The Official Puerto Rican Language :: Language Spanish Culture Essays

The Official Puerto Rican Language "The attempt by conquerors to impose their language on the conquered is a recurrent historical theme" (Morris 162). In 1493 the Spanish conquistadors arrived on the island of Borinquen where, there was an attempt by the Spanish to impose their language on the native population of Taino Indians. The Tainos believed that the Spaniards were gods and so were willing to learn all that they could from them. The virtual annihilation of the Taino population in the short period after the Spanish arrival caused by the importation of illnesses the Tainos were not immune to as well as their horrid working conditions as slaves. After close to 400 years of rule on the island the Spanish language was adopted to be the official Puerto Rican language. Today the Spanish language is the number one identifying factor of Puerto Ricannness, meaning that when Puerto Ricans are asked what is Puerto Ricanness, the number one answer is language. As demonstrated by Nancy Morris in her book, Puerto Rico: Culture, Politics, and Identity. Since 1898 Puerto Ricans have given the Spanish language enormous importance as part of their culture and history because of American colonization of the island. The United States attempt to Americanize the island by way of enforcing their language and history in public schools on the island has continually been rejected by Puerto Ricans. The Americans made no attempt to learn Spanish in order to understand Puerto Ricans because of their belief that Puerto Ricans were inferior. "In U.S. eyes the first problem Puerto Ricans faced was their Spanish blood. In the United States this heritage is called the Black Legend and is the basis of prejudice focused, not on the color of skin, but on cruelty of behavior" (Fernandez 13). Perhaps the competition between the Spain and the United States for global domination during the late 19th Century may have lead to a disliking of the Spanish culture. U.S. attempts to Americanize the island may have also been influenced by the competition between the countries. Competitive nature getting the best of the U.S. and making them so competitive they would try to convert an island to demonstrate the superiority of the English language and the American culture. In Ferrà ©s’ novel this unwillingness by the Americans to learn the Spanish language and try to improve conditions on the island are clearly depicted by several characters. For instance, The typical governor is described as:

Psychology Generalization and Discrimination

fig. 1. Stimulus generalization gradient for subjects that were trained to identify the target length which is of 75 as the dimension of length and were tested in the presence of the other dimensions of length. fig. 2. Effect of intradimensional discrimination training on stimulus control. Subjects received discrimination training in which the S- was 85 as the dimension of length, keeping the S+ 75 as the dimension of length. 2 . In Figure 1, it shows the comparison of the stimulus generalization gradients of two different subject groups, between the class average and me as an individual. To commence with, lets talk about the curve representing the class mean. The shape of the graph is basically symmetrical between 55 and 80, which these numbers are the indication of the length of the line presented. Though 75 is the target length, the highest rate of response occurred in response to the length of 65 and 70, both encountering 100% of responses. The subjects also made substantial numbers of responses when length of 60 and 75 were tested. However, when length of 55 and 80 were tested, response rates decreased quite dramatically, only 20% of the total responses were recorded, making the graph a bell-shaped one. As for length of 85 or above, no responses were detected. For the curve representing my own result, it is more or less a symmetrical graph as well. The highest rate of response occurred in response to the original length of 75. Once again, substantial numbers of responses were also detected when length of 70 and 80 were tested. Yet there is a huge decrement of response for much shorter or longer lengths (i. e. , 55-65 and 85-95), no responses were detected. These two curves both serve to indicate the phenomenon of stimulus generalization, though the individual result better explains it. The peak of response rate lies on or around (for the class mean) the target length,75. But quite a similar percentage of total responses were also made to the lengths around the target one, this indicates that responding generalized to the 70 or even 65 and 80 stimuli, therefore a gentle gradient could be plotted. On the other hand, as the length of the test stimuli became increasingly different from the target length, progressively fewer responses occurred. It is because the difference between the tested length and the target length was significant enough to be recognized and differentiated, thus quite a ramatic decrement of responses occurred when a comparatively very short or very long line were tested. The results shown a gradient of responding as a function of how similar each test stimulus was to the original training stimulus (target). One reason for not having the highest percentage of responses at 75 for the class statistics would be because it was reflecting the class avera ge responses and there might be out-lyers whose results affected the norm. Stimulus generalization gradients provided precise information about how much a stimulus has to be changed to produce a change in behavior. A gentle slope shows the variation in the stimulus is not significant enough to produce a respond to the variation while a steep slope shows the variation in the stimulus is large enough for the subjects to respond to it. In Figure 2, it shows the comparison of the intradimensional discrimination gradients of the two subject groups (me as an individual and the class average). To commence with, I will first talk about the curve representing the class mean. The shape of the curve is asymmetrical, with the highest percentage of response again occurred in response to the length of 65 and 70, achieving 100% responses. But this time, once the length increased gradually from 70, the percentage of response decreased steadily until it reached 0% when the length of 85, which is the S- (discriminative stimulus), is tested. Although the target length was again, 75, there is a counterintuitive phenomenon known as the peak-shift effect to explain the peak of response lying on 65 and 70 instead of 75. Quite high percentages of response were occurred when 75, the target length was presented. Yet the percentage of responses was higher to 65 and 70 than to 75. This shift of the peak responding away from the original S+ is recognizable after discrimination training with the length of 85 as S-. This shift of the peak has an explanation other than the generalization. During the earlier phase of discrimination training, responding was never reinforced in the presence of the 65 and 70 stimuli. However, because the target stimulus and the discriminative stimulus are similar in intradimensional discriminative tasks, the generalization gradients of excitation and inhibition will overlap. This is due to the inhibitory response learnt when S- is presented in the discriminatory training. Moreover, the degree of overlap will depend on the degree of similarity between S+ and S-. Since then, generalized inhibition from S- will suppress responding to S+ resulting this peak-shift effect. As for the curve representing my own result, the graph is more or less like symmetrical, with the peak occurring at the length of 75. The percentage of response increased significantly from the length of line varies from 65 to 70, creating a steep slope. For lines which differed from the target length comparatively much, like 55-65 and those above 90, no response were made, therefore 0% of the total response were recorded. Though I have also gone through the discrimination training, the absence of peak-shift effect may be due to individual difference, or insufficient training, therefore I still responded most to the S+ stimulus (target length,75) and responded progressively less as the length of the test stimuli deviated from the S+ stimulus.

