How is nature social Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

How is nature social - Essay Example Such transformations have not only touched on issues concerning natural scientists alone, but also the social scientists, the general public, and environmental groups. Environmental groups, with the aid of the media, guaranteed that, by the 1980s, concepts such as â€Å"ozone holes† and the â€Å"greenhouse effect† would be part of everyday vocabulary. An intricate juxtaposition of scientific developments, technological advances and ideological changes, coupled with consequences of the economic growth, has changed the way in which individuals conceive social representations of nature (Leslie and Evernden 1992, p.4). The paper explores the concept â€Å"social constriction of nature,† which has lately become a crude, but universal term describing various understandings of nature, knowledge, and the world. The essay explores the transformation of the physical environment into landscapes via cultural symbols and how the landscapes mirror individuals’ definiti ons of themselves. ... owever, the philosophy, history, and sociology of science in the last two decades have largely asserted and confirmed the relativism of any distinct scientific claims regarding nature (Crist 2004, p.6). Scientific understandings of nature (inclusive of ecological understandings) have frequently been criticized for being mechanistic. In the last two decades, dissatisfaction with positivism has been rife with many theorists appreciating the roles of culture and language in individuals’ perception and understanding of the nature (Whatmore 2005, p.18). It is apparent that naive forms of realism in which nature is a directly perceptible entity that is concisely available to all irrespective of experience, cultural context, or motivation have not been successful. However, among some social scientists, the stress on cultural factors has replaced, rather than complemented biological explanation, which reflects the swing of the epistemological pendulum from biologism (1950s) to the pre occupation with culture (Bird 1987, p.255). Models of Nature Models of nature have typically referred to ecological, or more commonly, scientific understandings and have rarely included cultural factors. Recently, however, there has been a significant step towards defining the nature as a â€Å"social construction.† This translates to the notion that nature is an artefact of human, social and linguistic capability. Vivien Burr suggests â€Å"what individuals regard as truth is mainly a creation, not of objective observation of the world, but of the social processes and interactions† (1995, p.4). Equally, Peter Mason advances that â€Å"reality† is itself a product reflecting the activity of individuals’ imagination (1990, p.15). Language plays a critical role in this construction. According to

History rock and roll Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

History rock and roll - Essay Example This was caused by the featuring of catchy grooves, hand-clapping, impulsive body moves and improvisational elements that swept all through. Sly& the Family Stone caught all lively and musical trends, resulting to a blend of Soul, Rock and Funk. The group has not only produce for, but also performed with black and white musicians just like Motown had incorporated white music into black radio stations. Sly and the Family Stone were driven by many cultural influences including Motown Sound among others. Sly had a short peak period, the least among its kind, falling both in value and critically. It was somewhat reported to be caused by rhythmically loose songs (Geels 1429). Brian Wilson postulates of his inspiration to make the record originating from the Beatles â€Å"Rubber Soul†, which presented the peak of his wave. Additionally, he successfully employed the use of inspiration from across to create a brilliant piece of amazing pop- Pet Sounds. Smiley Smile was a masterpiece, following suit like Pet Sounds- a contemporary classical that swept through, following the same

