Assessing The Ethical Foreign Policy Makers Politics Essay

Assessing The Ethical Foreign Policy Makers Politics Essay Kant states that we are rational beings; we can free ourselves from the casual necessity of the ordinary world of feelings and inclinations, and can follow the pure moral law, given by reason alone. The debate of means and ends is deeply involved in ethics and ethical foreign policy. Academics suggest that means and goals should be judged by the same set of ethical principles. Often actions that states undertake for a particular purpose can be ethical or unethical. Ethics can be defined as a complete and coherent system of convictions, values and ideas that provides a grid within which some sort of actions can be classified as evil, and so to be avoided, while other sort of actions can be classified as good, and so to be tolerated or even pursued  [1]   If ethics involves a choice between what is morally right and what is morally wrong, the possibility for ethical actions in foreign policy has proven in the past to be quite limited. Ethical foreign policy What passes for ethical standards for governmental policies in foreign affairs is a collection of moralisms, maxims, and slogans, which neither help nor guide, but only confuse, decision  [2]  . DEAN ACHESON Foreign policy is the area of politics that seeks to bridge the boundary between the nation state and its international environment. It refers to decision and actions that involve relations between an independent actor and other actors in the international arena  [3]  . The essential aims of foreign policy are the promotion of safety and prosperity. Sometimes domestic, international and regional actors and factors limit this aims. It has been argued by analysts that morality sits poorly to political action. This is due to the fact that is not always possible to make the best choice, and often the chosen one could be quite far from what is considered the best possible in the political world. Analysts suggest that an ethical foreign policy could be acceptable if: The procedure of the decision- making meets the demands of democratic decision-making. The consequences of the policy alternatives should be more useful than any alternative options examined. The human rights should not be violated. Idealists, Realists, Pragmatists The idealist school of thought states that ethics should govern all relationships. Furthermore, they argue that morality should not be taken in consideration only in domestic political life and ignored where other nations are concerned. Realists such as Machiavelli and Hobbes argue that the state of war is unavoidable in the world politics. The ethical problem of a separation between action and the notion of justice was central to the thinking of Machiavelli. In The Prince, he offers some immoral advice to the new prince: he must know when to act as a beast, how to look only to appearance, how not to be good. Machiavellis ethics consists in recognizing that the existence of human beings is burdened with conflicts  [4]  . Realists sustain that ethics is cultural and therefore variable and controversial. Pragmatists enunciate that foreign policy cannot be based on an absolute ethical ore unqualified national interest foundation. It must be factor in both but not totally reliant in one or another. The Doctrine of Double Effect and decision-making The principle of double effect states that we are responsible of those consequences of our acts which are both anticipated and intended  [5]  . This principle relies on the fact that states are allowed to carry out certain measures conscious from the fact that the measures have possible negative consequences. This Doctrine has later on combined to the Just War tradition related to the humanitarian military interventions. We are aware that is not ethical to attack non-fighting civilians, but according to the tradition it could be that states can attack morally even though the damages to the non-fighting parties can be anticipated. The moral value is determined by the actors intentions and motives. Nevertheless, it is quite difficult to determine the motives. If we take the example of the US attacking Iraq we cannot draw a line between the interests and the real motives, we do not know if the US wanted to free the people from the dictator or to ensure oil supply. Decision-making and evaluations of their consequences are often uncertain. Actors should evaluate better the consequences of their actions, for example, they should consider the effects of a war that could lead to environmental issues , to violence, that often is directed towards civilians and to the development aid which can lead to corruption of the administration. Often actors ignore such considerations in the pre- decision- making process. Decision-making and ethical evaluation remains an issue. In a representative democracy, citizens elect and authorize decision-makers to make decisions for the state to make decision on their behalf. They estimate how the state is promoting national interest; the foreign policy decision- makers represent their morals especially during the election process. Arnold Wolfers states that foreign policy decision making is not beyond moral judgment but rests on moral choices  [6]  . The National interest A democratic definition of the national interest does not accept the distinction between a morality-based and an interest based foreign policy. Moral values are simply intangible interests  [7]  . JOSEPH S. NYE JR. Democratic governments use strategic deceptions by justifying them with the concept of national interest. The division between what is in the national interest and what can be morally justified is often questionable. The national interest is the taking-for-granted base line for foreign policy within all the major parties ( Diana Francis CCTS REVIEW 33). It is a slippery concept, used to describe as well as prescribe foreign policy. It covers five crucial areas of foreign policy: Security, autonomy, welfare, status and prestige and economy. When we speak about national interest we almost always mean the common good of the members of political communities organized as sovereign states not the common good of nations that is, imagined communities of people united by ethnicity, language, history, culture, mythology or kinship (Anderson 1991)  [8]  . The phrase the national interest masks exactly which values leaders are attempting to promote and which they are willing to sacrifice   [9]  . Morgenthau considered as the ultimate realist philosopher, equated interest defined as power  [10]  . He argues that; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦There is a misconception, usually associated with the general depreciation and moral condemnation of power politics that international politics is so thoroughly evil that it is no use looking for moral limitations of the aspirations for power on the international scene. Yet, if we ask ourselves, what political leaders and diplomats are capable of doing to further the power objectives of their respective nations and what they actually do, we realize that they do less than they actually did in other periods of historyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ã‚  [11]   In the last decade, western government policy-makers have considered ethics shifting away from the realist approach, where the national interest was the basis of policy-making. This policy shift has meant that the declarations of ethical foreign policy emanating from the governments of leading world powers are often uncritically taken at face value and assumed to be simply the right thing to do (The Guardian, 27 March 1999). The drive to act in the interests of others, rather than in purely national interests, can be seen in the justifications for a host of new policy initiatives including major international involvement in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, former Yugoslavia, East Timor and Sierra Leone in recent years.  [12]  For many commentators, the new, ethical nature of international foreign policy was given clearest expression in the international communitys support for military intervention in the 1999 Kosovo war  [13]  . The US intervention against Afghanistan in 2001 was framed using an ethical language underlying that the US was caring of others and was not pursuing its national interest. George W. Bush described the bombing of Afghanistan as an action of generosity of America and our allies in the aid of oppressed people of Afghanistan(Bush 2001). The US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld stated that the military action was following previous US-led interventions in Kuwait, Northern Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia and Kosovo, for the purpose of denying hostile regimes the opportunity to oppress their own people and other people he continues adding that We stand with those Afghans who are being repressed by a regime that abuses the very people it purports to lead( Rumsfeld 2001). David Chandler argues that western governments justified their military action to remove the Afghan regime, after September 11, through the condemnation of human rights record of the Taliban government, Tony Blair stated that; Look for a moment at the Taliban regime. It is undemocratic. That, goes without saying. There is no sport allowed, or television or photography. No art or culture are permitted Women are treated in a way almost too revolting to be credible. First driven out of university; girls not allowed to go to school; no legal rights; unable to go out of doors without a man. Those that disobey are stoned (Blair 2001). Tony Blairs statement shows again that the US and UK dont give other solution that military intervention. This was a further hint behind ethics, without taking in consideration the consequences on human rights. According to Mary Robinson ethical goals, like human rights protection are held to be moral duties and therefore the responsibility of everyone ( The Guardian, 23 October 1999) The ethical dimension Non- violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages  [14]   -Thomas Alva Edison On May 1997, the Labour government returned into power in Britain. An immediate change of the new government was the disclosing of the Mission Statement for the FCO. The Statement reads: The Mission of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is to promote the national interests of the United Kingdom and contribute to a strong international communityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ We shall pursue that Mission to secure for Britain four benefits through our foreign policy, the four benefits being security, prosperity, the equality of life and mutual respect. We shall work though our international forums and bilateral relationships to spread the values of human rights, civil liberties and democracy which we demand for ourselves (FCO, 1997a) Robin Cook (Foreign Secretary) seen as the initiating champion of ethical foreign policy strengthened the launch of the Statement: The Labour Government does not accept that political values can be left behind when we check in our passports to travel on diplomatic business. Our foreign policy must have an ethical dimension and must support the demands of other peoples for the democratic rights on which we insist for ourselves. We will put human rights at the heart of our foreign policy. