Female circumcision Essay Example for Free

Female circumcision Essay Female circumcision, also referred to as female genital mutilation, is a traditional practice dating back to ancient times in many African and Middle Eastern countries. It is a procedure that involves the cutting, burning or removal of the clitoris, labia and sexual tissues; the specifics of the procedure vary by region and culture. Female circumcision is performed on young girls usually between the ages of five and twelve years old. Many of the girls are tricked or forced into the procedure, which is performed by a woman in the village with knowledge of the tradition but no medical education or training. While it is considered a rite of passage for girls in these cultures, female circumcision has no valid medical purpose. The practice of female genital circumcision is a medically unnecessary one that leaves women with permanent physical, mental and emotional pain and scarring. Female genital mutilation procedures are done differently in various parts of the world. In some cases, the clitoris is cut from the body. In others, the clitoris and labia, the sexual tissues that are external to the vaginal opening, are cut away and the vaginal opening is stitched shut. According to Anika Rahman, there are, â€Å"numerous other procedures that have been documented, such as pricking, piercing, stretching or burning of the clitoris and/or surrounding tissues† (8). The procedure is usually done by a woman of the village or tribe designated for just this task. It is usually performed with knives or razor blades that are not sterile in unsanitary environments and conditions, increasing the risk for infection and complications. Performing such an intricate medical procedure outside of a hospital and without trained medical personnel can result in a variety of complications, including urinary tract infections, pelvic infections and anemia from excess bleeding. One of the most common long-term complications from female circumcision is pain and discomfort during sexual intercourse. Adding to this common problem is the fact that many women whose vaginal openings are stitched closed are forced to stay that way until their first sexual experience with their predetermined husband, which can lead to tearing, bleeding and further tissue damage or scarring. There are emotional and mental scars that accompany female genital mutilation along with the physical ones. In Tears of the Desert, Halima Bashir describes her experiences at eight years old in which a girl is made to feel special without being told what specifically will be done to her: â€Å"In our tradition circumcision is supposed to mark the passage from girlhood to womanhood, and so I was treated almost as if I were getting married† (55). She describes being held down by her own grandmother while a village woman cuts her with a razor blade and that, â€Å"I knew that somewhere deep in my lost womanhood there was a burning heart of agony, but I had removed my mind to a place where it couldn’t be hurt anymore† (57). These words sound like those of a trauma victim in shock rather than those of a girl that has undergone a traditional rite of passage, providing an example of the emotions that can be experienced by a girl forced into female circumcision with no prior knowledge of the procedure. In an interview with Alice Walker, another woman described how she was kidnapped by friends of her family and circumcised: â€Å"†¦her mother had told her they were going to a place where there were many bananas. She loved bananas. When they arrived, she was captured by women she’d never seen before, pinned down by them, circumcised, and kept secluded for two weeks† (Walker 42). Numerous accounts reflect memories of searing physical pain, tearing, bleeding, and fainting. The realization that this is done to a girl when she is as young as five years old makes the procedure seem even more brutal. The actual process of female circumcision is different in each country that practices it and so are the reasons behind it. There are no valid medical reasons for the procedure, and most countries that practice female circumcision hold it as a cultural tradition or rite of passage rather than a religious rite. Rahman states, â€Å"It is important to note that female circumcision is a cultural, not a religious practice. The practice predates the arrival of Christianity and Islam in Africa and is not a requirement of either religion† (6). In these countries, most women are considered the property of their families until they are given away to the husbands their parents has chosen for them to marry, and it is considered vital to go to marriage sexually pure and a virgin. It is believed in these cultures that female circumcision is one way to suppress sexual urges, to prevent sexual activity, and to ensure that a girl’s virginity is kept intact. A girl that isn’t circumcised is considered dirty, impure, and sexually deviant. Ayaan Hirsi Ali describes how, during her childhood in Somalia, â€Å"†¦little girls were made ‘pure’ by having their genitals cut out†¦I was a Somali woman, and therefore my sexuality belonged to the owner of my family, my father or my uncles†¦the place between my legs†¦would be broken only by my husband† (Ali 31, 72). This attitude is a commonly accepted one in countries that practice female circumcision, leading mothers to subject their daughters to the same practice that was done to them and often deceive them in order to force them to submit to tradition. Many girls are taught that they will be physically unclean and unsuitable for any man to want to marry and will therefore bring shame and dishonour to their families if they are not circumcised to keep them pure until marriage. Rheman states, â€Å"Refusing to undergo female circumcision may jeopardize a woman’s family relations, her social life or her ability to find a spouse† (25). Since most of these girls remain in their home villages their entire lives, the concept that not all women undergo this procedure is often unthinkable to them. Halima Bashir relates how, when she went away to college and encountered girls her age that hadn’t been forced to undergo circumcision, â€Å"At first I didn’t believe it. I had just presumed that all girls went through their cutting time† (145). Though it may be tradition, there is proof that female circumcision violates women’s human rights and should be illegal. The international treaty known as the Women’s Convention defends women against human rights violation and sexual discrimination. According to the convention, states Rheman, â€Å"female circumcision must meet two principal criteria. One, it must be a distinction based on sex and two, it must have the effect or purpose of impairing the equal enjoyment of rights by women. Female circumcision fits within this definition of gender discrimination† (21). Female circumcision is intended to stop women from experiencing physical pleasure during sex or even being able to have sex outside of their sanctioned marriage, making it a form of gender discrimination. Female circumcision deserves to be recognized as a tradition in the African and Middle Eastern countries in which it has been practiced. However, its recognition does not warrant the continued abuse and violation of human rights of the women in these countries. These women are subjected to years of physical pain, sexual problems, infections and childbearing complications. These procedures are inflicted upon them without their consent and without informing them of the health risks or alternatives. It represents an antiquated view of women in which they are undervalued and treated as property instead of free-thinking individuals with equal rights and voices. Female circumcision might be tradition, but it’s one that needs to be outlawed for the health and safety of women and in the name of upholding the human rights of all people. Works Cited Bashir, Halima. Tears of the Desert. New York: Ballantine, 2008. Hirsi Ali, Ayaan. Infidel. New York: Free Press, 2007. Rahman, Anika, ed. Female Genital Mutilation: A Guide to Laws and Policies Worldwide. New York: Zed Books, 2001. Walker, Alice and Prathiba Parmar. Warrior Marks: Female Genital Mutilation and the Sexual Blinding of Women. New York: Harvest Books, 1993.