War Against Terror Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

War Against Terror - Essay Example Whether the terror war is based on a series of structured brainstorming sessions that began shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, supplemented by selective research and updates (Ronczkowski, 2004, p. 2) or based on London bombings we are still struggling with defining, dealing with, and addressing terrorism and the roles of officials and agencies in combating terrorism. What have we gained so far Terrorism is there; War on terrorism is going on; we have not gained security against terrorism but a social and moral fear because of politics and legal concerns. Such concerns have emerged a new fear and panic within us. On the other hand the field of terrorism in the context of research or military arenas has revealed that there is a lack of awareness, especially by law enforcement personnel, as to how to best deal with and analyse terrorism and terrorist-related activity. Therefore, how are we expecting law enforcement personnel to identify something about which they do not have a conceptual understanding Law enforcement academies have always focused on training and developing an individual so he understands every aspect of what he can do and what is expected of him in criminal-based situations locally, according to state guidelines. So how can law enforcement personnel be expected to effectively address the international reaches of terrorism without proper training and awareness of what they are attempting to identify and analyse Even it is found out that the information obtained from terrorism analysis is used in strategic planning for areas such as crime prevention and conflicts. However, is cr ime prevention the same as terrorism prevention Such a war on terror is producing nothing but causing in the society intense fear, anxiety, apprehension, panic, dread, and horror. (Garaeu, 2004, p. 14) The main targets of terrorist compulsion are the civilian population, distinguishing these techniques from conventional acts of war directed primarily against military targets. Often members are selected and randomly attacked and escorted towards the preplanned violence that is directed against targets specified. Terrorism often targets business corporations in the private sector. However the war on terror suggests measures to identify all the predictable and unpredictable impacts of terrorist influence upon its instant victims. The war against terror develops its intentions to fight and inspire anxiety, even among its' own members of the public which are far removed from its immediate surrounding area, as well as generating widespread moral disgust about the use of these techniques. The war on terror is often considered as a war which is aimed primarily at terrorists but accidentally military targets also suffer thereby inviting 'collateral damage' to occur, where many civilians are accidentally hurt, but this differs from violent acts that are intentionally directed against the general public. One cannot say how much such a war is beneficial for eradicating terrorists but this is for sure that such wars cause moral turmoil among the citizens. (Just et al, 2003, p. 7) The number of US institutes and research centres and 'think thanks' which have now added this subject to their research agendas against 'war on terror' or, have been newly established to specialise in this field