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office ( Ethics and foreign policypg 15-16) Cook made the arms trade an issue. He made the following commitment in 17 July 1997 during his speech; Britain will refuse to supply the equipment and weapons with which regimes deny the demands of their peoples for human rightsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(FCO, 1997c) It was evident that such a policy might have consequences for British prosperity. Prosperity and mutual respect in the Mission Statement are described as a product of national interests. This could bring to the result of a trade-off between the two benefits, in other words one benefit could be scarified in order to achieve the other. Interests is associated with prosperity and ethics with mutual respect. This is the reason why potential conflicts between an interest -based foreign policy and a ethically conducted one are caused. For a long time during his career as Foreign Secretary it was difficult to divert the closure that ethical discussions will be adapted only if they were cost free. Cook allowed arms deals to proceed , the sale of Hawk jets and armoured vehicles to Indonesia are an example that ­ breached any possible notion of ethical exports and respect of human rights. In this case Britain has failed to act as a good citizen because it has placed selfish economic advantag e prior to human rights concerns  [15]  . He did, eventually, resign over Iraq, but he never pointed to the ethical contradiction inherent in being prepared to attack another country on the pretext that it had acquired weapons of mass destruction while his own country had them in abundance and was not honouring its NPT treaty obligations to get rid of them  [16]  . In the Blair government, militarism was the favoured mean of action and used as rhetoric of justification. The air attacks on Serbia and Kosovo and the international occupation of the latter were presented as an ethical intervention that are been morally justified. This justification has been used as a reference point for the later justification of the bombardment, invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq. Tony Blair has argued that it is vital for Britain to have war fighting as part of its way of being in the world. Peacekeeping, he says, is not enough. War fighting is an important element in our diplomac y. But the tone of moral rectitude is ever present  [17]  . The word foreign discourages an ethical approach and is inimical to it. For the British government necessity was the mother of morality. The use of the epithet dimension during the labour government was a wrong move as it has attracted public attention. Unlike previous governments the Labour government created the context for the development of human rights although it has failed in many occasions to live up with these, the labour government had the courage to attempt an ethical dimension to the foreign policy but failed to achieve this. Conclusion To conclude sovereignty is a value. As governments represent a hope and solution for citizens they should pursue an ethical foreign policy. This can aim at a moralizing state behaviour but cannot establish perfection because moral actions are obviously limited by the fear of war and economic collapse, these bring the sates to act in order to prevent threats considering less morality. Before undertaking any kind of actions government need to have a deep expertise of the case and to be morally aware. We can end agreeing with Hoffemann who stated that: the ethical dimension cannot be taken into consideration as todays states are not ready to commit Hara-kiri.

The Relationship between Police, the Courts and Corrections

The Relationship between Police, the Courts and Corrections The Relationship between Police, the Courts and Corrections The Criminal Justice components create a system when they apply their functions together looking for the same objective; to enforce justice into society. Even when the components of the Criminal Justice system are working to accomplish the same objective they work in different fields and the job of each component is very different from the others. The Criminal Justice System refers to a collection of federal, state, and local public agencies that are created to deal with criminals (The Structure of Criminal Justice. 2013). There is a distance inside the relationship of the three components and this distance brings benefits and failures into the process. There are certain benefits that are created due to the distance between each component of the Criminal Justice system. The nature of the courts and the job they perform in the process of enforcing justice into society makes the courts an authority to regulate the work of police officers and correctional officers. Crime looks very different from the perserpective of a police officer, a judge will have to see the entire situation from a different point of view (Peak, 2012. p9). This is very helpful to guarantee police officers and correctional officers are going to perform their job according to what the law dictates. The distance is created naturally because the three components have to deal with different issues in order to accomplish their goal. Even when they do not perform the same activities they need each other because they are connected following the same purpose. The police needs the courts to process and take care of the suspects once they are taken into custody, the same way the courts need the corrections to deal with the inmates once they have been sentenced. It is also said that the Criminal Justice â€Å"agencies often fail to coordinate their activities and, thereby, ignore the impact that their decisions will have on other agencies† (The Structure of Criminal Justice. 2013). The relationship between the three components is not always fluent and this can cause mistakes and make the entire process more slow than what it should be. As a matter of fact, this failure can affect society at many different levels because every single component has its own process and this bureaucracy existing inside the components and between them forces every step to have a procedure. Some critics believe the distance existing in the relationship between police, the courts and corrections is necessary. Because Criminal justice agencies set their own policies they can affect the timing and the procedures of the other components. The existence of a different process within each component forces every single one of them to make sure and to guarantee they are performing their job correctly. The courts will not accept a case where the police officers acted illegally in order to obtain the evidence and they will not make use of the corrections to sentence these individuals. At the same time, the courts need to guarantee the entire court session is done as required by the law in order to sentence the suspect. The Criminal Justice system nature is to work with three different components connected by the same purpose, and at the same time each component is divided because they all have to deal with crime and the task of reducing crime rates in different ways. This might be the reason why the system has evolved into what it is today and this could be the best way police, the courts and corrections are supposed to work with each other. Police officers need to be restricted by the law and all the possible legal challenges their cases could face in a court room. The same legal restrictions apply to the correctional officers to guarantee they are protecting the integrity of the inmates and they are doing the best to help them in the rehabilitation process. THE POLICE The police is the force that has the authority and liability to protect the community. Every police department is organized and every single individual who makes part of it has his own function and area of expertise. The police departments are divided in many different units to deal with every possible way of breaking the law. â€Å"The organization of these agencies includes a number of specialized units (patrol, traffic, records)† (Peak, 2012. p58). Since every single unit is working on the same purpose there is a system within the police component. The police departments are organized as a military institution with a chain of command that takes decisions and give orders and subordinates who are responsible of following every order. The role of this chain of command â€Å"is to ensure that these units work together to reach a common goal† (Peak, 2012. p58). This division of labor allows every unit to specialize in their own field and to improve the way they do their job because they will become experts in that area. Once the specialized units apprehended a suspect and they gather the necessary evidence to judge him they are required to transfer this suspect into a court room. In the court room a judge will analyze and study all the evidence gathered in the case and this is when the relationship between the police and the courts is created. Both components exist to make sure justice is enforced in the community, they will share all the information (such as evidence, criminal background) necessary in order to guarantee the process has been done correctly from the moment the suspect was arrested until the judge or the jury make a decision on what the sentence should be or if the suspect is found innocent. This is the part when the police depends on the courts to fulfill their mission. THE COURTS The Courts are the place where justice is made. â€Å"The purposes of the courts are to seek justice and to discover the truth† (The Structure of Criminal Justice. 