Conventional in situ construction

Conventional in situ construction 2.1 Introduction In architecture and building, in situ refers to construction which is carried out on the building site using raw materials. In-situ is most commonly a mixture of aggregate (known as builders mix) blended with portland cement and clean water, that is free of oils, acid and others. Portland cement is made from lime, silica, alumina and gypsum with the raw materials being readily available throughout the country. Aggregate meanwhile is most commonly sand, gravel and crushed stone and constitutes 60 to 75pc of the volume of most concretes. In-situ concrete is strong, durable, stable, readily available and relatively economic in terms of construction and life time maintenance. It is the ideal structural material, in building sites that have difficult access. Other qualities that make it an ideal construction medium include the ability to control of form and shape, the enclosure of space and structure in one material, its compatibilty with most other materials, the ability to form integral surface finishes and colour of its compatibilty with most other materials. In-situ concrete structure usually used in industrial and commercial service industry such as school,hospital and hotel.The basic form of in-situ concrete structure are columns, beams, walls and floor. Compare that withprefabricatedconstruction, in which building components are made in a factory and then transported to the building site for assembly unlike insitu method of construction. Conventional building method or in situ construction method, is also defined as components of the building that are made at site through the processes of timber or plywood formwork installation, steel reinforcement, and cast in situ. Conventional buildings are mostly built of reinforced concrete frames. The traditional construction method uses wooden formwork. It is much more costly for construction which includes labour, raw material,transportation and low speed of construction time. This system is suitable for a country where unskilled labour is limited. There is no heavy machinery or high technolog y involved compare to precast method. 2.2 Advantages of using in situ The objective of an in situ method is to eliminate and reduce the traditional site-based trades like traditional timber formwork, brickwork, plastering and to reduce labour content. By using in situ method, alteration can be made at the last minute, design can be proceed as the structure is built and the rates of the production can be fast. 2.3 Disadvantages of using in situ However, conventional in-situ construction method also have their own disadvantages. It will lead to the higher amount of wastage compare to precast method. For example, in term of mixture of cement,sand and aggregates. It also require all activities involve high labour and plant on site. Besides,construction is also influenced by the weather and the reinforcement and formwork tend to be labour intensive.