Segmenting the British Sports market Essay Example for Free

Segmenting the British Sports market Essay Introduction Sport England is the government agency responsible for building the foundations of sporting success, by creating a world-leading community sport environment of clubs, coaches, facilities and volunteers. They want to create a vibrant sporting culture working in partnership with national governing bodies, national partners, the HE/FE sector, local government, county sport partnerships and community organizations. Their focus is around three outcomes growing and sustaining the numbers of people taking part in sport and improving talent development to help more people excel. Five targets which will see us deliver these outcomes: 1. Grow   More people taking part in more sport   More children and young people taking part in five hours of PE and sport a week These targets account for 15% of the investment. 2. Sustain   More people satisfied with their sporting experience   25% fewer 16-18 year olds dropping out of at least nine sports badminton. basketball, football, hockey, gymnastics, netball, rugby league, rugby union tennis These targets account for 60% of the investment. 3. Excel   Improved talent development in at least 25 sports This target accounts for 25% of the investment. 4. What does our work involve? We invest expertise, resources and both government and Lottery money into community sport. ?480 million is invested directly through 46 national governing bodies of sport. And there are five open funding streams other organizations can apply to. We have a statutory role in protecting playing fields and must be consulted if community playing fields are threatened by potential developments. We provide a wealth of expertise and advice on range of sports subjects including planning, facilities, coaching, and volunteering and sports development. And we act as advocates for community sport bringing together a wide range of partners from local and national government, the commercial sector, higher and further education and the third sector to make the most of their investment in sport. 5. Who do we work with? To succeed, we have to work closely with a wide range of organizations, including:   Our sporting landscape partners Youth Sport Trust and UK Sport   National governing bodies of sport   National partners   Local authorities   County sports partnerships   Higher and further education   The third sector   The commercial sector. London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games and the Olympic Delivery Authority. Questions 1. Using the full spectrum of segmentation variables, describe how Sport England has segmented the sports market? In order to understand the British people’s attitudes and motivations about sports, Sport England has developed 19 sporting segments all around the United Kingdom to target its customers in the sports market. In the segmentation process Sport England worked closely with Experian Business Strategies consulting group and analyzed data of the English people aged 18 and older. Each of the 19 segment profiles contains information about how sporty they are, the activities they enjoy, possible barriers and motivations and guidance in how to effectively market sport to each profile. The segmentation was based on Demographic and Geographic variables. This segmentation process allowed them to understand the top sports that people want to involve themselves in and helped them to identify the characteristics of their target groups for projects and initiatives. An example of their successful market segmentation policy is South Gloucestershire Leisure’s reopening of a refurbished leisure center in the year 2007. With the help of their market segmentation data and knowledge on how to market to its customers by identifying which activities people are more interested in. 1. Sport England created a segment profile which identified the largest segments within a 1-, 3-, 5-, 7- and 10- mile straight line buffer of the leisure center. 2. The largest segments were then mapped to show the geographic location of these segments which allowed them to localize the market and focus on specific things like information on lifestyles of customers in the Gloucestershire region, the proper community needs of the region. 3. They identified the dominant segment in each postal code and accordingly produced marketing material targeting at those segments. 