2013). Once the truth has been discovered thanks to the evidence presented by the police the court will sentence the suspect to pay his debt with society for breaking the laws created to make sure individuals live respecting everybody else. The courts are the place where â€Å"judges, court reporters, clerks, bailiffs, witnesses, plaintiffs, defendants, attorneys, juries, and spectators, as well as police officers, social workers, probation officers, guardians, interpreters and the press† (Peak, 2012. p135) get together to study and witness a case and analyze the ways an individual broke the law and the sentence that should be given in order to guarantee justice is done the right way. Depending on the case the judge or the jury will analyze the evidence presented by the police and the criminal investigators. At the court every possible legal challenge will be analyzed as well. The mistakes in acquiring evidence are called legal challenges and they are taken very seriously, sometimes they could end up in the release of a criminal because some mistake was committed in the investigation process. A legal challenge could appear in anything involved with the handling and gathering of the evidence presented by the investigators. Once the case has been properly studied, the courts will send the criminal to a correctional facility where correctional officers will make sure the inmate is rehabilitated. This relationship between the courts and the corrections is the last step of the Criminal Justice system. The fact that everything started with the police arresting the suspect and ended with the courts sending the inmate to a correctional creates a relationship between the three components. CORRECTIONS The main objective of sending citizens who broke the law to a correctional facility is â€Å"to protect society from crime by safely and securely handling criminal offenders while providing offenders some opportunities for self-improvement and increasing the chance that they will become productive and law-abiding citizens† (Peak, 2012. p205). Some critics tend to believe corrections are not the right answer to deal with criminals due to the fact that not every criminal achieves rehabilitation in a correctional facility. Prisons are organized institutions, the same as the police and the courts who are organized in different sectors to divide all their responsibilities. These sectors could be seen as the specialized units created by the police to deal with every possible crime, the only difference is that in the prisons every office has one responsibility like human resource management division, health care or medical division, administration division and many others created to guarantee every single step of the process is done accurately and according to the law. (Peak, 2012. p205). Having an inmate locked up after committing a crime offers different benefits to society. The danger of having people who break the law on the streets could be very high and making sure they are secured under the supervision of professionals makes everybody feel safer. This is the last step of the Criminal Justice system and it is also where the relationship between the police, the courts and the prisons ends. This step could also be seen as the accomplishment of the entire mission of enforcing justice in society. This relationship and all the connections and procedures where the Criminal Justice system components have to deal and complement each other can be affected by certain rules created by each component and the independence they all have from each other. Why are the three components independent from each other? The three components of the Criminal Justice are independent because they fight crime in different ways. â€Å"Each system component—police, courts, and corrections—has varying degrees of responsibility and discretion for dealing with crime† (Peak, 2012. p6). These degrees of responsibility separates the police officers, the judges and the correctional officers to the point where every institution creates their own procedures to deal with crime and to perform the function they are given in the entire Criminal Justice System. This independence between every single component offers a benefit that could be the same reason why the independence exists. In democracy the government needs to make sure no individual and no institution has total control over any matter. Even the president of the United States powers are regulated by other politicians within the same government. If the three components were put together as one the society could face a big problem because the Criminal Justice system will not be under control. The police officers, the judges and the correctional officers will all be co workers and with this they could lose objectivity by acting guided by other reasons different than justice itself. The fact that the three components are independent from each other protects society from corruption, police abuse, unfair sentences and bad treatment in the correctional facilities. â€Å"Relations among and between these components are often characterized by friction, conflict, and deficient communication† (Peak, 2012. p5). This friction and conflict could be the reason why the entire Criminal Justice system works the way it does. Every single component wants to perform its job correctly in order to keep up with the others, if one of them fails to do this the process of enforcing the law will be affected. On the other side the deficient communication is an issue that needs to be solved. â€Å"Prosecutors often complain that police provide case reports of poor quality.† (Peak, 2012. p5). At the same time Prosecutors and Public defendants are judged by their success in making the court sentence an individual or to drop the charges (Peak, 2012. p5). Corrections are seen by many as institutions where the inmates are not really well influenced. This could be caused due to the independence of all the components or simply because society has not found a better way to deal with crime. The way these components critic and interact with each other creates a competence and a challenge that can be very useful or very bad for everyone. â€Å"In the process of that interaction, conflicts arise. Although conflicts can serve positive ends, many of those In criminal justice tend to defeat the achievement of goals of the total system† (OLeary, V., Newman, D. J. (1970). The police knows the prosecutors will judge their cases and for this reason they are required to have solid reasons before they take an individual into custody. Police officers know their evidence will be challenged by the public defendant, and the judges know the prosecutors and the public defendants have the right to appeal the sentence. Every component is regulated by another. Overall the Criminal Justice system and the relationship between its three components create a process used by society to defend themselves from criminals and to keep these criminals away from their every day lives. Regardless of the miss-communication issues and conflicts existing already within the components they still complement each other. The police needs the courts and the corrections, the courts need the police and the corrections and the corrections need the police and the courts to have a purpose and to fulfill their mission and the responsibilities they have with society. References OLeary, V., Newman, D. J. (1970). Conflict Resolution in Criminal Justice.Journal Of Research In Crime Delinquency,7(2), 99-119. Peak, K. (2012).Justice Administration: Police, Courts, and Corrections Management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. The Structure of Criminal Justice. (2013, January 1). Retrieved , from http://www.cliffsnotes.com/more-subjects/criminal-justice/the-criminal-justice-system/the-structure-of-criminal-justice

The Virgin Mary Statue :: Personal Narrative Writing

The Virgin Mary Statue Kindergarten through fourth grade was absolutely beautiful. We all sat together at lunch, played tag together on the playground, laughed and listened to the teachers together in class. Then fifth grade rolled around, and all my friends started to evolve, and for the worse as I saw it. We all started noticing things that we weren’t aware of before. We used to be like a bunch of happy naked babies, absolutely oblivious to the fact that we were all unclothed and different from one another. Then, some of us took the role of Eve; we became seduced into eating the forbidden apple and offered it to our friends. We started realizing that despite the fact that we were all wearing the same black plaid uniforms, our skin colors differed. We all acted differently too. Some of us had accents, others didn’t. Some girls had long hair, others had bob cuts. Some wore glasses and had skirts that went past their knees; others had perfect vision and had their skirts h iked up to show as much leg as possible. As I said, we were all becoming aware of these things. Whether it be in fifth grade ,earlier, or after, we all have these moments of â€Å"revelation† and we start to interpret our surroundings in a different way. For me, after fifth grade, my surroundings were changing all the time. Formation of â€Å"cliques† had officially started. The word â€Å"cool† was being redefined almost every month. With these new definitions came new friends and ex-friends. I recall watching girls in the â€Å"popular† group playing a game of running behind the Virgin Mary statue whenever they saw someone they didn’t like entering the playground. It was a way of letting the unwanted girl know where she stood with the â€Å"clique.†As embarrassing as this is to admit, I used to be one of those girls who ran towards the Virgin Mary statue as if there was some reward there awaiting me. But there was no treasure there. And even if I did find some comfort in being part of the â€Å"clique† that day, the fol lowing day I had become a victim of the same cruel game I was in part responsible for.

