A Superior Personality Essay Example for Free

A Superior Personality Essay Every person looks up to a model personality. For some, it could be a fictitious hero like Superman, Spiderman, or Wonder Woman. For others, it could be a successful businessman like Bill Gates or the very young Google creators Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Still, others look up to great leaders like Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. These people with superior personality serve as our role models for they have set the standards for success and self-fulfillment. However, being successful is not just measured by the positions we hold in the government, or the amount of money we make annually. Superiority and success are likewise found in the ability to help others live decently, and empower them to realize their goals. While others tread their ways to success in comfortable living, some choose the thorny path where the needy, the poor, and the helpless awaited resurrection. Among those who chose the second path was Jane Addams, the co-founder of the Hull House, and the first American woman who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931. In this paper, we shall analyze the superiority in the personality of Jane Addams—her characteristics as a leader and the reasons why she stood above the rest—in relation to the theories of Sigmund Freud, Carl Rogers, Gordon Allport, John Watson, and Otto Rank. Short Biography Jane Addams (1860-1935) was born in Cedarville, Illinois to a family of six children. Her mother died when she was two years old, leaving them with their father who was a local miller, political leader, and later a senator. Her father served as a strong influence in Addams’ life until she grew up. After Addams attended Rockford Female Seminary where she graduated as valedictorian, she wanted to take up medicine but her father feared that this move will lead her not to marry and have her own family. Therefore, to dissuade her thoughts from attending school, he organized a family tour to Europe, thinking that this would make Addams change her mind. However, John Addams died of acute appendicitis while on vacation. This affected the whole family, and in particular, Jane, who after the tour, enrolled in the medical school. She did not find the same vigor that she had before about medical school, and she was hospitalized often when they went back to the U. S. Finally, after her recovery from spine surgery, she was advised to return to Europe where she discovered what she was longing for. Seeing the Toynbee Hall in London’s slum area, Addams started heading towards the direction of fulfilling her life-long mission. After her second visit to Europe, Addams got the inspiration to establish the Hull House in 1889. By 1893, the foundation already served 2,000 persons, offering intervention in the form of schooling, medical care, legal aid, childcare, and the arts. After founding the Hull House, she launched different projects to help the less fortunate and the weak, among them were Immigrants’ Protective League, and the Juvenile Protective Association, among others. Also in 1893, she served as the first woman president of the National Conference of Charities and Corrections. In 1894, she founded the Chicago Federation of Settlements and Neighborhood Centers. Later, she also served as chairwoman of the Labor Committee of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, and took part in the executive board of the National Labor Commission. Just like anyone, Addams had critics who attacked her for her unyielding support of workers. As such, the Hull House suffered in terms of donations, forcing Addams to render lectures on tour, and write articles to support the foundation. This eventually led to the publication of Twenty Years at Hull House, a book which received great public attention. Afterward, despite her criticized efforts to stop war or America’s participation to it, Hull House was still successful. In 1928, Addams suffered from heart attack, which marked the decline of her health. In 1931, she was hospitalized in Baltimore, the same day she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1931, she died of cancer in her own hometown.