JPMorgan And The London Whale Essay - 6439 Words

For the exclusive use of Y. Chen INS370 JPMorgan the London Whale Photo: ALAMY 03/2014-6003 This case was written by Andrew Chen, INSEAD MBA July 2013, under the supervision of Claudia Zeisberger, Affiliate Professor of Decision Sciences Entrepreneurship and Academic Director of the Global Private Equity Initiative (GPEI) at INSEAD. It is intended to be used as a basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation. Funding for this case study was provided by INSEAD’s Global Private Equity Initiative (GPEI). Additional material about INSEAD case studies (e.g., videos, spreadsheets, links) can be accessed at cases.insead.edu. Copyright  © 2014 INSEAD COPIES MAY†¦show more content†¦Instead, the senior most risk officer was Peter Weiland, who was chief market risk officer and officially reported to Barry Zubrow, the bank CRO, from 2007 to January 2012, though he reported to Drew on a de facto basis. Copyright  © 2014 INSEAD 1 03/2014-6003 This document is authorized for use only by Yen Ting Chen in FInancial Markets and Institutions taught by Nawal Ahmed Boston University from September 2014 to December 2014. For the exclusive use of Y. Chen In 2007, the CIO had begun constructing the synthetic credit portfolio as a hedge against the inherently long bias of the rest of the CIO portfolio. It was positioned to generate returns in an environment where credit spreads were widening. This proved to be prudent as spreads widened greatly in the financial crisis, and the SCP generated very strong returns. Exhibit 1 The Synthetic Credit Portfolio’s Historical Performance Source: 6/21/2012 presentation entitled, â€Å"CIO Compensation,† chart entitled, â€Å"Synthetic Credit Book Comparison: Revenue and SCB Trader Incentive (2008-2011),† JPM-CIO-PSI-H 0002746-2792, at 2749. After quite a strong 2009, SCP performance in 2010 was lacklustre, mostly as a result of a decision to sharply reduce portfolio exposure as market fears post-crisis began to subside. However, as fears over a European sovereign default began to take hold in 2011, the CIO team decided to increase their portfolio exposure to defend against another negative move inShow MoreRelatedJPMORGAN CHASE Essay2891 Words   |  12 PagesJPMorgan Chase is one of the oldest financial services company dating back over 200 years. It has $2 trillion in assets and operations in more than 60 countries. JPMC’s corporate strategy is it provides services and products in major capital markets. JPMorgan Chase, well known nationally and globally, is leading in investment banking, financial services for consumers, small business and commercial banking, financial transaction processing, asset management, and private equity. AccordingRead MoreThe Future of Banking: the Mobile Banking Revolution1403 Words   |  6 PagesChanges Kissel (2012) writes that since 2008, the world of financial services has been turned upside down. That is especially true of the banking industry, which has witnessed multiple bank failures and scandals such as the London Whale incident, in which a rogue trader for JPMorgan Chase cost the bank billions of dollars by making a risky bet on the credit market. In response, government authorities have passed new regulations intended to rein in these excesses. Portfolio Matrix Appendix B showsRead MoreRisk Management As A Crisis1778 Words   |  8 Pageset al provide a fascinating account of how JPMorgan Chase’s industry-leading risk management failed at the basic human level. After having prided itself on having the best risk management practices in the financial industry, and having survived the 2007-2009 financial crisis in better shape than many competitors, CEO Jamie Dimon often spoke of the bank’s ‘fortress balace sheet.’ However, the task force that investigated the $6 billion 2012 London Whale trading scandal concluded that despite the sophistication