The Theme of Childhood in Oliver Twist Essay -- English Literature

How Does Dickens present the theme of childhood in Oliver Twist. This essay shows the theme of childhood in Charles Dickens in the book Oliver Twist. Oliver Twist's story begins with his birth in a workhouse. His mother dies shortly after giving birth to him, though long enough to kiss him on the forehead. As an illegitimate workhouse orphan Oliver seems doomed to a life of misery. Though deprived of education, affection and adequate food, Oliver still manages to triumph from rags to riches, when he finally finds happiness with his Aunt Rose Maylie and his guide Mr Brownlow. Oliver Twist is born into poverty as an orphan with no known family or inheritance. He is forced to be the property of the workhouse. He spends several years there where he is overworked, and suffers from exhaustion and malnutrition. Even though he is exposed to these injustices, he feels safe there, this being the only home he's ever known. Throughout the book Oliver has support from lots of different people, for example Fagin, Nancy, Mr Brownlow, and The Maylies. However Fagin’s friendship was used for Fagin’s personal gain. Oliver was exploited just as many children in Victorian Britain were. Charles Dickens was a social commentator of a period when social class was important and where lower classes were stereotyped as being evil untrustworthy crooks, and were to be avoided. Another example is the blatant anti-Semitism in the book. Fagin is constantly referred to as 'The Jew'. in Victorian times Jewish people were seen as immigrants, and people treated them with much the same discourtesy. Though in Dickensian Times racism was not a recognized form of prejudice so these comments would have been acceptable. Today it is strongly .. ...pectable old gentleman, who is later known to be Mr Brownlow. Another memorable occasion was when Sikes used Oliver's stealth and vulnerability. In one of his schemes to overturn a house; this is later discovered to be that of The Maylies. In both cases there are positive outcomes to the crimes, and they both coincidently bring about characters like Mr Brownlow, and The Maylies, who help to secure Twist's future. After carefully studying the novel Oliver Twist, I conclude Dickens tried to socially change the way children were portrayed in Britain. He acknowledged the problem and made it his duty to make a change. His efforts worked and in our times modern day care-homes replace the orphanages of Dickensian Britain. Due to Dickens writing, the workhouses were abolished. Therefore I think Dickens did very well on awakening the society to these conditions.

Love is Pain Essay

â€Å"Then almighty Juno, pitying her long agony and painful dying, sent Iris down from heaven to release her struggling soul from the prison of her flesh.† – The Aeneid, Book 4, line 693   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Book four of the Aeneid, the selection narrates the tragic story between the protagonist of the story, Aeneas and Dido, the queen of Carthage. Although Aeneas and Dido’s relationship only spans a small chapter in the entirety of the Aeneid, it still represent striking themes on love, betrayal, and omnipotent interference of the gods in the affairs of human beings. The story of Aeneas and Dido is a classic symbolism of love; the man, compelled by duty, sheds love that he could never have while the woman scorns for her downcast state yet finds retribution with death as she escapes her mortal prison full of pain and anguish.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After the death of her husband, Dido swears that she will not marry again. However, the interference of Venus and her son Cupid causes the love of Dido for Aeneas to grow as she listens to his tragic tales. Dido’s sister Anna consoles the queen and reassures her that by marrying Aeneas, Carthage’s military power will increase since Trojan warriors loyal to Aeneas will follow him. Juno, the wife of Jupiter and the goddess of marriage, sees that Dido’s love for Aeneas has consumed her and plots to prevent Aeneas from going to Italy. Juno convinces Venus to aid her into getting Dido and Aeneas together so that they could be alone together. Juno promises a storm so that they could take shelter in a cave. In doing so, the Trojans and Tyrians would forge a truce and the two goddesses will end their squabble. The following day, the queen of Carthage and the Trojan warrior leave the city to go hunting. In the middle of the forest, Juno brings down the promised storm and the couple takes refuge under a cake. The two enjoy a moment together and openly declare their love for each other as they returned to Carthage. Dido considers their experience together as a married couple yet to be consecrated in ceremony. Meanwhile, rumors spread around the mismanaged city that couple submitted themselves to lust and began to neglect their duties as rulers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jupiter learns of the situation of Dido and Aeneas and sends Mercury to convey a message to Aeneas to remind him of his duty and must immediately leave for Italy. Aeneas is shocked but obeys the command. Yet he is in dilemma; compelled by his divine responsibilities, he is left to think by himself on how would explain his leave to Dido. Aeneas commands his men to secretly prepare the ship for departure but Dido catches him in the act. Dido’s anger is unexplainable as she began to insult Aeneas and accusing him for stealing her honor. Aeneas is torn by regret, yet he pushes aside his emotional burden for his greater responsibility with fate. Dido sends her sister Anna to persuade Aeneas to stay, but the Trojan warrior has made up his mind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Amid a period of distress, love, and anger, the queen appears one day calm and replete and quietly orders her sister to start a fire the courtyard. By starting a fire, she can get rid of Aeneas memory by burning all his clothes and things that he left. Dido’s grief causes her a sleepless night while Aeneas dreams of Mercury again and sends him another message that he has lingered too long and must leave soon. With this, Aeneas leaves the city of Carthage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The queen sees Aeneas fleet depart and falls into emotional disrepair. Running to the roaring flames burning all their memories together, she turns it into her own funeral pyre. In her grief, she takes a sword and stabs herself while cursing the departing Aeneas. Her sister and their servants run up to the dying Dido and Juno takes pity and sends Iris to redeem Dido’s struggling soul from her mortal prison.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dido and Aeneas’ story of love is only for a brief moment as Aeneas leaves for Italy, leaving Dido behind. As implied by the introductory passages, Dido is already torn between her emotions and better judgment as early as her relationship with Aeneas begins to grow. â€Å"But the queen, long since smitten with a grievous love-pang, feeds the wound with her lifeblood and is wasted with fire unseen† (IV, 1). Her character is put to the test between the coming of Aeneas and the recent death of his husband. The use of lifeblood in the sentence implies that Dido already hides her emotional scars and attempts to restart a new life. Dido mentions, â€Å"He who first linked me to himself has taken away my hear; may he keep it with him, and guard it in the grave!