Case Study on Palliative Care: Example Answers

Case Study on Palliative Care: Example Answers Carol is a 48 year old woman who lives with her husband Dean and three children. Carols three children, Josephine (15 years), Harry (12 years) and Sarah (8 years) are aware their mother has cancer, but have not been told of the development of secondary disease or the implications this carries. The family run a small general store in an outer suburb of Perth. Carol was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago, originally undergoing a right lumpectomy with adjuvant chemotherapy. Last year Carol was diagnosed with bone secondaries. Since that time she has been receiving tamoxifen and attending the oncology clinic for follow-up. The community palliative care nurse visits Carol once a month to monitor her progress and provide emotional support. While visiting Carol the nurse notes that she appears to be in considerable discomfort, though she denies any pain. On questioning Dean, the nurse learns that Carol has been found crying and holding her hip, but refuses to seek medical attention. Why do you think Carol is reluctant to seek medical attention and acknowledge her pain? ANSWER: Carol is reluctant to seek the medical attention because she is fed up with the medical checkups and also she receives no positive improvement in her health so she herself concluded to not to waste the money on her health and let them safe for her three children (Matthews, 2008). As Carol begins to receive palliative care, which members of the palliative care team do you think need to be involved in her care? Briefly describe the role of each. ANSWER: The family members of Carol play an important role in the team of palliative care and especially the role of Dean was very crucial because he is the person who could fill the strength in Carol to fight against this dangerous disease ( Foley, 2001). Investigations of Carols pain revealed bony secondaries. She was offered a course of radiotherapy, but refused as this would mean going to the city (55km away) every day, and she would be away from the shop at the busiest time of the year. Carol agreed to recommencing chemotherapy, and was commenced on regular panadeine forte (two every four hours) for her pain. Carol has been troubled by nausea and vomiting after each course of chemotherapy. On a follow up visit five days after Carols last chemotherapy, the community nurse discovers that Carol is constantly nauseated, vomiting several times a day and unable to keep any fluids down. Identify the possible causes of Carols nausea and vomiting. ANSWER: Chemotherapy involves the killing of cancerous cells from the patients body thus due to these heavier operations on Carols body would make her uneasy and thus she has nausea and vomiting (Ferrell, 2006). Describe the management strategies for the various probable cause(s) of Carols nausea and vomiting. ANSWER: Management strategies should be in order to give her strict instructions to be away from strong odours, not to lay flat after eating, have some light exercise after eating, to eat in smaller amounts and most importantly keep her mind relaxed and try to forget about the chemotherapy (Hesketh, 2005). On a follow-up visit, the community nurse discovers that Carol is only achieving two hours pain relief after her tablets and is taking them more frequently, but is reluctant to consider changing to stronger medication. Identify the appropriate steps for assessing Carols pain. ANSWER: She should be checked to take medicines on her own i.e. someone from her family should take the responsibility to fetch her with medicines; also management should maintain a regular chart of the total amount of daily doses and the time span of pain she have(McMann,  2009). After consultation with the general practitioner, the community nurse discusses changing Carols analgesia to something stronger. Carol is very reluctant as she feels she will only become addicted to hard drugs if she uses them now. Carol expresses concerns about having this type of medication in the house with young children around. What are the possible reasons for Carols reluctance to change her medication, and how could this be overcome? ANSWER: Carol main reason for reluctance was that she wants to be with her family also she wants to save money as she could not afford the hospitals expenses and hence she wants the whole medication to be done at her home. This can be overcome if and only if the management gives some relaxation in the expenses (Visel, 2006). Carol reluctantly agrees to a trial of oral morphine, initially in short-acting form until the dose is titrated. She is commenced on 10mg of oral morphine 4th hourly. What education should the nurse give Carol about commencing and taking morphine? ANSWER: The nurse should tell her to handle some pain and extend the period of taking the morphine from 2 hours interval to 4 hours interval so that she could develop some resistive powers in herself (Bruera, 2003). When should Carol be considered for conversion to controlled (slow) release morphine, and how would the dose be calculated for this? ANSWER: As soon as Carol feels that she has generated enough resistive power then the controlled doses of morphine should be given and the period should be increased rose to the power of 2 i.e. 2, 4, 8, 16 and finally it should be stopped (Bruera, 2003). Identify adjuvant medication that may be helpful in Carols case. ANSWER: Herceptin drug can be used as the adjuvant medication because it interferes with growth of cancer cells and slows their growth and spread in the body (Knox, 2004). Carol is reluctantly taking morphine 30mg every four hours and Naprosyn 