The Cask Of Amontillado, By Edgar Allan Poe - 1375 Words

Edgar Allan Poe, a well-known writer even today, was born January 19, 1809, and died October 7, 1848. During his life time, Poe had written sixty-six short stories and seventy poems, and his writing was inspired by a dark past. Poe’s mother died of tuberculosis after his father abandoned them. Then, while living with a foster family, his foster mother died and his foster father disliked him. These events caused Poe to have a particular style of writing and in each of these a reader is able to see similarities between the characters, theme, setting, and Poe’s use of symbolism. In ‘The Cask of Amontillado’, ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ and ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ a reader can make these connections and see how Edgar Allan Poe put his feelings into words. Every story has its characters. In Poe’s stories the characters have similar states of mind. In ‘The Cask of Amontillado’ Montresor is obsessed with seeking revenge. For example, â€Å"At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitely, settled – but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish but punish with impunity.† He has vowed to get revenge, and he will not be caught. During ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ Roderick talks about his oversensitivity. â€Å"He suffered much from a morbid acuteness of the senses; the most insipid food was alone endurable; he could wear only garments of certain texture; the odours of all flowers were oppressive; his eyes wereShow MoreRelatedThe Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe888 Words   |  4 PagesThe Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe In ?The Cask of Amontillado?, Edgar Allan Poe takes us on a trip into the mind of a mad man. Poe uses certain elements to convey an emotional impact. He utilizes irony, descriptive detail of setting, and dark character traits to create the search of sinful deceit. Poe also uses first person, where the narrator is the protagonist who is deeply involved. The purpose is to get the reader to no longer be the observer. He wants them to see with MontressorRead MoreThe Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe836 Words   |  3 Pagesqualities in the story. In the story many things are used as symbols such as the actual cask of amontillado, the trowel, the jester costume and the setting in which there is two in the story. Another literary technique used significantly in the story is irony. Irony is the expression of ones meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite. In the short story â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado,† Montresor a very troubled man who plans to seek revenge on another man named FortunatoRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe And The Cask Of Amontillado1384 Words   |  6 PagesWhat makes Edgar Allan Poe work unique? Other than being a strange individual, Poe has become a remarkable literature writer. The Raven, Annabel Lee, and The Cask of Amontillado are just a few of Poe’s work that staples the theme of gothic literature. This essay will allow you to see the gothic elements Edgar Allan Poe uses through his most common poems. Gothic literature has many elements which play into its definition. The actual definition is a style of writing that is characterized by elementsRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe906 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† was written in 1846, by Edgar Allan Poe. Born in 1809, Poe never knew any of his parents. At the age of three, his mother died of tuberculosis, and his father deserted the family before he was born. Taking care of him was his foster parents in Richmond, Virginia. They loved Poe, but were not supportive of his decisions and kept Poe poor. Having debt and not being able to provide food and clothes for himself caused Poe to quit school. Later, heRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe920 Words   |  4 Pageswhen that trust no longer exists? In â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† written by Edgar Allan Poe, Fortunato is about to find the answer to this question. On the surface, Montresor seems friendly with Fortunato, but deep down he feels nothing but hate for him. Could this hatred have an irrationality that only Montresor understands? In different ways, both of these men are proud and affluent, yet both have downfalls that will l ead to a tragic ending. Edgar Allan Poe’s use of language contributes to the understandingRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe1555 Words   |  7 PagesIn his writing, Edgar Allan Poe has multiple uses of direct and indirect characterization. In The Cask of Amontillado, Montresor had rules such as â€Å"I must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong† (Poe, 2). Poe used indirect characterization to show the reader that Montresor is an unreliable narrator because he justified hisRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe1303 Words   |  6 PagesIn Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado,† the narrator recalls an extremely significant time in his life, and takes the reader along with him. Throughout the story, one experiences a perfectly planned murder which took place over fifty years ago, and still no one has discovered what truly happened to poor Fortunato as he was chained to a wall in a room that was then closed off, and torched to death due to all the nitre in the walls. As the story goes on, the reader can see some of Poe’s unfortunateRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe1076 Words   |  5 PagesThe short story, The Cask of Amontillado, written by Edgar Allan Poe is a story of terror and betrayal. Like many of Poe’s literary works, the story has a dark undertone with a theme of terror and depression. More than half a century ago, Marshall McLuhan argued that though Poe was fascinated by evil, the evil that he had in mind was not that of Calvinism, but that of the split man and the split civilization. In general, McLuhan was right, but in this instance Calvinism, and its God, provided a darkRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe707 Words   |  3 PagesIn the short story of The Ca sk of Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe writes in first person point of view from the perspective of Montresor who seeks revenge against Fortunato. Montresor began to develop the perfect plan for revenge. During the carnival season, Montresor meets with Fortunato and decides to implement his plan carefully through irony. Poe s story describes the murderer s mind which has lived as a memory of Fortunato s death for fifty years. Poe uses different types of irony and symbolismRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe985 Words   |  4 PagesEdgar Allen Poe is a well known author of short stories and poetry from the 19th century. He is known especially for his stories of horror and suspense. The Cask of Amontillado is one of his more famous pieces. The story follows the narrator, Montresor, as he exacts revenge on Fortunato. Montressor draws Fortunato into the wine cellar where eventually he chains Fortunato to the wall and encloses him inside it. Throughout the story the narrator continually proves that he is not the most reliable source

