudge a person for their attachment to the most exciting times of their life. Herr’s is almost an addiction to the life of the thrill seeker, but as he frequently mentions, unlike the grunts, he could always take the next chopper back to an air-conditioned hotel room in Saigon, or leave altogether. (Not that an air-conditioned room in Saigon would be necessarily safer than Khe Sahn†¦) He describes Vietnam as a jumbled, confused, mess of a living hell. Herr also wrote the narration for â€Å"Apocalypse Now,† so what more do you need to know? It is crucial to understand that this book is not a political or military history of the war. Instead, Herr tried to portray the â€Å"experience† of what it was like to be in Vietnam; you won’t find a handy map and glossary in the back. (If you honestly don’t know what words like di di, zip, grunt, 16, and DMZ mean, I suggest you bone up on your history.) There are two major downfalls to this book: rambling and fiction. His writing style, disjointed and confused, makes the book a little hard to get used to. But when you do get used to it only then can you see that Herr is trying to give the reader an accurate account rather than a moral lecture. In terms of fiction the problem with writers is that they are writers. As such they are basically dishonest. This is not Vietnam as told by a soldier. This is Vietnam as told by a journalist who is â€Å"in-country† to the precise extent he cares to be and hotfoots it out of there when the going gets rough. In the beginning of the book Herr describes the horrors of night patrol by describing his own fear. He then informs the bewildered reader that this is a bit too much for him and therefore takes his journalistic eye somewhere else. The difference between a journalist and a soldier is that the soldier can’t leave when he feels like it and so he doesn’t have the luxury of drama. Unfortunately, most of this book is drama.

Bram Stokers Dracula An Analysis - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1194 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2019/05/13 Category Literature Essay Level High school Topics: Dracula Essay Did you like this example? Anyone you talk to these days has probably heard of Dracula. The foundation for all forms of Draculas we know today was set down by the 1897 Dracula, written by Bram Stoker. Weve all read Dracula and have a basic understanding of how Dracula is a manipulative count with the power to control his physical form and the animals around him. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Bram Stokers Dracula: An Analysis" essay for you Create order When we dig deeper into Dracula we find that it isnt just about blood sucking vampires and the women they prey on but rather something much more meaninful; Dracula touches on themes such as the portrayal of the Victorian woman, gender roles of the Victorian era, and the role the asylum and mental health possesses in this particular aeon. Dracula begins with diary entries from one of our main characters Jonathan Harker as he embarks on a journey to meet with Dracula whom has purchased real estate in London. Jonathan spends several nights in the Counts castle and soon begins to realize that the Count is hiding many secrets. While shaving with a mirror from his bag, Jonathan is approached by Dracula and Jonathan soon realizes he has no reflection. Dracula sees the mirror, gets angry, and throws it out the window. Jonathan also soon realizes he never sees his host during the day and comes to the realization that there is only two people in the castle himself and Dracula. Back in England is Jonathans devoted fianc? ©e Mina Murray and her best friend Lucy Westenra. The book is comprised of various journal/diary entries and journal entries remembering certain events that happened. We ultimately learn that Dracula is a vampire and is planning to invade London and Jonathan, VanHelsing, Dr. Seward, Arthur, Quincy, Mina, and Lucy do all they can to stop this from happening but unfortunately there are complications along the way. While Mina and Lucy do as much as they can to help the men, they do have roles to fulfill not just in aiding the men to help put an end to Dracula but they have their gender roles to fulfill. The article by Kathryn Hughes discusses how men and women were separated into two separate spheres: Women were considered physically weaker yet morally superior to men, which meant they were best suited to the domestic sphere. Not only was it their job to counterbalance the moral taint of the public sphere in which their husbands laboured all day, they were also preparing the next generation to carry on this way of life (2014). Bram Stoker wanted to contrast the views of the Victorian woman in his two characters Mina Lucy. Dracula reinforces the gender norm through Mina Murray. Mina is intelligent, wise, financially stable and a wonderful example of the new woman. She fits Ruskins description of infallibly wise, enduringly, incorruptibly good to a T. She is a faithful fianc? ©e to Jonathan who becomes a devoted wife, I could only tell him that I was the happiest woman in all the wide world and that I had nothing to give him except myself, my life, and my trust, and that with these went my love and duty for all the days of my life (Stoker, 1897). Stoker created Lucy as an opposite to Mina. Lucy is much more frivolous, flirtatious, and indecisive. She writes to Mina telling her of her three proposals in one day, Here I am, who shall be twenty in September, and yet I have never had a proposal till to-day, not a real proposal, and to-day I have had three. Just fancy! THREE proposals in one day! (Stoker, 1897 ). When Lucy is transitioning to a vampire, she defies the role of the Victorian woman even further by not behaving in a lady-like manner at all she seduces children and eventually drinks their blood. She is the opposite of how mother-like the Victorian woman should be instead of raising children shes in a sense, murdering them slowly. This can all be tied to the author and how he perceived the Victorian New Noman, in an article published by The British Library it is stated that, The fact Mina survives while Lucy meets such a horrific end perhaps indicates that stoker disliked the New Woman in particular, while admiring her more traditional counterpart (Buzzwell, 2014). Not only were there norms set down for Victorian women of this era, there were norms as well that the populace associate with Sanatoriums and Asylums. Once Mina had heard Jonathan was okay, she then gets the news from Sister Agatha from the Hospital of St. Joseph and Ste. Mary that Jonathan is receiving care and has been receiving care for the past six weeks for his brain fever. While being treated at a hospital isnt considered terrible in the Victorian era, Jonathans illness is mild compared to what another character in the novel is going through; this would be the character of Renfield, the asylum patient of Dr. Seward. Renfield he is described in Stokers novel as, Sanguine temperament; great physical strength; morbidly excitable; periods of gloom a possibly dangerous man (Stoker, 1897). Renfield is an interesting character and consumes insects and other small animals in the belief that it gives him their life power and energy. In asylums throughout the ages, the mentally ill were forced to confinement, some forced onto the streets, and in one French asylum in the 15th century, patients were shackled to walls with very little room to move, were not adequately fed, only visited when brought food, their rooms were not cleaned, and they were therefore forced to sit in their own wastes (Stanley, 2016). Renfield certainly doesnt get treated as badly as what Ive read in certain articles and in the article that I have referenced. He does escape the asylum a couple of times and is fetched by workers. After he escapes, they put him into solitary confinement and keep watch on him. Renfield goes between periods of insanity and calmness as most manic patients did back in the Victorian era. We see his calmer side when Mina comes to visit him in the asylum, I was again astonished, for he addressed himself to the question with the impartiality of the completest sanity; he even took himself as an example when he mentioned certain things (Stoker, 1897). Treatment of asylum pa tients ultimately was raised to a higher standard in the early 20th century when reforms started to take hold and patients were treated more advantageously. Dracula has done a superb job at conveying what gender roles and norms exist in 1897 as well as transmit the attitude of insane asylums in the late 18th century. While gender roles have drastically changed from the Victorian Era to now, much remains the same women still raise their children but also some take on full-time jobs just as their opposite gender counterpart and mental illness patients are treated infinitely better than their 18th century doppelg? ¤ngers. We have learned a lot from our past and we are continuously working to break the stereotypical gender roles and norms that have been created for us from the past as well as learn to treat mentally ill patients with the respect they need and deserve.