Psychological Effects of Single Parent Family

Psychological Effects of Single Parent Family CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION The purpose of this project proposal is closely observer the psychosocial problems faced by adolescents from single mother families in the state of Selangor which has higher level of divorce and separation cases. Thus, the intent of this proposed study firstly is to identify, the influences of the family, social system and socioeconomic issues which cause the rise of psychosocial problems of the adolescents from single female parent families, such as anti-social behaviour. In that regard, there are three chapters in this project proposal. Chapter 1: Introduction, provide a discussion around the basic theme and problem statements which contribute to psychosocial problems of the adolescents. The purpose of qualitative research of face to face interview is to wear down the objectives acting upon the adolescents from single mother’s family. Chapter 2: Through the literature review extends the analysis and provokes an idea from the theories. Chapter 3: Qualitative research method of facial expression to face interviews were utilized to identify (N=5) adolescents from the age of fifteen to eighteen from single mother families, (N=5) of their mothers and (N=1) from the NGO, in order to interpret and explain the societal phenomenon of adolescent from single mother families. The determination is to address why anti-social behaviour occurs among adolescents from single mother families and also how to and implement methods to prevent and overcome anti-social behaviour among these adolescents, with the help and associate with the aid of others, such as, government, NGOs, relatives and friends. 1.1  Background of study The focus of the background study reveals increase as in separation and divorce levels due to several factors and influences. From previous studies, single parent family in Malaysia is growing faster than other family relationships. The arrangement of two parents in the family is broadly conceived as an accepted family, and the single parent family is known as a sort of non-accepted family. (Baharudin, R., Et al. Journal of comparative Family Studies, 2011). Established on the article from (Overturf, J. V., Downs, B., 2003) it states; parental monitoring is an important connection of adolescence risk behaviour. The full point of adolescence is really essential to the maturation of any person. The identifying features of this period make it unique from other aspects of development. It is a transitional period from childhood to maturity; it requires an atmosphere full of passion and understanding to do well. (Ajidahun, B. O., 2011). Therefore, adolescents from single mother families may experience peculiar psychological and emotional problems of separation anxiety, sorrow, anger, depression, aloneness, and poor sexual self-identity. (Meier, P.D. Minirth, F. B. el ta, 1991). Hence, the significance is likely employed in several risk behaviours, such as antisocial behaviour is high. Anti-social behaviour is considered a personality disorder and brings up to behaviour that lacks affection for others with a high chance of harming others without feeling guilty and an evident failing of most emotions. (Kalat, J.W., 2008). The development of antisocial behaviour among teens could be drug abuse, vandalism, bullying, and gangsterism. Nevertheless, based on studies (Lee et al., 2007; Chiah, 2009), it has been discovered that adolescent from single mother families were more frequently taken in social problem behaviours than their twins in two-parent households. Hence, the context of this background work is founded on face to face questionnaire, interviews in order to gather information that comprises samples of (N=5) adolescents from NGO residential home for the teenagers which residing in the City of Petaling Jaya, Selangor and (N=5) of their mothers and (N=1) from the residential dwelling. The interviews questionnaire is used to pack out the collection primary data in this field to assess the findings of the research. In addition, based on the qualitative analysis from the work of other researches on anti-social behaviour among these adolescents from single mother families, the factors highlight the realization of several reasons in this area. The important results of the conditional relation of this background study for the adolescents from single mother families seriously need more attention and counselling in the field that becomes problems for them. Parents attention is recommended as revealed in this study, the adolescents need a conducive environment where they can look for help and affirm to resolve their problems inside their families. Therefore, through the interview samples as well as the interpretation of literature and journals, and research has facilitated to improve and determine the levels of the different social classes’ problems. Aside from the discussion of background study, the following section in particular addresses the problem statements. 1.3  Problem Statements This research aims to identify the psychosocial problems of adolescents from single mother families. The issue of divorce and living in fatherless families, infidelity of husband and wife, financial issues, emotional and psychological problems and social stigma are some of the major ones. (Faizah bte Abd Ghani Azian Abd Aziz, 2013). Their troubles are often pushed under the carpet, but manifest in anti-social behaviour which includes poor academic performance, relationship with teachers, school mates, mother or father, siblings, relatives and the public at large. They also resort to anti-social activities including drinking, which frequently result in adolescent pregnancies. My study samples are (N=5) adolescents between the ages of fifteen to nineteen, (N=5) single mother and (N=1) from the residential homes for the teenage boys in the state of Petaling Jaya, Selangor. 1.5  Research Questions In this research, these are the questions which my research will be addressed: What are the psychosocial problems of the adolescents from single mother families? What are the factors that influence the development of adolescents from single  mother families? What is the mother involvement in psychosocial problems of their adolescent’s  development? To what extent the changes come about when the adolescents stay in the NGO  residential homes for the teenagers? These research questions are directed at seeing the chief objectives of this study, which look at the factor causing psychosocial problems, such as, anti-social behaviour in the adolescents from single mother families. 1.4  Research Objectives The intent of this proposed research objective is to limit the possible factors that carry the potential to delay the effective operation of the psychosocial problem of the adolescents from single mother families. It is also aimed at the objective as stated below: To find out the psychosocial problems among the adolescent. To identify the factors that influencing the development of adolescents from single  mother families. To find out what is the mother involvement in their adolescent’s development. To determine what is the mother involvement in psychosocial problem of their  adolescent’s development. To find out what extent the changes come about when the adolescents stay in the  NGO residential homes for the teenagers. 1.6  Study Contribution This research covers (a) The definition of a psychosocial problem among the adolescent from single mother families. (b) The factors of psychosocial problems. (c) The mother involvement in psychosocial problems of their adolescent’s development. (d) The changes occur when the adolescents stay at the NGO homes. The responses to the interview questions and samples will be held through from a residential home for the teenage boys which residing in the City of Petaling Jaya. This chapter closes the call for the proposed research in psychosocial problem among adolescents from single mother families. The financing will be gained from the scope, significance of the problems and aims. The next chapter of this research covers the pertinent literature, letting in the factors, causes and solutions. Additionally, the recommendations proposed will also be discussed, such as, with the psychosocial, socioeconomic and the ecological problems and also how the adolescents from single mother families can seriously consider living a better lifestyle?