Policy and Practie for Children and Young People Essay

Policy and Practice for Children and Young People Discuss the ideology underpinning policy and practice for children and young people and demonstrate an awareness of constructs of childhood and adolescence from either an educational or care perspective. â€Å"The idea of belonging and membership, being part of a community, is a basic human need. It’s one of the principles of our democratic society. We all have the same needs, we want to be loved, we want to have friends, we want to feel that we are making a contribution in our families, in our communities†¦.We learn about understanding what someone’s interests and point of view are by interacting with them. To include everyone is to open up those possibilities for learning and†¦show more content†¦Moreover, it can be argued that not much has changed since the medieval times. Children are being forced to grow up more quickly than ever and in our rush to make them independent, the ability for them to learn and mature is being taken from them. However, how children are being raised has changed dramatically, children would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as they were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach them all day, but the children were always ok. That â€Å"playing outside† also meant that they were getting plenty of sunlight and constantly topping up their Vitamin D levels. The exercise and their being outside also boosted their immune systems. Those children really had everything going for them. Children today are being raised without nature for a variety of reasons: the prevalence of television and video games, being two, but another significant reason is fear. Parents fear what is outside their front doors, violence, kidnapping, accidents and so they don’t allow their children to freely explore as was common one or two generations ago. As children get older, too much screen time can interfere with activities such as being physically active, reading, doing homework, playing with friends, and spending time with family. It has been identified that every child deserves the best possible start in life and support to fulfill their potential. A child’sShow MoreRelatedSocial, Emotional And Behavioural Difficulties2042 Words   |  9 Pagesdifferent areas of the field. After a brief analysis of the key documents that have led to the current position, this review will focus on three main areas that are consistent throughout a majority of the literature. These issues are: why SEBD arises in children; assessment of SEBD pupils and the development of SEBD provision. Although these areas are addressed separately, there is an inevitable overlap between the topics and other issues within the field. Literature identifies one of the most controversial