† (IV, 6). Dido engulfs herself in her own grief, denying her change in rekindling love and an opportunity for happiness. It can be deduced from the passage that she has suffered a number of painful experiences with love and has lost the will to love again. Consequently, the goddess Juno sees Dido’s love for Juno grows to a point that it could kill her: â€Å"Soon as the loved wife of Jove saw that Dido was held in a passion so fatal, and that her good name was now bar to her frenzy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (IV, 90). This means that her love for Aeneas was true and real, so true that if ever she has her heart broken again, it would cause her a tragic death. Dido already gave all her love to a man who she knew in herself that she would love forever. Dido’s tragedy is reflected her own love; she was unable to see past the consequences of the choice she was making because of her already miserable state.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   With help of Juno and Venus, Dido’s love grows and plans to set the couple alone during the hunt. The goddesses’ plan may be mistaken as pity in the case of Dido but she is only a distraction for Aeneas to not embark on his journey. Dido and Aeneas are unaware of this ploy and enjoy happiness for a short period of time. As the couple goes hunting, Dido and Aeneas finally have the time to be alone together as they shelter themselves in a cave against a violent storm. The two make love and Dido is satisfied and happy â€Å"†¦for no more is Dido swayed by fair show or fair fame, no more does she dream of a secret love: she calls it marriage and with that name veils her sin† (IV, 160). Dido at last experiences true happiness and Aeneas feels the same for her. Their love was no longer a subject of suspicion and their acts in the cave made Dido feel that they were already married and only to be ‘officialized’ by a formal ceremony. For a brief moment of time, Dido and Aeneas find happiness with each other, finally separating themselves from their tragic lives even though only quantified with physical pleasure.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, Aeneas receives a message from Jupiter to remind him of his duty to Italy. He is torn with regret. â€Å"He burns to fell away and quit that pleasant land, awed by that warning and divine commandment. Ah, what to do? With what speech now dare he approach the frenzied queen?† (IV, 279). Aeneas tragic trait falls under his burden of fate but not of choice. Aeneas immediately considers his divine responsibility without any choice of disregarding his duty. He is bound to his fate without means of escape. Based from his initial reaction, he immediate thinks on how to address his fate to Dido, who is hopelessly in love with him. Dido, upon hearing of the news, flies into a maddening rage and confronts Aeneas: â€Å"False one! Did you really hope to cloak so foul a crime and to steal my land in silence? Does neither our love restrain you, nor the pledge once given, nor the doom of a cruel death for Dido?† (IV, 305). Her love causes her madness, torn between the idea of her kingdom’s fate without a strong army and her blinded love for Aeneas. It can be observed in the passage that she cannot contain her emotion anymore and says what she truly feels. Aeneas, in turn, replies: â€Å"Now, too, the messenger of the gods sent from Jove himself – I swear by both our lives – has borne his command down through the swift breezes; my own eyes saw the god in the clear light of day come within our walls and these ears drank in his words. Cease to inflame yourself and me with your complaints. It is not by my wish that I make for Italy† (IV, 331). Aeneas is compelled by his duty and tries to explain his situation to Dido, making her understand. Dido, enraged by her loved and fear, retorts: â€Å"Truly, this is work for the gods, this is care to vex their peace! I detain you not†¦Yet I trust, if the righteous gods have any power, that on the rocks midway you will drain the cup of vengeance and often call on Dido’s name. Though far away, I will chase you with murky brands and, when chill death has severed soul and body, everywhere my shade shall haunt you† (IV, 362). Dido’s love causes her uncontrollable rage and he imparts Aeneas a haunting thought for him before leaving. Clearly, she is angered over this development and curses Aeneas from being adamant in his quest. She even favors her sister to persuade the Trojan hero from leaving as a last resort.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the end, Dido prays for her death. She instructs her sister to construct a fire that would burn all her memories of Aeneas: clothes, weapons, armor, etc. â€Å"I want to destroy all memorials of the abhorred wretch, and the priestess to directs† (IV, 474). Driven by madness of love, regret, and bitterness, she throws herself into the pyre and stabs herself with Aeneas’ sword.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Aeneas’ has the greatest tragedy as a character. He spurns the love of Dido, compelled by his duty to Jupiter and his quest to Italy. After a night thinking about Dido, he falls asleep and in his dream, he sees the messenger of the gods hastening him with his journey. Without any other thought, he calls his men and leaves the ports of Carthage that same night. He feels no remorse or regret as shown in this passage: â€Å"Thus indeed Aeneas, scared by the sudden vision, tears himself from sleep and bestirs his comrades. ‘Make haste, my men, awake and man the benches! Unfurl the sails with speed! A god sent from high heaven again spurs us to hasten our flight and cut the twisted cables†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ The same zeal catches all at once; with hurry and scurry they have quitted the shore; the sea is hidden under their fleets; lustily the churn the foam and sweep the blue waters† (IV, 571). Aeneas cares nothing about his feeling or his emotions once the divine gods imperiously command his return. He is more fearful of his life and fate rather than his love for Dido.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For Dido, her most tragic trait was her selfless love for Aeneas. She did not once waver in her love, yet she was driven by madness. After a fruitful experience with Dido, she viewed their relationship beyond physical pleasure. Aeneas also felt exactly the same way, but he considered his duty before love. Consequently, Dido’s painful and bitter remark represented her regret, anger, and sorrow at the same time: â€Å"At least, if before your flight a child of yours had been born to me, if in my hall a baby Aeneas were playing whose face, in spite of all, would bring back yours, I should not think myself utterly vanquished and forlorn† (IV, 305). This is probably her ultimate sacrifice and the cause of her eventual downfall. Dido was ready to establish a new life with Aeneas. Yet, after all her love and sacrifices, she feels betrayed by Aeneas sudden departure. She feels a mixture of fear, anger, sorrow and hopelessness in her part. The passage implies her most tragic trait – torn by love yet a memory of him survives in form of his child is alive to remind her of a tragic and painful love from the past. Works Cited Virgil. â€Å"Eclogues, Georgics, Aeneid.† trans. Fairclough, H. Loeb Classical Library Volumes 63 & 64. Cambridge, Mass: Cambridge University Press, 1916.   

