Identity and Representation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Identity and Representation - Essay Example My beliefs and values are developed in social groups where my identity is developed. For instance the Sun Devil Sports Clubs and the Taiwanese Student Association at Arizona State University are social groups that identify me. I am part of numerous social groups in the community. Being a Taiwanese, the Taiwanese Student Association is one of the organization I associate myself with. In this group, people regard me as one of their own who has come to the United States with the same dreams as them. I share several characteristics with people in this group including cultural heritage, beliefs, values, religion, color and race. This group has affected and influenced my identity to a particular level. The members in this group have helped me to adapt to changes in this new country, by changing my attitude and some aspects of my character. For example, I had to learn about how to conduct myself when I am with individuals from Arizona, more like when you are in Rome do what the Romans do. T he activities that I am participating in have contributed greatly towards which people’s groups I have become part of. I like poetry and most of the time I find myself spending quite a considerable amount of time with fellow poets. I have realized that these poets I spend time with have numerous sentiments concerning poetry. Poetry in itself is considered a literal art which is inclined towards rhythm, sound, symbol that evokes hidden meaning to a particular subject. However, in some groups individuals refer poetry as imaginative experience that evokes emotional response to relax and entertain themselves. This presents a situation where differences materialize and I find myself unable to understand what poetry is all about. Although the differences may undermine my opinions about this individuals, there is the benefit of making sense of these different opinions regarding poetry. The conflicting opinions about poetry, help me to deduce issues this particular group associate wi th, without any inhibitions. A number of ideas an individual tend to be influenced with the interaction of diverse groups in an area of residence or workplace. It is common in my opinion for ideas of an individual to evolve or change with time as interaction with other groups in different places takes place. Numerous things such as assumptions, ideas and opinions have changed in my life as a result of relocating from Taiwan to the United States. For instance, I used to have the opinion that everyone when meeting for the first time a greeting by the bow of the head was a must to show respect to other people. However, when I came to the United States I came to the realization that this was not applicable. In fact I was shocked to see that people just greet each other casually even though they have met for the first time. Thus, I realized that behavior, attitude and opinions matter a lot when developing an identity that others may perceived me with. In addition, I found that stereotypi ng the African American community by the white community as I had heard from Taiwan was simply not true, because I experienced different races learning together in the same school. This has been important in shaping my perspective of the identity of African Americans, and I have welcomed them with their ideas and opinions to shape my own identity. There has been a significant influential effect in my life from being a member of several groups and

Agriculture on Rainforest(Amazon Tropical) soil Essay

Agriculture on Rainforest(Amazon Tropical) soil - Essay Example nstitutions have drawn on contrasting perceptions of cause as they try to shape policies and programs dealing with the environmental impacts of development. Yet the importance of perceptual (emic-type) differences among social groups and progressive institutions has not been addressed in the growing corpus of work worried with environment-development issues. The present study examines miscellaneous perceptions of the causes of soil corrosion among inhabitants and institutions in Amazon Basin. According to recent accounts, soil erosion in the Amazon "heartland" and several other flat terrain regions of Brazilian Amazon Basin constitutes a unhelpful environmental hazard that degrades farm and grazing lands and increases flooding, desertification, and dust storms. Estimates indicate that 64 percent, or 790 square kilometres, of the land surface in Amazon is at least reasonably eroded, and approximations of annual soil erosion vary between 50 and 150 tons per hectare, well above rates of soil formation. These figures indicates an erosion dilemma that exceeds even the harsh national situation: a recent report released by the Brazilian Ministry of Peasant Agriculture and Ranching (RACA), and published in two major newspapers, estimates that between 35 and 41 percent of the country at present display moderate or extreme soil erosion. For many people and institutions in Brazil, soil erosion has become an issue of considerable alarm. Articulated perceptions (discourses) of the causes of soil erosion assess here include three groups of residents and institutions in Brazil: government institutions and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), peasants in their individual perspectives, and rural trade unions. Each group has articulated concern about the recent erosion dilemma, its impacts and possible solutions. The articulated perceptions typical of each group are represented in informal accounts made in 1991 and in published and unpublished documents. These were assembled in