4. They identified the areas where the population of children were more and targeted it with the right marketing techniques. Segment Name| | Forename| Population| Male| Female| In Million| Competitive Male Urbanites| A01| Ben| 6. 4| 13. 3| 0| 2,521| Sports Team Drinkers| A02| Jamie| 5. 4| 11. 1| 0| 2,127| Fitness Class Friends| A03| Chloe| 6. 9| 0| 13. 4| 2,717| Supportive Singles| A04| Leanne| 4. 7| 0| 9. 1| 1,851| Career Focused Females| B05| Helena| 5| 0| 9. 7| 1,969| Settling Down Males| B06| Tim| 9. 4| 19. 3| 0| 3,702| Stay at Home Mums| B07| Alison| 4. 6| 0| 8. 9| 1,812| Middle England Mums| B08| Jackie| 4| 0| 7. 7| 1,575| Pub League Team Mates| B09| Key| 5. 8| 12| 0| 2,284| Stretched Single Mums| B10| Paula| 3. 8| 0| 7. 4| 1,497| Comfortable Mid-Life Males| C11| Philip| 7. 8| 16| 0| 3,072| Empty Nest Career Ladies| C12| Elaine| 5. 3| 0| 10. 2| 2,087| Early Retirement Couples| C13| Roger Joy| 6. 2| 6. 2| 6. 3| 2,442| Older Working Women| C14| Brenda| 4| 0| 7. 6| 1,575| Local ‘Old Boys’| C15| Terry| 3. 4| 7| 0| 1,339| Later Life Ladies| C16| Norma| 2| 0| 3. 6| 788| Comfortable Retired Couples| D17| Ralph Phyllis| 3. 7| 5| 2. 4| 1,457| Twilight Year Gents| D18| Frank| 3. 5| 7. 1| 0| 1,378| Retirement Home Singles| D19| Elise Arnold| 8. 3| 2. 5| 13. 8| 3,269| A 18 24 year olds B 25 45 years C 46 65 years D 65 + 1. 2. Choose a segment and describe a campaign that could be used to encourage people in that segment to participate in one of the named sports related to their segment. I chose Segment 5 Helena â€Å"career focused females†. Characteristics:   Mainly aged 26-45   Single   Full time professional   Enjoy life in the fast lane As there are all career focused women in this segment, they are busy with their office work during the week and have a busy schedule. The working women also suffer from physical and mental fatigue. . Helena likes to keep in shape. After a long working day women in this segment might decide to catch a class or a long workout on the machines In this segment the participants in the cycling sport (11%) are less compared to swimming (22%) and keep fit gym (26%). Sport England could encourage more participants in the Cycling sport by organizing cycling rallies and events on the weekends. This could also help out in giving a social message to the community regarding health and environment. 3. Describe the role that Sport England plays in targeting a segment. South Gloucestershire Leisure center is an example of the role played by Sport England. The company is encouraging more and more people to participate in sports. Their web tool methods and using the media and communication platforms is being one of the most successful ways to target a segment. Sport England also carries out its target segmentation through various mediums like Internet, mobile phones, newspapers and magazines. These mediums are used by large audience and therefore the product information reaches them easily. 4. Choose a sport not listed and select appropriate segments that might participate in it. Explain why the sport might appeal to people in these segments.   Sport: Yoga   Segments:   Helena- Career Focused Females   Jackie-Middle England Mums   Paula- Stretched Single Mums   Brenda-Older Working Women It has been proved over the recent years that Yoga is one of the most successful exercise sports and helps in keeping fit and relaxing the mind. As Yoga is mostly a female oriented sport, it could be used to target the ladies in the above segments. There can be daily or weekend yoga sessions arranged for the segments according to their availability. As for the career focused ladies this would be the best form of exercise as it would relax them both mentally and physically. It is one kind of exercise which would appeal to all the age groups of women and motivate them to participate in it. 5. Briefly outline a marketing campaign for your chosen sport. 1. We will start a marketing campaign that focuses on the benefits of Yoga:   Yoga can help cure insomnia, as its regular yoga practice leads to better and deeper sleep. Yoga can help fight fatigue and maintain your energy throughout the day.   A regular yoga practice helps boost antioxidants throughout your body, resulting in a stronger immune system and improved ability to heal quickly from disease or injury.   Yoga can help you lose weight and maintain a healthy weight throughout your life. Power yoga is an excellent form of cardio conditioning, which strengthens core muscles while it keeps blood and oxygen circulating throughout your body. 2. We will use the appropriate marketing tools to reach our target customers and deliver the necessary message.