What Factors Affect Longevity

Life expectancy is affected by many factors. These include diet and exercise, smoking, mental state, environment, career, spirituality, social interaction and support. One of the most easily controlled aspects in my lives is my nutrition and exercise. My physical well-being directly impacts on my life expectancy. I am aware of the value of a well-balanced diet – rich in fruit, and vegetables, low in fat and red meat, the recommended daily allowances for all of these. I can ensure that I follow the advice of medical professionals about what and when to eat and in what quantities.I tend to stick to a no-starch diet, but I believe that that does not provide for a balanced diet, and that I should include starches in limited amounts. I go to a neighbourhood gym five times a week, and spend at least an hour there each time, but I only joined the gym and began morning walks about a year ago. I will continue to attend the gym and can increase the regularity of my walks. The biggest ch ange that I can make to increase my life expectancy is to stop smoking cigarettes.I began smoking at 17, smoked for 25 years, stopped for 5 years and restarted a year ago. I now smoke 10 cigarettes a day, and this is obviously quite detrimental to my health. I will at the very least cut back my smoking to a half of my present consumption. One’s mental state either contributes to longevity or it can detract dramatically from it. To continue to have a stable, contented frame of mind, I will continue to go to the Raj Yoga Centre in St Augustine, where I meditate, learn about the power of positive energy, peace, compassion, the cycle of life and serenity.As a recovering addict I can continue to attend weekly N/A follow up meetings where I have a network of support and advice which helps my emotional balance and gives me a feeling of not being alone in the journey of recovery. My environment affects my life expectancy – both physical and emotional environment. I recently ch anged my physical environment from one of isolation and distance from my family and an emotional desert to a gated community where there is little or no crime, I am able to leave my doors open until I go to bed at midnight and I am surrounded by trees, open spaces and fresh air.I have an incredible view of the Northern Range which instils in me a sense of eternity and timelessness. I am closer to my loved ones, feel more fulfilled and am much happier now. I can continue to make the choices that will add to my well-being, shedding fear of change and trusting in my knowledge of what is best for me. My career choice will also either lengthen or shorten my life span. I enjoy the challenge of study because it keeps my mind active and agile and I enjoy new knowledge.Spirituality, my connection with my Higher Power, has changed my outlook on life entirely, giving me a renewed faith and sense of optimism and hope. I can strengthen and deepen this bond by continuing to attend church regularl y, applying the philosophies to everyday living, positive self-talk and remaining in communion with my Higher Power throughout the day. Finally, I can make positive changes in my social and interaction and support. I tend to be a loner, shouldering my life and responsibilities and problems alone and isolating myself a lot, choosing not to interact very much with others.I realize that interaction (desired or not) is important for my emotional well-being and feeling of belonging, so I can widen my social circles and choose to interact regularly. I scuba dive, do hand gun target practice at Tucker Valley, go motorbike riding, attend meditation classes, go to the gym, walk, work and yet it is possible to partake in all of these activities without interacting other than on a most superficial level. HOW DOES PROJECTED LIFE EXPECTANCY IMPACT LIFE GOALS? The awareness of one’s expected life span must necessarily impact one’s life goals.This knowledge will affect whether one ex ercises, smokes, does drugs, takes vitamins, furthers education, marries, has children, how one eats, chooses a career, attends church, whether or not one purchases property or rents, becomes involved in the community or practices safe sex. A teenager who is told that he will live only until he is twenty-five, is likely to spend the intervening years focusing on short-term gratification – he will see no need to study further, develop deep emotional intimate relationships, marry, plan a career, plan for retirement or expend energy on purchasing his own property.His life goals at this juncture will probably consist of fathering a child to leave some sort of footprint on the planet, exploration of sensual pleasures, world travel, and possibly the quest for a spiritual bonding and serenity. On the other hand, a twenty-five year old who realizes that he will live to be eighty-five, will then begin to plan for a sixty years of future. His goals will include healthful old age, enoug h money to care for himself and his family up to his death, a home to live in and a clear mind with which to enjoy these things.As education is the key to many of these goals, he is likely to focus on furthering his education so that he improves the likelihood of a financially lucrative career. He will look at having a career rather than just a job, and will choose a career which will bring him mental and emotional satisfaction. He will set good mental and physical health as a life goal, as he will want clarity of mind and physical strength and the ability to be active for his old age.He will plan for a family – spouse, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren – and knowing that these will be his support and comfort in his old age, is more likely to work toward close bonds with them. His is less likely to get divorced, abuse his children, abandon his family, or suffer from a midlife crisis. He is secure in his knowledge of a long life and will set his goal as pr eparing to make it as fulfilling and comfortable as possible.He will include spirituality in his life, looking for a relationship with his Higher Power to set as a foundation for his life. Projected life expectancy impacts on life goals because we can reasonably predict the time span necessary to complete or reap the benefits of certain processes. A short life expectancy removes certain goals from the picture, such as Masters’ Degrees, home purchase, pension and retirement plans and making one’s first million dollars.On the other hand, a long life ahead will call for long-term goals, retirement funds, proper health and mental care, exercise, due care of the spiritual self, an extended family and the satisfaction of community involvement. It is inevitable that the expectation of a particular life span will affect one’s behavior, life goals, life style choices and planning. DOES EDUCATION PLAY A ROLE IN LONGEVITY? Education is the most significant factor in longev ity. All life choices which affect our life expectancy, with the exception of genetics and culture are shaped by education and knowledge.Education instructs us about a proper balanced diet – despite the influence of culture on our eating habits, we can and do adjust our consumption to more closely align with globally accepted guidelines for healthier choices, serving sizes, low fat and cholesterol diets and regular physical exercise. Knowledge gained through education also can sway us away from cigarette smoking, use of illegal and dangerous drugs, sexual experimentation and exploration and risky lifestyles. Further education (past primary and secondary level) can also prepare us for financial stability.This impacts many facets of our lives – such as the ability to afford regular, competent health care, frequent check-ups and technologically advanced treatment if necessary. As Trinidadians are generally unable to afford health insurance, and what the government provide s is sketchy at best, an individual is much better off being self-sufficient in this area. Economic well-being also enables us to purchase the most nutritionally beneficial foods – snacks and junk food are a lot cheaper than fruits and vegetables.As our physical environment also predestines us to one life span or another, the ability to move from an unhealthy, unstable one to a clean, quiet, safe, green living space is important – this too is driven by financial means, which results from education. A sense of fulfillment and purpose is crucial to our extended life expectancy, and this is also aided by education – exposure to groups with which we can volunteer, causes about which we are passionate, how we can be a vital part of our community and nation.Our spiritual connection which is key to our coping skills and sense of optimism and hope is fueled by education – further knowledge of the God of our understanding. Education, therefore, more than anything else can extend our life expectancy. ARE THERE ANY CATEGORIES THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED? LIST AND DISCUSS I believe that three categories that should be included are genetics, environment and spirituality.

