If Wishes Were Horses Essay

The first recognisable ancestor of the rhyme was recorded in William Camden’s (1551–1623) Remaines of a Greater Worke, Concerning Britaine, printed in 1605, which contained the lines: â€Å"If wishes were thrushes beggers would eat birds†. [2] The reference to horses was first in James Carmichael[disambiguation needed]’s Proverbs in Scots printed in 1628, which included the lines: â€Å"And if wishes were horses, pure [poor] men wald ride†. 2] The first mention of beggars is in John Ray’s Collection of English Proverbs in 1670, in the form â€Å"If wishes would bide, beggers would ride†. [2] The first versions with close to the modern wording was in James Kelly’s Scottish Proverbs, Collected and Arranged in 1721, with the wording â€Å"If wishes were horses, beggars would ride†. [2] The modern rhyme above was probably the combination of two of many versions and was collected by James Orchard Halliwell in the 1840s. 1] The last line was sometimes used to stop children from questioning and get to work: â€Å"If if’s and and’s were pots and pans, there’d surely be dishes to do. † In popular culture[edit] The phrase is misquoted in the 2002 television series Firefly in the series finale episode â€Å"Objects in Space† in which Adam Baldwin’s character Jayne Cobb gets upset and says â€Å"Yeah and if wishes were horses, we’d all be eating steak. Star Trek Deep Space Nine Season 1, Episode 16 was called, If Wishes Were Horses. In the episode entitled Things Fall Apart Season Six, Episode 21 of the television series The West Wing, Josh Lyman makes a reference to the poem while in conversation with a female campaign staffer who tells him that if media circumstances were different, their candidate, Matthew Santos, would have already locked up the Democratic party’s nomination for president. Josh responds by saying, â€Å"If wishes†¦ orses†¦ etc. â€Å" She erroneously attributes the quote to Bob Dylan by asking Josh â€Å"What is that from some Dylan song? Guys your age have this thing about Dylan. â€Å"[3] In September 2010, Alexandrea Mellen famously quipped, â€Å"If wishes were horses, then the horse market would collapse†. The phrase is used by the character Spike in the television series Angel. In addition, in the series finale, when another character wishes â€Å"to do more violence†, Spike replies that â€Å"wishes are horses today†.