500mg b.d. for her pain. When visiting Carol one day the community nurse finds Carol vomiting and complaining of catching a gastro bug from one of the children. On questioning Carol states she has had small frequent amounts of diarrhoea for 5-6 days, and has not had a normal bowel motion for two weeks. Carol is notably dry, complains of thirst, has a coated tongue, and a distended abdomen. What nursing investigations would you carry out? ANSWER: The infection is been spreading in her family due to the contact of virus released by the vomiting of the Carol. Hence personal hygiene should be maintained (Yarbro, 2005). What nursing strategies would you implement to relieve Carols symptoms? ANSWER: For relieving Carols symptoms the basic nursing strategies should ensure that the toiletry area should properly cleaned using diluted bleach, she must wash her hand after using the toilet, her clothes must be washed in warm water, and lastly the nurse should suggest her the BRAT food i.e. Banana Rice Applesauce and Toast as the main food from time to time and drink as much liquid as she discharges in her stools (Yarbro, 2005). Carols appetite has decreased and she is eating only very small amounts of food. She is not nauseous. Dean is finding it hard to accept that Carol doesnt need food and worries that without food Carol will die. What will you tell Dean about Carols loss of appetite? ANSWER: We will tell him not to panic because this loss of appetite is only due to the gastro effects and it will be removed as soon as the medicines perform their proper function (Ko, 2008). What strategies can you use to help Carol increase her intake? ANSWER: After giving her enough liquid food we will ask Carol to perform light exercises which could help her to burn more calories and so she will feel a good hunger for receiving a good nutrition (Ko, 2008). Carol has become increasingly bedbound and is spending many hours sleeping, and at times becomes restless. She has refused all further chemotherapy and blood tests and is aware her time is limited. Carol has told Dean that she would like to die at home. What do you need to consider to ensure that Carol can be cared for at home (eg. equipment, care needs etc)? ANSWER: The main consideration would be based on finding ways so that she must not get any complication in terms of medical facility. Hence important equipments must be installed with a good experienced nurse who remains with Carol in her house for 24 hours (Keir, 2002). The community nurse is called late at night because Carol has become semi-conscious, but is calling out and very restless. On arrival the nurse finds Carol agitated and restless in bed, with an increased respiratory rate, an obvious frown and unable to respond to questions. On questioning Dean states that he was unable to administer her last two doses of morphine slow release tablets. Carol has not taken fluids for several days, nor passed urine for eighteen hours. Identify the possible cause(s) for Carols restlessness and suggest treatments. ANSWER: Carols restlessness is only due to improper metabolism of her body so she should be given liquids as much as she could take and finally she must be made to discharge the urine (smith, 2006). The community nurse suggests insertion of a subcutaneous butterfly needle to administer Carols morphine for pain control. Dean becomes distressed, questioning the need for morphine when his wife is almost unconscious. He accuses the nurse of trying to hurry things along. What is an appropriate nursing response to Deans concerns? ANSWER: Nurse should send Dean outside the room and tell him to keep patience and keep faith, she will do the appropriate nursing of Carol (Kearny, 2006). Carol remains unconscious for several days. Josephine expresses concern that her mother has not had any fluids for several days and questions whether she should be admitted to hospital so intravenous fluids could be commenced. Josephine questions if it is cruel to let her mother die of dehydration? What explanation could the nurse give in response to Josephines concerns? ANSWER: Nurse should give condolence to Josephine and not to worry because she will take care of her mother in every aspects of medical concern (Alexander, 2000). What nursing actions will ensure that Carol is comfortable despite no oral intake? ANSWER: The basic nursing action that a nurse should check Carols pulse rate and blood pressure, if everything is normal then there it is ensured that Carol is comfortable despite of having no oral intake (Alexander, 2000). Dean approaches the palliative care nurse for assistance the next day. He states the children, in particular Sarah, are asking questions he doesnt know how to answer. Sarah asks detailed questions about what will happen to Carol before and after she dies, and appears to have a morbid interest in the details of death. Identify strategies to assist children dealing with death. ANSWER: While assisting children dealing with death the children of small age should be taken away from the house and make them busy in some games while elder children should understand itself how to manage with the condition (Schaefer, 2002). Carol died at 4.30 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon, with Dean, the three children and her mother by her side. Her death was described by the palliative care nurse as peaceful, but her dying as a struggle. What bereavement follow up could be put in place for this family? ANSWER: Carol was a strong fighter and she fights with her disease with silence and lots of courage, this death would keep soul free from the struggles that she had faced during her illness. God bless her soul Amen (Schaefer, 2002).