Legal Defenses free essay sample

If reasonable force us used against an Individual and there is a threat of imminent odily harm or death, and the individual defends themselves, that person may be acquitted of first-degree murder. To argue perfect self-defense, and have it result in a full acquittal the threat must be grave and the force used In response must be reasonable. With an argument of imperfect self-defense it will not result in a complete acqulttal, out most 11Kely a lesser cnarge sucn as manslaugnter. In tne case of imperfect self-defense, the offender uses more force than is necessary to diffuse the threat such as if the force was necessary to defend themselves but using lethal force was not necessary. When a person pleads not guilty by reason of insanity, the defense is arguing that the defendant has a mental defect that makes them incapable of forming the intent that is required to prove first-degree premeditated murder. We will write a custom essay sample on Legal Defenses or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Each state has different standards when it comes to establishing an insanity defense, and they examine whether or not the defendant understands that nature of their conduct at the time the offense was committed. The last is provocation which is not commonly used as a complete defense but can also reduce a first-degree murder charge down to a manslaughter conviction. Provocation uses the argument that the defendant was provoked and lost control and acted in the heat of the moment which undermines proof of intent.

Mississippi River free essay sample

She learned to set hens, and raise chickens, feed pigs, milk cows, plant and harvest a garden and carry every fruits and vegetables. She carried water nearly a quarter of a mile from well to fill her wash boilers in order to do her laundry on a scrub board. She also had to shuck grain, feed threshers, and shock and husk corn, feed corn pickers. In winter she sewed dresses, trousers and jackets for the children, housedresses, aprons for herself. She even made pillows from plucking each bird’s breast feathers, not only for her family but also for her relatives. Every morning and evening she milked cows, fed pigs and calves, cared for her chickens, picked eggs, cooked meals, washed dishes, rubbed floors. Apart from these works and household chores she had to look after her children. Even after her car accident and she was paralyzed she didn’t stop working. We will write a custom essay sample on Mississippi River or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page From her wheel chairs she canned pickles, baked bread, ironed clothes, wrote dozens of letters weekly to her friends and children. 2. Why isn’t Martha Smith eligible for a death benefit? Martha smith was a very hard working woman who worked throughout her life to sustain or keep family going. She served her entire family and relatives doing all the household chores. But work done by her in home didn’t entitle her the dead benefit. She wasn’t eligible for the dead benefit because she never served for the state. And according to the government any job is considered work only when the person gives service to the country. The household work is still not considered a work by government. So; Martha smith is not eligible for the dead benefit. 3. How does government define work? For government a work done by a home maker to sustain or keep family going is not a work. Acccording to the government any work done by a person which gives service to a country and he gets wages for it and pays apart of wages as tax to the government is called work. Purpose and audience 1. What is the essay’s thesis? Why do you suppose it is never explicitly stated? Thesis-a woman who works all her life day and night is not regarded as work or not entitled for a death benefit. Thesis is not explicitly stated as it is not mentioned in the introduction part or in the conclusion part. 2. This essay appeared in ms magazine and other publications whose audiences are sympathetic to feminist goals? Could it just as easily have appeared in the magazine whose audience was not? Explain. This essay is mainly focused towards the feminist side but the fact is that it also has a human appeal that suits everyone to read it and also understand exactly the same way as a woman could feel . The mother represents the whole of the women side. It is suitable for the non-feminist readers as well. It could have been published in the other magazines also. While reading this essay we could visualize Martha smith as our own mother. Even our mother works rigorously as her. 3. Smith Yackel mentions relatively little about her father in the essay. How can you account for this? The essay, â€Å"My mother never worked† is written by Yackel and this essay is a tribute to her mother. She has mainly written about her mother who worked rigorously throughout her life to sustain her family. She hasn’t mentioned about her father as she wants to divert all the reader’s attention towards her mother. She wants all the readers to know and recognize how hard a mother works for her children or family throughout her life. And even though she had worked so much she isn’t eligible for the death benefit. Style and structure 1. Is the title effective? If so, why? If not, what title can you suggest? The title my mother never worked is very effective. The thesis of the essay is the topic itself. The author’s mother is a hard working woman who has served her family throughout her life doing all sorts of household chores. This essay has an ironical meaning. And due to this it grabs the attention of the reader’s . The first impression of the reader after reading the title is that the mother might be lazy. But after reading the whole essay we come to know that her mother worked hard for her children and family throughout her life. 2. Smith Yackel could have outlined her mother’s life without framing it with the telephone conversation. Why do you think she includes this frame? The essay starts with the telephone conversation the writer could have outline her mother’s life without framing it with the telephone conversation but the writer has included the telephone conversation to make the essay more interesting and effective. If she had started the essay normally then the impression and impact upon the reader’s would not have been so strong. 