Misrepresentation of african american women Essay

African American women have historically been viewed as hyper-sexual creatures, due to unique anatomical features not often seen in other races. This hyper-sexualized view of Black women dates back as early as the days of slavery when European imperialists traveled to Africa and were excessively intrigued by (and abashedly attracted to) the women in the tribes. Europeans were in awe of the physique of African women, comparable to none, as well as their dancing and traditional garments. Europeans unfamiliarity with a body type that is not unusual amongst African women resulted in a projection of hyper-sexuality onto Black women that did not truly exist and has been hard for Black women around the world to rid themselves of. Saartjie [Sara] Baartman, also known as the â€Å"Hottentot Venus,† became the blueprint for degrading and humiliating the Black woman on a worldwide level. Saartjie Baartman was a South African born woman who was enslaved by a Dutch farmer near the city of Cape Town. Her master was approached by traveling Europeans to travel to Europe to have her body examined and put on display. In 1810, Saartjie’s master informed her that she would be free and assume fortune and fame in order to persuade her to leave his plantation for the sideshow act she would unknowingly become in. It was this promise that led to Saartjie’s willingness to travel to Europe. Saartjie traveled to England and upon her arrival, she was placed on public display, often times in a cage, so her large buttocks and breast could be observed by hundreds of curious Englishman. These invasive spectators were recorded as laughing at her, calling her names, and throwing items at her. Saartjie’s body was so spectacular and strange to Europeans that medical students were able to use her for scientific research. She was again sold from England to a French circus to dance in the nude as entertainment and was one the main attractions. Saartjie never enjoyed the freedom she was promised and turned to alcohol to cope with her humiliation and entered prostitution to support her when she was no longer necessary as a side show attraction. She died in 1815, only five years after her arrival to Europe. Saartjie’s humiliation did not end with her death. She died of unidentified disease in France and her body was turned over to a museum. Her brain, vagina, and her skeleton were removed from her body, preserved and put on display. Her frameless body was then preserved in such a way that she stood erect as well. Her body was eventually buried in France but the parts removed from her body remained on display in a French museum until 1974. The displays were removed that year and replaced with casts of Saartjie’s confiscated body parts. Saartjie Baartman’s humiliating enslavement marks the beginning of the Black woman’s degradation. She could be considered the first â€Å"video-vixen model. † However, culture has changed such that women willingly dance erotically while scantily clad or totally nude, whereas Saartjie was forced. This willingness has transformed the way the Black woman is viewed and the way the Black woman views herself. The manner in which Saartjie Baartman was treated is indicative of European attitudes about Black women and African standards of beauty. Saartjie was renowned for her physique, which Europeans responded to Saartjie as an object with disgust, intrigue, sexual attraction, and condescension. The removal of her organs indicates a perverse obsession with the body of the African woman. This attitude about the Black woman’s body has persisted, taking on new faces as culture changes and pop culture emerged. Media images of Black women have long been degrading, unflattering, and/or extreme. Black women have specific functional roles in the media: typically and most often as Jezebel, Mammie, and the welfare mom. The Jezebel stereotype of the hyper-sexual, manipulative Black woman is more prevalent and more widely seen in the media from television, movies, magazines, and music videos. It is the Jezebel who is the African American woman who is not ashamed to take off her clothes in exchange for things she may need. The music industry especially popularizes strippers and video models as an acceptable and desirable occupation for a Black woman. Not only do majority of hip-hop lyrics degrade women to the lowest level that a woman can be degraded, but the music videos take special care to degrade the black woman even more. Rap music videos depict a false image of what a real woman looks like in reality: â€Å"music videos have gotten so raunchy they might as well be pornography, presenting a hyper-sexual depiction of women that distorts and demeans the image of black women in particular. Even in the tamer videos, women might as well be prostitutes. They are objects, part of the bling-bling, like the platinum chains and diamonds sported by rappers† (Daily Review 7/4/04). It is just in this way that Saartjie Baartman was displayed and responded to and it is in the way Black women have been consistently considered: as objects of sexual exploitation. Hip hop music has become explosively popular in the US and much of the rest of the world in the last twenty years. Hip hop music influences larger society in powerful ways and has become a subculture that has transcended race, socioeconomics, and gender. Its popularity and ability to transcend across many social lines that are usually impenetrable is the biggest threat to the perception of Black women by others and by themselves. When leaders like President Barack Obama and other prominent politicians reference lines from popular rap songs, they are often received with admiration and excitement by the media and larger public. Such a response from a pop culture reference reveals hip hop music’s ability to influence culture on a magnanimous level. Hip hop music is an industry run by men, with overwhelmingly male artists who provide entertainment for other men. In this understanding of the industry, the images of women presented through this massively popular music are exclusively chosen by men. Additionally, hip hop music tends to sell a lifestyle and not just a song or beats. As was previously discussed in the quote from Daily Review, expensive material things and several beautiful and naked women are things to achieve and obtain. An object is for use of some kind and the hip hop music industry has single handedly crystallized the developing notion that women in general are objects for sexual pleasure exclusively. This idea is particularly harmful for Black women and girls in the face of a media that has very few other images of Black women. White women are of course objectified and hyper-sexualized in the same manner, but the damage of such objectification is buffered by other images of a range of professional White women, heroines in film and television, prominent White actresses, politicians, businesswomen, journalists, etc â€Å"Historically, white women, as a category, were portrayed as models of self-respect, self-control, and modesty – even sexual purity, but black women were often portrayed as innately promiscuous, even predatory. This depiction of black women is signified by the name Jezebel† (Pilgram, 2002). Black women and girls have very few other images to measure themselves against or look to for motivation or encouragement. These pervasive images of the Black woman as a promiscuous and manipulative Jezebel juxtaposed with the lack of other, more positive images, is extremely damaging to the Black woman’s self-esteem. These images also inform others of how to perceive and ultimately treat Black women, which is further corrosive to the Black woman’s self-esteem. As if the power that images tend to have on the human psyche were not enough, hip hop music also incorporates lyrics that correspond to the tone of disrespect for Black women. Negative epithets that refer to a woman’s sexual and social behavior like â€Å"ho† and â€Å"bitch† are common, frequent, and acceptable in hip hop lyrics and serve to further denigrate Black women. Often, rappers and fans alike make excuses for the disturbing images and lyrics featured in songs and videos, expressing that the women featured in the videos are working of their own volition and are not being objectified. While the women of these videos are participating of their own volition, the degrading lyrics and the degrading images are not negated just because the women are choosing to participate. The message being sent is still clear and ubiquitous: Black women are objects of sexual gratification that do not have to be spoken to or spoken of as human beings. Viewers are influenced by these images and lyrics and are encouraged to develop erroneous ideas about and monolithic perception of Black women. Additionally, because other, more positive images of Black women are missing in the media, viewers are left with little real information about the Black woman’s experience, life, and character. Hip hop music has also set the standard of presentation for female rappers as well. Female rappers who have debuted in the last 20 years invoke the power the same sexual images and presentations as the male rappers do. More recent female rap artists like Nikki Minaj have amplified the hyper-sexual stereotype about Black women with her sexually charged lyrics, provocative style of dress, and various implants to enlarge her breasts and buttocks, looking not unlike Saartjie Baartman and the many beautiful women of Africa. Artists who pre-date Nikki Minaj, like Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown, debuted in a similar fashion, using their sexuality through lyrics and risque media poses in which they were almost always scantily clad, to propel their careers. These female rappers only serve to further push the music industry’s agenda to denigrate women, Black women in particular, by buying into and proudly displaying the very stereotypical behaviors that function to keep hyper-sexualized images of Black women in the minds of viewers. Female rappers serve the same purpose as those women dancing in hip hop videos: to push the sexual agenda of a sexist music industry. However, the message delivered through female rappers is pronounced solely due to the fact that the artist is a female who is promoting a hegemonic patriarchal message. The sexual nature of hip hop in general is made more acceptable if the objects of sexual exploitation, women, also become hip hop stars. Lastly, the current female hip hop stars are adopting images of beauty from childhood icons such as Barbie, as is the case with Nikki Minaj. The adaptation of Barbie for the purpose of hip hop is a clear indication that there is an agenda to capture all viewers’ minds to believe the images they are presented with about Black women. The most effectual approach to challenging the erroneous and negative images of Black women in the media is for those who are aware and knowledgeable to expose the falsehoods of the pervasive stereotypes and ideas about Black women. Bibliography Frith, Susan. â€Å"Searching for Sara Baartman. † Johns Hopkins Magazine, June 2009. http://www. jhu. edu/jhumag/0609web/sara. html (accessed April 20, 2013). â€Å"The Hottentot Venus. † Accessed April 22, 2013. http://whgbetc. com/mind/hottentot_venus_emory. html. Payton, Brenda. â€Å"Sorority Sisters Combat Explotiative Rap Images. † Daily Review (Hayward, CA). 4 July 2004. Pilgrim , David. â€Å"Jezebel. † Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia. . http://www. ferris. edu/jimcrow/jezebel. htm (accessed April 23, 2013). Clemlyn-Ann , Pollydore, and Jennifer A. Richeson. â€Å"Affective Reactions of African-American Students to Stereotypical and Counterstereotypical Images of Blacks in the Media.. † Journal of Black Psychology. no. 3 (2002): 261-275. Simmonds, Felly Nkweto. â€Å"’She’s Gotta Have It’: The Representation of Black Female Sexuality on Film. † Feminist Review. (1988): 10-22. http://www. jstor. org/discover/10. 2307/1395143? uid=3739936&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21102132644181 (accessed April 22, 2013).