Amelioration and Emancipation Oct. 20, 2009

Amelioration The anti-slavery movement developed in the early 1800s was a formidable force in the quest to end slavery. The West India Committee, in a bid to head off attacks, agreed to proposals to improve the condition of the slaves. These proposals were called amelioration proposals and came into effect in 1823. The proposals said that the British government should write to each of the colonial governors, suggesting that the assemblies pass local laws to improve the condition of slaves. The proposals were as follows: 1. Female slaves should not be whipped, and the overseers and drivers should not carry a whip in the fields. . Records should be kept of all lashes given to male slaves and all punishments should be put off for at least 24 hours. 3. Religious instruction and marriages were to be encouraged. 4. Slaves could testify in court against a free man, provided that a minister supplied him with a character reference. 5. Slaves should have time off on Saturdays to go to market, so they would be free to attend church on Sunday mornings. 6. Slaves should not be sold as payment for debts. 7. There should be the establishment of slave savings banks which would help slaves to save money to buy their freedom.The failure of amelioration These measures were met with fierce resistance from colonies such as Jamaica, Barbados, St Vincent and Dominica. Instead of improved conditions for the slaves, they faced increased brutality from the planters. In the end, most of the assemblies passed only a few of the less-important amelioration proposals. Amelioration failed, but it provided one of the major impetuses for the abolition of slavery. It became evident that the planters were unwilling to improve the lives of the slaves and, as such, the only other option was to put an end to slavery.Emancipation 1. All slaves in the British Empire were to be set free on August 1, 1834. 2. Slave children under six years old were to be freed immediately. 3. All other slaves were to se rve a period of apprenticeship. They were to work for their masters for 401/2 hours per week. They would be paid only for overtime. Praedial (field) slaves were to serve six years apprenticeship and non-praedial (domestic) slaves to serve four years. 4. Planters were to continue providing food, shelter, clothing, medical care and other allowances which they were accustomed to during slavery.Apprentices could not be sold and they could buy their freedom before apprenticeship came to an end. 5. A sum of ? 20 million was granted by the British Parliament to compensate slave owners for the loss of their slaves. 6. Stipendiary magistrates (SMs) were to be sent from England to ensure the proper working of the apprenticeship system and to settle all disputes between masters and apprentices. THE APPRENTICESHIP SYSTEM Aims of Apprenticeship a) To provide a peaceful transition from slavery to freedom. b) To guarantee planters an adequate supply of labour during the period and prepare for full freedom. ) To train apprentices for freedom, especially working for wages. d) To enable the colonial governments to revise the system of justice and establish institutions suitable for a free society. The stipendiary magistrates were retired naval and army officers on half pay, appointed from Britain and were accustomed to rough conditions and enforcing discipline. They were chosen because they were not connected to the planter class and it was felt that they would not be biased. Duties of stipendiary magistrates a) To supervise the apprenticeship system. b) To settle disputes between masters and apprentices. ) To visit estates at regular intervals and hold court. d) To inspect jail and workhouses. e) To assist in fixing the value of slaves who wanted to buy their freedom. These duties were strenuous and led to the death of many SMs who were not accustomed to tropical conditions and could not afford the high cost of medical treatment. Conditions of employment Salary – ? 300 for the first year then increased to ? 450 for travel expenses and housing. There was no pension for dependants if the SM died in service. There was also no sick leave and he had to pay his own fare back home if he were dismissed or out of service.These bad working conditions prevented SMs from performing their duties satisfactorily and many were easily bribed by planters. They were also overburdened by work because they were so few in numbers. Those who tried to do their duties were sometimes persecuted. They were abused physically, verbally and in the press and they were often obstructed in the performance of their duties as planters sometimes refused to allow them on the estates. Success of stipendiary magistrates a) They listened to complaints from both sides and acted as a buffer between masters and apprentices. ) They informed apprentices of their rights; they did not have to listen to gossip or obtain information from newspapers. c) They helped apprentices to organise their l ives better by giving advice. However, they had very little to formulate schemes to improve the social conditions of the apprentices. They were unable to prevent apprentices from being punished harshly. Punishments Apprentices were usually sent to the workhouse. However, SMs had no control over what happened there. The most common form of punishment in the workhouse was the treadmill.There was also the whipping post and apprentices could be put in penal gangs. Females often had their heads shaved. Time lost in the workhouse had to be repaid by the apprentice by working for his master during his free time. Methods to control apprentices on the estates †¢ It was illegal for apprentices to leave the estate without written permission. †¢ Valuations on able-bodied slaves were often inflated. †¢ High fees were charged for the use of the markets and for licences to work off the estates as carpenters, blacksmiths and so on. These licences and tickets to sell in the markets co uld be withdrawn. Refusal of planters to give customary allowances. †¢ Finding fault with apprentices', work which had to be done over in the apprentices' free time. †¢ Locking up apprentices on false charges and dropping the charges before the arrival of the SM. †¢ Cutting down apprentices' fruit trees and forbidding them to own livestock. †¢ Spreading the 40 1/2 hours per week over five days instead of four. †¢ Paying low wages, making unfair deductions from wages, paying wages late. The End of Apprenticeship Apprenticeship ended for ALL apprentices in 1838 because: a) The system was not achieving its aims. ) The anti-slavery society exposed the abuses in the system and began to campaign for full freedom. c) The planters feared violence if domestic apprentices were freed before field apprentices. d) Some planters felt that it was cheaper not to have to provide for apprentices and only to employ the number of labourers they needed. Note: Antigua granted ful l freedom to their slaves. The planters decided against apprenticeship. The apprenticeship system came to an end in 1838 when the colonial governments in each colony voted against its continuation. Nineteenth century immigration (Part 1)Reason for immigration 1. A decrease in the labour force. With the end of the apprenticeship system in 1838, the planters no longer had a labour force they could easily control. Apprentices had now gained their freedom and many were reluctant to work any at all on the plantation. In the smaller territories, where the ability to access land was limited and alternative occupations were limited, ex-slaves had no choice but to continue plantation work. For example, planters in Barbados and St Kitts had very little difficulty in accessing labour in the post-Emancipation period.It was in the large territories, such as Jamaica, British Guiana and Trinidad, that planters faced such difficulty and had to turn to immigration schemes as an alternative labour so urce. The hope was that immigration would provide a permanent source of labour for the plantations. 