James Fenimore Coopers Last of the Mohicans: Book and Movie Essay

James Fenimore Cooper's Last of the Mohicans: Book and Movie    The book Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper was very different from the movie Last of the Mohicans in terms of the storyline. However, I feel that the producer and director of this movie did a good job of preserving Cooper's original vision of the classic American man surviving in the wilderness, while possibly presenting it better than the book originally did and in a more believable fashion to a late twentieth century reader.      Ã‚     The makers of the movie Last of the Mohicans preserved Cooper's central ideas and themes very well, the most important of which   is the question, what makes a man?   Very few books that I have read contain such a clear sense of what a man should be as Last of the Mohicans.   Cooper portrays the hero, Hawkeye, as brave, independent, and skillful in the ways of the woods.   He is a tracker, he can hit a target with a bullet from any distance, he can fight the evil Iroquois Indians without batting so much as an eyelash.   The makers of the movie take great pains to preserve these facets of Hawkeye, but then go beyond what Cooper originally laid down as the basis for   his hero's character.   In the book, Hawkeye displays very little feeling and the reader has very little empathy with him, even though he is the hero.   In the movie, however, there is a great romance between Hawkeye and Cora that does not exist in the book.   This romance adds a more human side to Hawkeye's character;   it show s his caring side beyond all the hero-woodsman qualities--in other words, the non-Rambo, late twentieth century version of a hero.   Every hero should ha... ...d, when Magua, the evil antagonist, kills Uncas and Alice is presented with the choice of being Magua's wife or killing herself, she chooses death. Cooper's original intent was to have Cora killed for being "impudent," while Alice remained docile and alive.   Instead the makers of the movie transform even the wimpy Alice into a character of strength and independence (the late twentieth century ideal), as shown in her final act of suicide.   Cora, also strong and blessed with the ability to think for herself throughout the film,   survives.   I f these changes added a lot to the characters of both Cora and Alice, who in the book were stick figures, "females" who did virtually nothing but be saved. and because of this again reinforces my opinion that the movie retains Cooper's vision and presents it better than Cooper did himself.

The Simple Life and the Corruption of Technology :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

The Simple Life and the Corruption of Technology "Let's take it home boys!" Not really paying attention to our altitude, we headed towards base after a flawless mission against an enemy tank. As we reached the jungles edge, anti-aircraft shells began exploding all around us. I ordered the formation to climb as fast as possible. Almost as quickly as I had given the order, my plane was hit. Luckily, the round didn't explode, but had traveled through the center of the fuselage. I realized my plane was fatally crippled, including my ejection seat. As my plane fell into the jungle, I woke up. Though I did not know what had drawn me from the dream, I had an idea it was the splitting pain in my leg. As the pain slowly crept up my leg, I became aware of my surroundings. I could now feel the perspiration on my face and faintly hear mumbled voices; I was not in my bed. As I opened my eyes to blurry vision, I made out dark moving objects among a background of fire. Listening closely, I realized it was people speaking a foreign tongue. Moving my eyes from the dark skinned, scantly clad humans to my leg, I found the source of my pain. Driven through my left leg was a sharp piece of metal from the wreckage that surrounded me. With a swift jerk from one of my assumed rescuers, my leg was free of metal, and I was passed out from the pain. I awoke in a hut made of large leaves, mud, and grasses. The light crackle of the fire outside could be heard over the voices of the people surrounding it. I asked my self, "Where am I? How did I get here?" With my questions I made an astonishing discovery: I could not remember who I was! Feeling myself panic, I did the best to calm down and analyzed the situation. I had been pulled from some type of wreckage, but of what? The people who had saved me were very primitive. They wore little more than a loin cloth of a cheap textile, and they had dressed me the same. They were eating some yellow muck from wooden bowls and again my ears greeted the new language. Trying to sit up, I flexed my leg and a crippling pain powered a scream from the bottom of my lungs. My scream had caught the attention of those who had been talking outside.