3. What strategies does Smith Yackel use to indicate the passing of time in her narrative? The passing of the time is clearly mentioned by the writer by mentioning the date or the year. . This narrative piles details one on the top of another almost like a list. Why does the writer list so many details? The writer has written the events in a chronological order. He piles the events one on top of another like a list. This is because the chores done by her mother is continuous and repetitive in nature. Therefore she has mentioned dates to make readers know that she d id all the works in every event or throughout her life even though she was financially secure. 5. In paragraphs 20 and 21, what is accomplished by the repetition of the word ‘still’? In paragraph 20 and 21; By the repetition of the word ‘still’ , the writer wants the readers to know that her mother worked day and night continuously throughout her life. Even after she got paralyzed due to the car accident or war she didn’t stop working. Vocabulary projects Scrounge-to get or trying to get something by asking and without praying for it Shuck-to remove the covering of the grains Shock-to shake violently Husk-to remove the outer covering of the grains, nuts or corns Rutted-the deep tracks that have been made by wheels Reclaimed-to get something which you have lost again Flax-a plant with blue flowers. Its stem is used to make thread, rope and cloth and seeds are used for making linseed oil Fodder-food given to the cows, horses and other animals Intricate-having lots of part and small details that fit together Sustenance-means of support 2. Try submitting equivalent words for those italicized in this sentence: He wooded her thoroughly and persistently by mail, and though she reciprocated all his feeling for her, she dreaded marriage†¦ He attracted her completely and continuously by the letters and though she responded all the feeling for her, she feared marriage. How do your substitutions change the sentence’s meaning? Even though the meaning of both the sentences is the same, the charm of the first sentence is gone. The beauty of the words presented by the writer is lost and the sentence is even not effective as the first one. 4. Throughout her narrative, Smith Yackel uses concrete, specific verbs. Review her choice of verbs, particularly in paragraphs 13-24, and comment on how much verbs serve the essay’s purpose. The writer uses concrete and specific verbs in the essay. Some of the used by her are plucked, stuffed and harvested. The essay’s main purpose is to make the readers know what kind of tasks her mother did throughout her life. Journal entry Do you believe homemakers should be entitled to social security death benefits? Explain. I believe homemakers should be entitled to the social security death benefits. According to the law of government any job or work done by a person is considered as work only when he gives his service to the country and expects wages from it and pays a part of it as a tax to government. The work or household chores done by house makers to sustain their family is not considered work. Federal law entitles with social security death benefits to only those who, in the eyes of state, worked during their life. Here ‘worked’ means a job or trade done in a legal manner or work that can be recognized in terms of documents. Unfortunately the work done by Martha smith did all her life do not fall under this criterion. Therefore she isn’t eligible for social security death benefits. But by saying this we can’t ignore the fact that she did almost everything she could do to earn her family’s living. Like Martha smith there are numerous women in the country who dedicate their whole life for family and children. Such work can’t be presented on a paper or tax clearance certificates or a salary cheques. Works like domestic chores, poultry, farming, and small vegetable gardens, sewing etc don’t get recognized or authorized â€Å"work† document. But these are the works people can live their whole life on. Their work can’t be ignored by just saying that their work is not a work in the eyes of state. They deserve to be entitled for social security benefits and their work should be appreciated by the state. Writing workshop 1. If you can, interview one of your parents or grandparents (or another person you know who might remind you of Donna Smith-Yackel’s mother about his or her work, and write a chronological narrative based on what you learn. Include a thesis statement that your narrative can support. I was sitting alone, looking at the sky. It was clear, blue and high. I was in my own world, lost in my own imagination. Suddenly, my grandmother came from behind and asked what I am doing. I said that I am looking at the beautiful clear and blue sky. I told her that I want to go there and asked her whether it is easy to reach there. She said it’s not so easy to reach there, not at least when the journey up to heights is your life. You have to struggle a lot to reach there.