Procedures for Safety in Childcare

Procedures for Safety in Childcare Charlene Lawrence 1. Childcare records that all child care proved should have in place are Children record form forms that including the child name, date of birth, allergies, address of where the child lives, telephone number, parents name and address, emergency contacts at least two , child doctor name and address, any medical and religion. Another document is crb (Criminal records bureau check) this should be the first thing that employer should do for staff they employe and for them self to check that each person hasn’t got a criminal record. Children agreement form All children should have a care agreement form which is a contract signed by parents which is agreement between both provided and parents stating the hours, child’s contract details, the days the child days they be attending, the fee and final the date they intending to starting. Also parents should sign a consent form to allow the setting to take the children outside the building and also allowed to sign to take pictures of the children and put on website and on the walls within the setting. Injuries (existing) forms,  existing injuries form is in place to record any existing injuries a child has when they arrive in your care. There should also be in place an incident form this form is in place to record any incident happened in setting with a child or staff for example a child was running and fell over a bit his/her lip would be an incident or a staff member was bit by a child that will also be recorded an incident form. Another form should be places an accident form to record any accidents that happen in the building to a child of staff that these injury i.e. broken bones or swelled muscle or a swelled thumb. Fire records Fire records should be in place to test and record the following smoke detectors, emergency lights, breakpoints, fire exguisters fire blankets and also there should be a record of fire drills which should be done every six months. Medication book or folder This should be in place to administer any medication that children need. This book or folder should have the Childs name, date of birth, the time given, the date given, dozed given and the staff signature and parent signature. This also gives evidence of medication given to a child in the setting and that you have administered medication given by parents, all medication that you administer in for a child must be prescribed by a GP and labelled with their name address and date it with the medication was done. Policies and procedures There should be policies and procedures placed in the setting when looking after a child. These are in place to allow parents to know how we run or care setting for example food policy this will let parents and carers know how we operate food in the setting and what we allow and what we dont allow in the setting what standards we are governed by. Complaint forms A complaint form should be in place when a parent or carer wont to complain about member staff or the setting they should also be followed up by investigation meeting and conclusion meeting. Child journal and home book This journal should be in place is to show any work that you a child has done or any development that a child has done, each child should have a home book which letting parents know what their child is done for the day it ie drank or eaten if they have been to the toilet, how many nappy change and what time you went to sleep this should always be should be recorded in the home book and hand to parent every day when the child goes home. 2. There are different ranges of actives to do for ages 0- 5 Physical (0-12months) at baby age , babies are crawling, pulling them self up or taking their first steps Intellectual (0-12months) Babies at this age is at like to look at sensory books, books with mirrors and textures which is good for there development and also they like music and noisy book which proved stimulus for young baby intellectual development. Social Development (0-12months) Babies social development is doing thinks like copying your actions, and delighting in your positive responses to their actions. Babies of this age will also enjoy listening to music and looking in the mirror Physical (1-5 years) At this age children will be hopstcating, ride bikes, running around Intellectual (1-5 years) For Toddlers and up word they like interactive games, flash cars and puzzles. Social Development (1-5 years) For toddler and upward a great social development is role play children love to role play by dressing up or playing house this is a big social development that will show what children know and develop. 3. I provide a safe environment for children in the city the registered person is the person who takes responsibility in the health and safety of the building where your child will be staying in your setting. our police cover the following: Fire safety In our kitchen you will find a fire blanket and a fire extinguisher and in the rest of the building you will find versus fire extinguishers. In each room there is a smoke alarm which is test every year my fire professions and test weekly by us. At each fire exit you will find a break glass and each member of staff will know the escape route. Security We have public liability insurance for this setting. Indoor and outdoor door and outdoor play area secured and children are supervised at all times. Parent who pick up children must provide a password to those who are coming to collect their child. Animals We will have animals in our setting but will check allergy and do risk assessment before providing. Kitchen and house Our kitchen has safety equipment in place insuring safety and no hazards to children. All around the house is safety equipment in place to protect your child in our care form hazards ie radiator cover , plug sockets. Food handing All staff are full trained in food hyegiene, and we make sure food is serviced , prepared and cooked at the right tempter and hygiene is 100 percent clean. Medicine We will only administer medication when parents want us to and also we only administer medication which is prescribed by GP. Medication is stored in the original containers , clearly labeled with the child full name. All Medication that we administer have to be recorded and staff and parent to sign . Hygiene We teach children about personal hygiene, washing there hands before and after meal times and after using to toilet, also each child will have their own bed sheets with their name on it and will not share the same sheet when sleeping in the cot or bed. We Provided good hygiene to prevent infection and our setting is clean every day and throughout the day. sick children Children who are vomiting or diarrhoea will not be able to attend until 48hours later any infectious will be discussed with parents. Outting and Transport We provide our own transport with insurance valid driver, mot and service, we also proved safety rod to support children to walk safely while out. In our registration pack you will find parental permission request to allow us to take the children out and on day trips. First Aid We have at least two first aid boxes/cupboards , which are checked weekly, when doing check we will also check stock expiry date as well a stock Qty. We have records in place to Record incidents, accidents for staff and children We also requested parental permission to deal with their child in emergency which is located in our registration pack. Smoking Our policy state no smoking in and out of premies, if you need to smoke then you should smoke away from the setting premies. 4. When planning a trip out of children that is planning to do before taking the children out at the premises Ie cost, risk assessment permissions etc The first thing to do is to plan where you are going to take the children then you should find out is it cost affected will parents be able to afford this trip you also need to know how many children will be going on the trip roughly how many staff you would need to support the children ratio while out on a day trip. Then you need to sort out transport, like if youre going by car is the car insured do you have built other enough seats to take the children is their car seat and boosters available, if youre travelling by bus whats the cast how many buses were you need to take how long would it take to get there And if youre taking A coach how much would it cost is there enough seats and is there children seatbelt car seats and boosters Available. Once you have done all these before you notify parent of the trip in a newsletter of verbal by mouth you should do the following two  a risk assessment and permission by parents, You need to assess what is the risk is, there any risk and how you can going to control the risk, is it safe to go on this trip with the children. And then you inform the parents of the trip and get parents permission and payment to go.