Policing and the Constitution

The Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution states: Prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures and sets out requirements for search warrants based on probable cause. This amendment impacts law enforcement because police need a warrant to make arrests and searches. This is not applicable if the officer has first-hand knowledge of an event and the evidence is likely to be destroyed or the subject will abscond if time is taken to get a warrant. If a warrantless search is made by the police that should have been made only after a warrant was issued, then all knowledge gained by that evidence is not allowed in testimony. The Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution states: Set out rules for indictment by grand jury and eminent domain, protects the right to due process, and prohibits self-incrimination and double jeopardy. This means that the officer does not determine innocence or guilt. She or he only determines probable cause of belief of guilt. Also, an officer cannot force a person to bear witness against himself. If a person is tried and a verdict is given, that person cannot be tried again. Accused persons cannot be forced to say anything. Eminent domain is the power of a government to take private property for public use, usually with compensation paid to the owner. The Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution states: Protects the right to a fair and speedy public trial by jury, including the rights to be notified of accusations, to confront the accuser, to obtain witnesses and to retain counsel. This means the subject has the right to counsel before, during, and after questioning. Should the subject request the presence of an attorney, questioning should cease until counsel arrives. Probable cause is one of the fundamental protections built into the criminal justice system by the founding generation of the United States. Probable cause is the standard by which an officer or agent of the law has the grounds to obtain a warrant for, or as an exception to the warrant requirements for, making an arrest or conducting a personal or property search, etc. when criminal charges are being considered. This term comes from the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution. The exclusionary rule is a rule in which any evidence that is obtained in violation of the accused’s rights under the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments, as well as any evidence derived from illegally obtained evidence, will not be admissible in criminal court. The exclusionary rule has been controversial for decades because many people believe that it is unconstitutional and not helpful the finding the truth in criminal proceedings. The name fruit of the poisonous tree is thus a metaphor: the poisonous tree is evidence seized in an illegal arrest, search, or interrogation by law enforcement. The fruit of this poisonous tree is evidence later discovered because of knowledge gained from the first illegal search, arrest, or interrogation. The poisonous tree and the fruit are both excluded from a criminal trial. The fruit of the poisonous tree doctrine is an offspring of the exclusionary rule. The Miranda rights, also known as Miranda warning, is a warning given by police in the United States to criminal suspects in police custody before they are interrogated to preserve the admissibility of their statements against them in criminal proceedings. Your Miranda rights are your rights as per being under arrest. If you are not under arrest they may detain you, but cannot lock you up unless by reasonable evidence they can prove that you are guilty of the crime in which they would more than likely arrest you. Questioning is not a reasonable excuse to lock you up without circumstantial evidence. They do not need to notify you unless they search your property, or person in which they would need a warrant and also do not need notification with accurate evidence against you. Your Miranda warning reads as followed: You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak with an attorney and to have an attorney present during questioning. If you so desire and cannot afford one, an attorney will be appointed for you without charge before questioning. An arrest is the taking into custody of a citizen for the purpose of detaining him or her on a criminal charge. Frisking is a search of a person’s outer clothing wherein a person runs his or her hands along the outer garments to detect any concealed weapons or contraband. A stop takes place when a law enforcement officer has reasonable suspicion that a criminal activity is about to take place. An interrogation is the direct questioning of a suspect to gather evidence of criminal activity and to try to gain a confession. A custodial interrogation occurs when a suspect is under arrest or is deprived of his or her freedom in a significant manner. A reading of the Miranda warning is only required before a custodial interrogation. An interrogation is when you are not in custody, and a custodial interrogation is when you are in custody.