Naturalistic Observation Method

Naturalistic Observation Method Naturalistic Observation  Instructions Introduction Naturalistic observation is a method that is used to collect behavioral data in real life situations. The researcher needs to be careful not to interfere with the natural setting. Data can be gathered by observing from a distance without making the subject aware that he/she is been observed. The researcher can also join the setting and became a part of it so as to gain the trust of the subjects. As a result the subjects will behave normally. The observation may be direct or indirect. In the direct method the researcher is present in the setting but in the indirect method other means such as video recordings are used. Indirect method allows the observer to capture activities that would easily be unnoticed. Direct method on the other hand allows the observer to focus on particular areas of interest. Case study This is a naturalistic observation of a child and his parents in a health care facility. Am African-American family is sited in the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphias waiting room. It is 9 am and the hospital has a sizeable number of patients to attend to. The young boy is approximately 7 to 9 years of age. He is wearing a blue T- shirt and blank trousers. His mother a full figured lady is in a red and white poker dots dress. The father is quite tall approximately 57†, he is in a long sleeved purple shirt, a black tie and black pants. He appears to be dressed up for work. As the observation begins the family sits quietly in the waiting room. The husband and wife converse in low tones. The young boy keenly observes the hospital environment, often turning his head and moving around his chair. His father signals him to sit still. The boy looks at his mother and goes back to his sit. However, a few minutes later he starts looking around again. The woman appears to be engaged in a serious conversation with her husband. She nods her head attentively and occasionally gives a response. Her attention drifts back and forth from her husband then to her son. She stokes the boys head, smiles and turns his head so that he stops staring at a little baby and its mother around the corner. After waiting for a few minutes the man leaves the room. The boy leans fondly on his mother and starts to speak. Often he raises his finger to point out things but his mother holds his hand and smiles. She whispers something in his ears as she shakes her head. She appears to be communicating her disapproval based on her gestures and facial expression. He boy makes a face and chuckles. His father returns and the mood becomes tenser. He boy sits upright playing with his hands. Hypothesis The child speaks more frequently to the mother than to the father. The child appears to have a closer relationship with the mother than with the father. When the father left the room the child appeared more relaxed. He even initiated a conversation with his mother. Occasionally as he spoke he pointed out things in the environment, although his mother cautioned him against it. When the boy was cautioned by his mother he did not appear threatened. In stead he smiled and maintained his jovial mood. His mother also appeared to pay attention to him. She would stoke his head as she conversed with her husband. As soon as the father returned he boy become tense, sat up right and kept to himself. Earlier on in the observation the father had signaled the boy to sit still. The boy had responded swiftly without any hesitation and seemed rather tense. The father appears to be disciplinarian. The manner in which his spouse gave him her attention also asserts his role as head of the family. This appears to be a decent inner city family that is keen on instilling morals in their son. The father appears to adopt a stern and direct form of disciplining or correcting. This is evident in the way he signals the child to sit upright. He keeps a straight face and maintains direct eye contact. The boy seems to be more withdrawn when relating to his father. They do not even exchange a word or glances. Challenges The exercise is time consuming. It takes a lot of patience to observe, take notes and then analyze the findings. Alteration of behavior by subjects when they become aware that they are been observed is another challenge. Therefore the researcher needs to be very cautious so as not to alert the subject. The researcher should record his findings without intervening in the situation. It is a challenge to avoid experimental bias when observing the inner city families. It is difficult to remain object without allowing personal predispositions or stereotypes to cloud ones judgment. Conclusion Naturalistic observation of children and their families in a health care facility is an effective method of carrying out a research. This technique can assist in gathering data and gaining insight more than other research methods such as structured interviews and quantitative methods. Human factors are a challenge in any form of observational research. References George A. Miller (1983). The Principles of Psychology: with introduction. London: Harvard University Press. Brain, Christine. (2002). Advanced psychology: applications, issues and perspectives. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes.