Ethnic Minorities in America Essay -- Ethnicity Hearing Impaired Paper

Ethnic Minorities in America In the United States the term "minority" often infers membership within an ethnic or cultural minority group. However, this term also encompasses other groups that lack equality, such as women, homosexuals and people with disabilities. By definition, the hearing majority classifies Deaf people as minorities because of their inability to hear. Yet linguists and social scientists argue that the basis of Deaf people's status as a minority group is not one of disability, but as a cultural and linguistic minority (Lane, Hoffmeister and Bahan: 1996: 335-6). In order to assert that Deaf people are a linguistic and cultural minority in America the characteristics of a minority group must first be defined. According to Schaeffer, members of a minority group share the following five characteristics: Members of a minority group experience unequal treatment and have less power over their lives than members of a dominant group. Members of a minority group share physical and cultural characteristics that distinguish them such as skin color or language. Each society has its own arbitrary standard for determining which characteristics are most important in defining dominant and minority groups. Membership in a dominant or majority group is often involuntary Minority group members have a strong sense of group solidarity. Members of a minority group generally marry others from the same group. (Schaffer, 1998: 6) Furthermore, ethnic minorities have other characteristics that set them apart from the majority such as language, national origin and cultural differences. (Schaffer, 1998: 7) Audism is defined as an attitude based on pathological thinking which results in a negative stigma toward anyon... ...ick. The World According to Pat: Reflections of Residential School Days ASLRTC Video Proceedings, TJ Publishers, Silver Spring, MD. Humphrey, Jan and Alcorn, Bob (1995). So You Want To Be An Interpreter: An Introduction to Sign Language Interpreting (2nd Edition) H&H Publishers, Amarillo, TX. Lane, Harlan; Hoffmeister, Rob and Bahan, Ben (1996). A Journey Into the Deaf-World Dawn Sign Press, San Diego, CA. Padden, Carol and Humphries, Tom (1988). Deaf In America: Voices From a Culture Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. Schaeffer, Richard T. (1998). Racial and Ethnic Groups (7th Edition) Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers, Inc., New York, NY. Shelly, Suan and Schneck, Jim (1998). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Learning Sign Language Alpha Books, New York, NY. Wilcox, Sherman (ed) (1989). American Deaf Culture Linstok Press, Burtonsville, MD.