Growth In Writing

Writing is one of my favorite things to do. Expressing yourself is so much easier when given time to think about what needs to be said. I would like to believe that I have a very rich writing history. I keep a journal of all my daily events. I also keep a book close by so if I think of any poems I can write them down right away. My favorite piece of writing was a story that I wrote in my first semester English class. The name of the story was Fade. This Semester two of my classes will require me to turn in written assignments. This semester should not be two difficult in terms of how much writing I have to do. From my preliminary observations I can tell that I will have one short paper due in Art History 107 class. Although I only have one paper I have one paper, I have two essay exams in my History class. I believe that with some help the writing portion of this semester should be successful. The Art History paper has to be two pages long. I have to go to a museum and compare two of the exhibits to each other. Professor Cutis said that the first page of the paper should be talking about my reactions to the exhibits using the vocabulary that we learned in class. The second page should discuss the different time periods and there affects on how the critics might have critiqued the works of art. Also, we have to describe what kind of techniques the artist might have used and why. The most difficult part of this paper I believe will be trying to utilize the vocabulary that my professor wants us to use, and figuring out the right ways to critique the art. As for my essay exams in History, I have had a problem getting the right amount of details incorporated with the facts. I talked to my History professor and he said that the best way to know which details to add is to, read and re-read the notes from our lectures. I have been trying to take very detailed notes so it will not be a problem when the time comes for our first exam. To conclude, this semester seems like this semester will be smooth sailing when it comes to the writing aspect of my classes. I am hoping that with the help I receive from my writing class I can produce the best papers of my college career.