International Public Health Policy Essay example -- Graduate Admission

International Public Health Policy    As a student of international public health, I intend to obtain an essential part of my instruction overseas. My formal education, with the potential to undermine more culturally appropriate knowledge and practices considering its decidedly Western perspective, is still incomplete. The Harvard Public Health Program will allow me the flexibility to learn Asian public health policy and programming, the benefit of which is undeniable. Asia has dealt admirably with the effects that rapidly changing socioeconomic conditions have had on health, particularly the emergence of chronic diseases that characterize industrialized nations side by side with infectious diseases that characterize still developing nations. All of this has been made even more complex by the emergence of new diseases such as AIDS. The decision to pursue public health was not a haphazard one, but the result of a thoroughly thought out estimation of my interests, concerns and capabilities. When I was seventeen, I wrote an essay for college that described my motivation and commitment to learning a subject well for a purpose. Sitting under covers in a small, poorly lit room, listening to my father swear at the walls during a cocaine high, I wanted to understand substance abuse and addiction. The purpose then was to "grow up and learn why people become addicted to things that hurt them, their bodies. . . and their children," and my intent was to use that information in my work as a substance abuse rehabilitation counselor. During my undergraduate years, I participated in numerous and rigorous courses related to my interest in substance abuse, one of which led to my involvement with a university-sponsored program called... ..., considering the World Health Organization's revised definition of health: "...a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease," and one that cannot be accomplished with too narrow a perspective. Similar to when I was seventeen, I am still learning for a purpose, having recognized that I will always feel the obligation to do so. Yet it is now with the blessing and encouragement of an international community with whom I attempt to bridge the growing inequity between our countries, actualizing that obligation through the transfer of the knowledge and experience that I am fortunate enough to receive. Most importantly, I wish to apply, on their terms, the theory, methodology, and technology that I have been taught, thereby fulfilling the responsibility that I have to use this knowledge in the most beneficial manner.

Rape fantasies :: essays research papers

Written in 1977, "Rape Fantasies" appears to be a recap of a conversation among several women during their lunch hour, a few of them playing bridge, one--Chrissy the receptionist--reading aloud from a tabloid. When Chrissy asks the question, "How about it, girls, do you have rape fantasies?" the story unfolds with each woman's response, all retold from the perspective of Estelle, who's doing her best to deflect the entire conversation by concentrating on her bidding. The conversation is tragically ironic, moving from woman to woman, Darlene calling the entire subject "disgusting," Greta describing a Tarzan-like scenario, Chrissy describing hers in a bubble bath, when Estelle, ever the voice of reason, reminds them that what they're describing are sexual fantasies: "Listen . . . those aren't rape fantasies. I mean, you aren't getting raped, it's just some guy you haven't met formally who happens to be more attractive than Derek Cummins . . . and you have a good time. Rape is when they've got a knife or something and you don't want to" (104.) Estelle then describes her rape fantasy where she deflects her attacker by squirting juice from a plastic lemon in his eyes ("You should hear the one about the Easy Off Cleaner"), but also includes the one where "this short, ugly fellow comes up and grabs my arm . . . [and] I say, kind of disgusted, 'Oh for Chrissake,' and he starts to cry," which prompts a wave of sympathy in Estelle (106). And there are more, each with Estelle warding off her attacker through outsmarting him ("I've just found out I have leukemia"), or talking him out of it. As the narrative continues, the reader becomes aware that Estelle is addressing someone in addition to the reader--"I hope you don't mind me holding my nose like this . . ." (107) and that person is probably a man (twice Estelle says, "But I guess it's different for a guy"). As the story ends, we realize that Estelle all along has been in a bar, speaking to a man she has just met, worrying about the possibility she will be raped by him. "Like, how could a fellow do that to a person he's just had a long conversation with, once you let them know you're human, you have a life too, I don't see how they could go ahead with it, right?