Janet Fitch Essay

Over the years, Janet Fitch has enjoyed wider and more diverse audience. Her works were appreciated by critics, regular readers and even by celebrities. One of the popular followers of Janet Fitch is the celebrity television show host and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey who â€Å"fell in love† with Janet Fitch’s works particularly White Oleander, a story which, according to Oprah herself, is something that moved her (Oprah Talks to Janet Fitch 2). But the power of Fitch’s works is appreciated even by ordinary individuals. One of the very good examples illustrating this fact is the numerous comments among readers and prospective readers found in the Amazon. com section for Paint It Black. The readers/bloggers also pointed to the fact that the stories depict a certain high degree of realism in comparison of real life and the story. It was enveloped in a wide range of emotions (Hughes 4), a sense of closeness to real life that others describe as stories told by characters, the story and the characters both ring with authenticity (West 2); While other critics believe that the talent of Fitch involves the creation of characters which possess distinct and believable characteristics typical of an ordinary human individual (Ginsberg 4). Janet Fitch’s works is considered as praiseworthy and notable by many critics. One of the reasons why this is the case is because of how Janet Fitch’s works transcend the literary realm and impact real life. The lessons and realizations derived from her works are constructed in a design that maximizes and optimizes the ability of the works to touch the senses of the readers through Fitch’s discussion of life, death and finding life’s paths (not before losing the sense of direction first) in her works, particularly in the White Oleander and Paint It Black. An essential approach that Janet Fitch takes in tackling the issues of real human life, that makes her works and stories appreciated by the readers and touches the emotions of the readers, is her use of contemporary setting (or close to contemporary setting) and tackling about issues that almost every individual is vulnerable to suffer or is constantly suffering. The readers are more attached to the stories that Fitch paint. There are many cases that the aspect of life as tackled by Fitch through her character are issues that are seldom addressed by society and issues that many individuals are easily vulnerable to, wrapping it up around a very emotional life not just for the protagonist but also exposing the depth of the serious emotional vein found in other major and minor casts in her stories. For example, the â€Å"White Oleander† is a work that breaks off from the traditional feel good reading that gives readers an escape. Through the White Oleander, Fitch does not provide escape from reality as fairy tales do, but instead, remind the readers of the social problems and real life as reflected in White Oleander and its characters, a story described by Laura Miller as something that is â€Å"no fairytale (Miller 1). † The impact of the stories Janet Fitch wrote is centered largely on realizations which readers often can relate to, particularly during the realizations happening in the end or close to the end of the story. It is an aspect of Janet Fitch’s writing style and design which is considered by some readers as one of Fitch’s strengths as an effective writer (West 1). One of the prevailing realizations about life is how the characters eventually end up getting enough courage to face the past and the present. This was the case of Astrid in White Oleander and the case of Josie in Paint It Black (Hughes 3). But the lessons and realizations is not just facilitated by the aspects of life, of being alive and living. The instances of death also often touch a raw nerve among the readers who are affected by the works. Death, especially the death of someone special or important to one’s life, is something that everyone experienced or will soon experience. Fitch has effectively painted the emotions engulfing the person during the time of death, like the anguish Astrid felt after the death of Claire Richards in White Oleander. Depiction of death-related emotions in Paint It Black involving the suicide of Michael and the impact it has on the state of emotional and mental stability of Josie immediately after the tragedy. It is an analogy of powerful emotions including anger and dislocation something considered as beautifully described by Fitch (Campbell 3). There are also other subplots and aspects of the stories Fitch creates that are constantly present like drug addiction and sex, issues that face many individuals today. It can be one of the linchpins that allows readers to relate to the story and to the main characters, like Astrid in White Oleander and Josie in Paint it Black, who tried to cope with emotional problems through alcohol and drugs (Boulter 1). It is the same predicament of Astrid and the same predicament of many individuals in today’s life. The greatest source of emotional impact that readers can easily detect and relate to is the presence of significant mother-daughter relations as well as problems (Oktay 256) and the strong role of family in the stories written by Fitch, and with focus as well to the narcissistic tendencies of mothers both in White Oleander and in Paint it Black (Valby 1). It was revealed in the musings of the lead characters like when Astrid noted how her mother â€Å"was not herself in the time of the Santa Anas (Fitch 1),† noting the central role of the mother in the daughter’s life, not just in White Oleander but also in Paint It Black. In White Oleander, the struggle of Astrid in her emotionally unstable relationship with her mother Ingrid, who she still loved in the end, despite how Ingrid treated her when she was young, provides many instances that many mother-daughter relationships experience. Astrid’s journey around several foster homes and the perpetual need to be loved, accepted and taken care of is also a perennial emotional issue many individuals struggle with openly or in their own private recluse. A more distorted or more complex mother-daughter relationship is found in Paint It Black (Campbell 4). In these two stories, several roles of the mother and the daughter and several different situations allow readers to pick points wherein they can relate to, allowing Fitch’s fanbase to grow because of this sense of attachment to the characters/story/predicament presented in Fitch’s works. In a way, it makes Fitch a catalyst or even a channel for individuals to find someone (even fictional) that they can relate to and share similar experiences with, in the hope that the later realizations can assist the readers towards certain realizations and closures in their own personal lives and in their own personal struggles, challenges and problems. There is no doubt that in the analysis of what critics, observers, analysts and even the ordinary individual reader, Janet Fitch is a writer above average. This is because of what she wrote, how she wrote it, how she developed characters, and how these characters and stories have the power to influence the emotions of the readers as it reflected real life, real death-related issues and the process and journey towards self discovery and the unfolding of the path for the individual despite what the characters have undergone in the story, despite Josie â€Å"couldn’t settle anywhere (Fitch 8). † It is, in its own way, inspiring the readers and empowering them towards inward personal values that can make them better individuals and cope better with their own personal challenges like how the characters of Fitch did in the stories, doing in a manner considered as masterful storytelling. Boulter describes Paint It Black as â€Å"well written† (Boutler 4). Ginsberg believed that Fitch was able to make an â€Å"indelible literary mark† because of her opus White Oleander (Gindsberg 1). Farr discussed in the book about the personal connections the reader has on the different aspects of White Oleander like story and characters and how these affected them and how they reacted to it (Farr 105). Works Cited Boulter, Maryann. â€Å"Paint It Black – Janet Fitch. † Nightsandweekends. com. 2006. 16 May 2009 . Campbell, Karen. â€Å"’Paint It Black’ is a compelling tale of suicide, memory, and perception. Boston Globe. † Globe Newspaper Company. 18 September 2006. 16 May 2009 . De Turenne, Veronique. â€Å"’White Oleander’ Author Returns with ‘Paint It Black’. † NPR. 4 October 2006. 16 May 2009