2. An attempt to suppress wages. There was the hope that immigration would generate competition for the ex-slaves and so help to keep wages down. Ex-slaves demanded adequate remuneration, but the planters found that they could suppress wages if they could introduce cheap foreign labour.This, in essence, would reduce the demand power of the ex-slaves because if they refused what was being offered, an immigrant was quite able to fill the position. Besides, if sugar production was to continue, a cheap, efficient and reliable source of labour had to be found. Immigration schemes THE EUROPEANS Due to a decline in the white population, planters sought European immigrants to increase the size of the white population. It was hoped that Europeans would set an example of industry to ex-slaves and as well eventually develop into a middle class.They would settle on available land in the interior, thus forcing ex-slaves off the land and back to the plantations. Jamaica imported the largest number. Europeans also went to Trinidad, British Guiana and St Kitts. These immigrants were mainly Scots, Irish, French and Germans. They were recruited under a bounty system. Problems with European Immigration Europeans were unsatisfactory as most died shortly after they arrived. They died from tropical diseases, heat stroke and many drank themselves to death. They also refused to work on the plantations with blacks.Many asked to be sent home or migrated to the United States. Planters also failed to supply proper food, shelter and medical facilities. THE PORTUGUESE In Madeira, workers were paid only one third of what they could earn in the islands per day, so they were attracted by the higher wages being offered in the Caribbean, especially British Guiana. Many went to Trinidad and a few to the Windward Islands. They were brought in by government bounty. Most came during periods of famine in Madeira (1846-1847). Their numbers decreased after 1847 until the scheme ended in 1882.Problems with Madeiran immigration The Madeirans died in large numbers. They suffered severely from yellow fever, malaria, overwork and inadequate food. The scheme was very irregular and most of them went into trading as soon as their contracts ended. In addition, the Madeiran Government objected to the scheme, since so many of its citizens were leaving, and implemented measures making it difficult for their recruitment. THE AFRICANS There were two distinct groups of Africans that were used as labourers in the post-emancipation period. These were the free Africans and the liberated Africans.The free Africans were persons who willingly opted to come and work on the plantations in the Caribbean. The liberated Africans were persons freed by British naval personnel from vessels illegally transporting them to the Caribbean as slaves. Free Africans Attempts were made to obtain Africans from the Kru Coast and Sierra Leone. The British Government was reluctant to grant approval of this scheme as it seemed to be a revival of the slave trade. However, in 1840, approval was granted. At first, they were recruited privately, but the British government assumed direct control two years later.Problems 1. Very few Africans were willing to come to the Caribbean. There were no catastrophes in Africa, which would make them leave. 2. Many who came to the Caribbean did not remain on the plantation; rather they followed the ex-slaves and settled on lands and became peasant farmers. Liberated Africans The largest number of Africans who came to the British Caribbean were ‘rescued' by the British Navy from slave ships bound for Cuba and Brazil. These Africans were forcibly indentured for up to five years in the Caribbean primarily in British Guiana, Trinidad and Jamaica. Problems 1.The number of liberated Africans was too small to make a difference to the labour situation. This scheme ended when Cuba and Brazil abolished slavery in 1866 and 1888, respectively. Like the ex-slaves, they abandoned the estates and settled on land. THE CHINESE The first Chinese immigrants arrived in Trinidad in 1806 from Malaya. They were to be indentured for five years, with a promise of small plots of land afterwards. They were extremely unsuitable for estate labourer and most were shipped back. Most Chinese immigrants came during the period 1859-1886 and went to British Guiana, Jamaica and Trinidad.They came mostly from the Portuguese colony of Macao and from Canton. Others came as well because of the Teiping Rebellion (1851-1864). Problems with Chinese Immigration Planters complained that the Chinese did not make good estate workers and few re-indentured themselves. They preferred to return to China or open retail shops. In addition, they were more expensive than the Indians. The Chinese Government also insisted that a full return passage be granted after a five-year indenture contract . The planters were willing to pay this only after two five-year contract.The Chinese Government also opposed immigration because they were ill-treated in Cuba. Most Chinese avoided the West Indies preferring to go to the United States or to find work nearer home in Java or the Philippines. Lastly, race relations between blacks and Chinese were quite poor. THE INDIANS The first Indians arrived in 1838 on Gladstone's Estate in British Guiana. However, the British Government stopped the scheme because of evidence of ill-treatment and the high death rate among the immigrant in Mauritius. However, due to pressure from the planters the British re-opened Indians immigration scheme in 1844.It was not difficult to find willing immigrants. Many craftsmen had lost their jobs due to competition from mechanised factories and mills of England. India was becoming overpopulated and there was not enough land to divide among the younger generation. Wages in India had fallen to 1/2d per day and there was a series of famine during the period 1857-1877 that led to an increase in food prices. Those escaping the police and the caste system were also willing to migrate. The Caribbean seemed attractive with high wages, shelter, medical care and a chance to find new occupations beside agriculture.Indians were easily recruited as India was a British colony. British ships and trading costs were already there and the British Government could easily provide British officials to supervise the scheme. Planters were satisfied with the Indians because they were hardworking, accustomed to tropical agriculture and re-indentured themselves. Economic effect on the sugar industry British West Indian planters had turned to immigration as a means of reviving the sugar industry. The hope was that with the steady supply of labour, planters could focus on increasing their output.Immigration, however, did not have its desired impact, especially in a colony like Jamaica. In territories such as Trinidad a nd British Guiana, we cannot assume that it was immigration that saved their sugar industry. For instance, they introduced mechanisation and placed more lands under sugar cane cultivation. These could be seen as measures that helped to save their sugar industries. Barbados could be used as another example. Up to 1848, there had seen an increase in their output by 250 per cent. However, by the end of the 19th century this had declined.We cannot assume that this was because Barbados was not using immigrant labour that its output declined. During the period, the territory was plagued by problems, including soil exhaustion and inadequate mechanisation. The overall conclusion must be that immigration did not cause increased sugar production in the British West Indies, as many other factors could have been responsible. Other economic effects 1. As a result of Indian immigration, the rice industry was developed in British Guiana and the cocoa industry in Trinidad. 2.They also helped to mak e central factories profitable by cultivating cane on small farms then selling it to the central factory. Social effects 1. Indians were considered inferior and they could only acquire poorly paid jobs. They could not settle in the towns, but had to live in the countryside where they formed an active peasant class. The employment of Indians mainly as field workers led to the employment of blacks in better jobs, for example, the police force. 2. The ex-slaves despised the Indians and refused to work alongside them in the fields. They were described as ‘heathens' because of their speech and clothing.Indians also despised the blacks because of their alleged low moral standards. 3. Immigration led to the expansion of social services, for example, medical facilities and a large police force. Cultural effects 1. Family – Indians brought their firm family structure, in which all relations supported each other. The idea of extended family, which included several generations, wa s very strong. All males over age 16 were members of the family council and made all decisions of the family, for example, marriage, religious ceremonies and expenditure. 2. Religion – Hinduism –Hindus worshipped several gods, of which Brahma was the most important. He was the supreme god or creator. They believed that when people die, their souls are reborn in a new body. The Hindus had very strict divisions in the society; this was known as the caste system. Each person belonged to a special group or caste. The Brahmins or the religious leaders were at the top of the society and the Hindus in the Caribbean continued to follow them as their leaders. Islam – A number of Indians who came were also Muslims. They believed in one God, Allah. They followed the teachings of the Quran. . Festivals – Divali or festival of lights was celebrated by the Hindus. They told stories, shared gifts, decorated their windows and doors with lights and candles. Hosein  œ A Muslim festival for small temples made from paper and bamboo were decorated and carried in a procession through the streets, accompanied by dancing to the beats of drums. 4. Food – roti, rice, curry 5. Dress – turban sari 6. Buildings – Hindu temples Muslim mosques houses built in Indian styles Other cultural effects The Indians normally segregated themselves deliberately in the educational institution.Oftentimes, they were unwilling to send their children to school since they feared they could be converted to Christianity. It was not until the late 1870s when separate schools for Indian children were established, mainly by the Canadian Presbyterian Mission to the Indians, that Indian children went to school and language barriers began to crumble. Indian integration in the Caribbean was not very easy since many of them spoke the Hindi language which served as a language barrier. | |