Mgt/230 Week 1 Assignment

Mgt/230 Week 1 Decision Making Process Paper University of Phoenix People should make decisions every day, some of those decisions are easy to make, while others are quite difficult to implement. An appropriately combined and organized decision-making process will help to control this issue and bring a positive outcome for those involved. The decision-making process may become challenging for people due to â€Å"the lack of structure and entail risk, uncertainly and conflict† (Bateman and Snell, 2012, p. 86).That is why people trying to make important personal or professional decisions should have an appropriate model to follow in order to avoid these challenges. Bateman and Snell identified six steps or stages of decision-making process which may be attached to any problem or decision. First, it is necessary to identify and analyze the problem. The problem at hand for me was the necessity to purchase my own home. In 2002 I was renting a home in a small city with my husband an d son living there as well. The house was also shared with my Mother-in-Law, and it was too small for all four of us to share.My husband and I realized after a short period of time that this living situation was not going to work out and that we should start looking for a place of our own. Since I am an animal lover and was the owner of one horse and one dog at that time, finding a home that also had a small amount of acreage was also necessary to accommodate us all. Generating and evaluating alternative solutions (steps 2 and 3 in the decision making process) was really not an option for us as we knew exactly what we would have to do if we were to obtain the right place for all of us to live.The only alternative solution in this situation would have been to rent a large piece of property with a larger home and we had come to a point in our lives where purchasing seemed like the better investment. Step 4 in the decision making process is, making the choice. We searched around for ju st the right place to purchase. It took several months of searching before we happened upon the home we ultimately chose. The house wasn’t quite as big as we were hoping for but we thought we could build an addition and do some remodeling to make it perfect.The property attached to the house was large enough to house my horse and our dog, and for my son to play. The decision was made, we were purchasing this house. Step 5 in the process is implementing the decision. After the decision was made to purchase our new home, we set up meetings and appointments with the realtor, our bank and our lawyer to finalize paperwork on the loan and other necessities. All paperwork was signed and keys were handed over to us about a month later. Once the house was ours we quickly made the necessary changes so that it would accommodate our entire family, by adding an extra room and re-painting the entire house.We built a barn to house the horse and put in a shed for storage. We thought it was p erfect. Step 6 in the process is evaluating the decision. Shortly after purchasing our home and property everything was going well, and this continued for many years to come, even though it was probably more work than we had initially expected, we were happy with our decision. Living in the country on our own farm with barely a neighbor to be seen was definitely the way to go. Looking back on this decision some 10 years later, I still believe I made the right decision even though my life has completely changed since that time.The house and property suited us very well up until about 4 years ago after my divorce. I see now that the house is not nearly large enough for my even larger family. Since my divorce I have had two more children and am getting re-married and this home is not nearly large enough for five people, especially if we have guests over for holidays or birthdays. We are currently in the decision making process once again, that being the possible purchase of yet another , larger, home and more acreage as the number of farm animals has grown over the past 10 years as well.Having the information that I do now, in our readings, I am going to go through the steps one by one and be sure that my ultimate decision will be the right one and that this new place (if we purchase one) will be perfect for more than 10 years. References Bateman, T. S. , & Snell, S. A. (2010). Management: leading & collaborating in a competitive world (9th ed. ). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.