Qatar Airways Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Qatar Airways - Research Paper Example Along with that companies differentiated their services based on the consumer demographics and marketing mix. This also helped in changing the overall perspectives for the airlines industry in Qatar. According to the IATA (2010) report, the growth of Middle East airlines industry was more than 10% by the end of June 2009 which was one of the fastest growth rates in the global airlines industry. Some of the reasons of the better performance of the Middle East airlines are their customer focused approach, competitive services that is helping them increasing the customer base. The reduction of prices of premium and luxury services has helped in increase demand of this segment. Some companies have established their names for the high standard services among their customers and competitors. Emirates and Qatar airlines are leading in this area to provide high benchmarking standards for the other competitors. Qatar Airways was established in the year 1993 and started its operations in 1994. The first flight of this airline was 737-200. By the year 2003, the company had 35 aircraft that covered 52 destinations. In the year 2005 the number of aircrafts increased to 52 and by 2010 it is 71 aircrafts. The destinations covered increased to 60 in the year 2005 and 84 in the present scenario. The numbers of people using the Qatar Airways services are more than 120, 000, 000. The company has home offices across the 90 countries in the world including Al-Maha Tower in Qatar (See Appendix Route Map). The organisation has a strong team of 664 pilots. These include 67 Qataris pilots and 80 pilots under training. The current fleet size of 71 aircraft includes 8 B-777-300ERs, 2 B-777-200LRs and others such as A300, A320, A340, A321. Qatar Airways has ongoing orders for 200 more aircrafts and has expansion plan of 110 aircrafts by the year 2013. On Order Fleet are 5 A380, 26 B-777, 60 B-787 and 80 A-350. It is expected that five of the

Compare and contrast individualism and individuality Essay

Compare and contrast individualism and individuality - Essay Example Here, the aggregate of properties are peculiar to an individual, where the sum of the attributes distinguish an object from others of the same kind (Oxford English Dictionary). Essentially, the root for 'individualism' and 'individuality' is individual, which indicates an entity or idea that is not divisible. Although both terms embrace the idea of inseparability, the intentions for both behaviors are very different. While the doctrine of 'individualism' may be tied to the thought of 'egoism' (Wikipedia) which suggests self-serving tendencies, the principle of 'individuality' does not require the sacrifice of self-interest for any other causes. In summary, it can be argued that 'individualism' is more about an approach to life where individual benefits are paramount and it opposes collectivism where no sacrifice is made. On the other hand, 'individuality' is geared more towards a quality of life which values individual choice and may not entirely be self-serving or self-sacrificing which then creates a certain degree of identity.

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 135

Summary - Essay Example There were so many restrictions in that Africans had limited movements and could only access limited areas of the states. By 1877, reconstruction was no more because Africans had been separated and thus were considered second-class citizens. These were some of the things that the author explains that had influenced Africans to fight for their positions. During the 1920s, there were lots of negative socio-political perceptions about the blacks. This was readily evident when blacks were stripped off their rights to access medical rights among others after the First World War. They had a rough time fighting for equality and good treatment which however, increased the cultural and social drift. The continuous fight depicts education as an important tool which can shape leadership skills (Lewis, 1987). For instance, W.E.B. Du Bois used such skills in fighting against racism. He supported Pan Africanism since it was in favor of African ideologies in terms of culture, language and ethnicity. Racial and political equality was a major concern by most African Americans. Even though some radical American whites considered it a myth, a good number of them ganged up to help in the fight for equal rights. Washington’s philosophy was a major contributor to African oppression. For this reason, Africans had to rely on paternalism in which the Southern whites offered symphathy. All in all, they had to accept the oppression and admit the superiority of whites. The Africans, while in the south took education seriously, began to save money and made investments. This was the only means through which they could get their equal rights and identity. Even while trying to popularize the African culture, some key aspects must have been forgotten especially the stereotype associated with â€Å"tap dancing Negro† (Lewis, 1987). This was something that most visual artists like Stuart Davies embraced all along. However, African elites considered such a move to be a racial joke since it

Macroeconmics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Macroeconmics - Essay Example The article also interprets the new data regarding unemployment in United States. It explains that the important factors in lower unemployment rates are reduction in participation rate and the performance of the private sector. The article also discusses how government officials are trying to settle on the budget crisis and informs the audience regarding the potential harmful consequences if any settlement is not reached. It is also discussed that although unemployment is decreasing, new jobs are not adding in the economy as they were 2 months ago. This shows that there is a decreasing trend in the increasing jobs in the economy. The decreasing trend depicts how budget crisis is negatively affecting the economy and especially the job market. Public companies are not hiring employees because they are unsure as to what will happen in the coming few months. The budget crisis therefore is significantly affecting the economy. Another indication of the importance of the unemployment data can be seen by the performance of stock markets. Usually good news such as decrease in unemployment has a positive effect on the stock markets and investors start to invest in the markets. This did not happen as the markets did not react well to the news. The market reacted in a good way for sometime but this positive reaction was not long lasting which shows that people still have reservations regarding the state of the economy. Stock market performance is an important indicator as to how people perceive the new information and in this case it shows that the news can be regarded as a mixed report. The article also discusses that the new unemployment data reveals that the economy is recovering but the whole process is very slow. The new jobs were added because private companies increased their hiring but government hiring is still in the negative. This again indicates the overall picture of the economy. The article