Epitaph and Dreaming Black Boy

a) Compare the ways in which these two poems deal with the experience of oppression and racism. b) State which of the two poems you find more disturbing, and give reasons to support your answer. c) Identify and comment on TWO poetic devices used in each poem to highlight the workings of oppression or racism. â€Å"Dreaming Black Boy† and â€Å"Epitaph† are two poems which address the issues of oppression and racism. though they both deal with the same problem, it is handled and discussed differently. In † Dreaming Black Boy†, the persona, a young black boy in school, talks about his aspirations and dreams. He hopes for an end to racism. The persona tries to use his education to try to escape the harsh reality of racism. He not only mentions what is going on around him now, but also the past and even how he would like things to be in the future. He longs for acceptance, a good education, success, to travel and a break from mental slavery. He fails to grasp that despite his intelligence and physical maturity, the racist treatment will continue, thinking that what he experiences as a young boy is the worst, he has yet to find out how it is in the future. On the other hand, â€Å"Epitaph†, a significantly shorter poem, is about a black slave who was hanged, people stop what they are doing to watch the sight, yet the rest of the world continues to go on. The sugar cane continues to grow, unlike in â€Å"Dreaming Black Boy†, the persona in â€Å"Epitaph† is an adult, looking on a past occurrence and commenting on how these types of events have impacted on our lives today. â€Å"Epitaph† appears to be the most disturbing as it suggests that many of these slaves' deaths are forgotten. The idea or notion that life goes on after you die and all you are awarded is a â€Å"pause†. The images in â€Å"Epitaph† are also more graphic. In â€Å"Dreaming Black Boy†, the poet uses euphemism to down play the harsh reality of the young black boy. For example, â€Å"plotters in pajamas† is used to refer to the KKK, a group infamous for the terror they caused on the black race. The main literary device used in â€Å"Dreaming Black Boy† is allusion. The persona alludes to white supremacy groups, a famous singer etcetera, to express the things he would like to change about his reality. â€Å"Epitaph† uses the â€Å"apostrophe† to give a visual image f the black slave hanging and swinging as he is hanged. This metaphor is effective in showing also how the slave has taken on the problems of the black race as his own. And his death belongs to the blacks. It is their history. Racism and slavery are two of the most controversial and oppressive elements in human history. Though both poems differ in style and technique, both successfully describe the physical and emotional effects of racism and oppression (slavery). This success is achieved through the use of allusions, vivid images, symbolic language and even euphemism. ) Compare the ways in which these two poems deal with the experience of oppression and racism. b) State which of the two poems you find more disturbing, and give reasons to support your answer. c) Identify and comment on TWO poetic devices used in each poem to highlight the workings of oppression or racism. â€Å"Dreaming Black Boy† and â€Å"Epitaph† are two poems which address the issues of oppression and racism. though they both deal with the same problem, it is handled and discussed differently. In † Dreaming Black Boy†, the persona, a young black boy in school, talks about his aspirations and dreams. He hopes for an end to racism. The persona tries to use his education to try to escape the harsh reality of racism. He not only mentions what is going on around him now, but also the past and even how he would like things to be in the future. He longs for acceptance, a good education, success, to travel and a break from mental slavery. He fails to grasp that despite his intelligence and physical maturity, the racist treatment will continue, thinking that what he experiences as a young boy is the worst, he has yet to find out how it is in the future. On the other hand, â€Å"Epitaph†, a significantly shorter poem, is about a black slave who was hanged, people stop what they are doing to watch the sight, yet the rest of the world continues to go on. The sugar cane continues to grow, unlike in â€Å"Dreaming Black Boy†, the persona in â€Å"Epitaph† is an adult, looking on a past occurrence and commenting on how these types of events have impacted on our lives today. â€Å"Epitaph† appears to be the most disturbing as it suggests that many of these slaves' deaths are forgotten. The idea or notion that life goes on after you die and all you are awarded is a â€Å"pause†. The images in â€Å"Epitaph† are also more graphic. In â€Å"Dreaming Black Boy†, the poet uses euphemism to down play the harsh reality of the young black boy. For example, â€Å"plotters in pajamas† is used to refer to the KKK, a group infamous for the terror they caused on the black race. The main literary device used in â€Å"Dreaming Black Boy† is allusion. The persona alludes to white supremacy groups, a famous singer etcetera, to express the things he would like to change about his reality. â€Å"Epitaph† uses the â€Å"apostrophe† to give a visual image of the black slave hanging and swinging as he is hanged. This metaphor is effective in showing also how the slave has taken on the problems of the black race as his own. And his death belongs to the blacks. It is their history. Racism and slavery are two of the most controversial and oppressive elements in human history. Though both poems differ in style and technique, both successfully describe the physical and emotional effects of racism and oppression (slavery). This success is achieved through the use of allusions, vivid images, symbolic language and even euphemism.