Narrative Perspective: Fast Car by Tracy Chapman

Alalysis #1- Fast Car- Tracy ChapmanPosted: 1st February 2011 by t3david in Narrative 0Analysis #1 Narrative Perspective difinetly Artefact: Fast Car Tracey Chapman 1988 I chose to analyse this artefact from a narrative perspective because it the song clearly describes all the elements of a narrative- the setting, characters, and events. Finally in order for this song to be a narrative there must be a moral which I will try to decipher while analysing the artefact. I also choose this artefact because it discusses some almost â€Å"taboo† topic, so I felt was relevant to pop culture.The exact location of where the events take place is unclear. We can assume through the description of the song that it is likely that the events are taking place with a lower/middle class family living in a small neighbourhood. We can infer this because of the need for the narrator to want to drive away from where she is because there isn’t much opportunity in this small town. The main chara cter is also the narrator and she tells the story of what she is thinking as life passes her by. The main character also talks about other people in her life.One particular person is the person she seems to be singing to. She often refers to â€Å"you† when she talks about leaving the town. She also uses words like â€Å"we† and â€Å"us† to show that whoever she is singing to is with her and that she is not alone. Later on we learn about her family who act as secondary characters. We come to know about her father and the sacrifices she has made for him even though he may not be the best father (â€Å"I quit school†). We also hear about her mother who walked out on her and her father. The major events are all the struggles that the main character had to go through.The narrator tells us about her family situation when she was younger; how her mother left the family, how her dad turned to alcohol, and how she had to pull the weight of her family by dropping out of school and working. She then talks about her life now and how it’s a similar situation in the sense that she has to sacrifice her needs in order to provide for her own family. She talks about her partner sees â€Å"more of your friends then you do your kids† and how she had to take up a job as checkout girl (which was probably something that she didn’t plan).These events are active because actions are actually being carried out. Throughout the narrative, the main character talks about driving away in a â€Å"fast car† which symbolizes her need to get away from all her problems and enjoy the simple pleasures of life. This event has temporal relations and to be more specific it has relations that are paradigmatic because we learn about events and attitudes that happened in the past before learning about the current state of the main character.For example we learn about her wish of driving away even before we hear about her difficult past. I found th at it was a little hard to decode. One moral that is conveyed throughout the song is as much as your try to run away( or drive away) from your problems sometimes they just ending up following you, even if you feel as if you are a good person who doesn’t deserve such problems. However I found that the implications of the artefact can come across positively as well.In the scenario if the implication being positive we can maybe conclude that after hearing the song people who experienced a similar situation in the past or people who are experiencing similar situations currently would be able to connect to the song more, and relate to the events and feelings that is being conveyed by the narrator. Even though the moral of the song may be bleak, people may feel secure that there are other people in world going through some of the same things they may be.However again, we can also look at the other perspective. When impressionable audiences listen to this song, and find that the nar rator doesn’t have a happy ending it could just make people feel more hopeless. It’s important to note that even though the material of the story is a bit depressing, for example the discussion of single parenthood and alcoholism, there is still an inspirational quality to the song. We can see the inspirational quality of the song because the main character is always referring to wanting to drive away and be carefree.The reference to the main character wanting to drive away is especially effecting because it is the ending of the song. By putting this at the end it really cements the idea of the main character still striving for more in her life; she hasn’t given up. In terms of looking at this artefact and how it relates to pop culture as a whole we can draw a few conclusions. It’s firstly important to note that this song came out in 1988. Unlike today in 1988 alcoholism and single parenthood wasn’t publicized as much.Today, however, images of alco holism and single parenthood are becoming a common occurrence in all forms of media. So for Tracey Chapman to include material like that in her song was a risk. Another thing that I found related to pop culture, and especially her audience, which was mostly young people, was that Overall I find that the song is effective in conveying its message of always hoping for greater things. As well to enjoy the simple things even if times have been hard.With its clever use of characters, setting, and well organized events that advance the plot the final moral of the song was properly conveyed. Sources Sellnow, Deanna D. The rhetorical power of popular culture: considering mediated texts. Los Angeles: Sage, 2010. Print â€Å"Tracy Chapman- Fast Car† Web. 1 Feb 2011 http://www. lyrics007. com/Tracy%20Chapman%20Lyrics/Fast%20Car%20Lyrics. html. â€Å"Tracy Chapman-Fast Car Video. † Web. 1 Feb 2011. http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=dl6yilkU1L1. Griffen, Dr. Chris. â€Å"Narrative Alalysis,† N. P. , n. d. Web. 1 Feb 2011. http://stadd. bath. ac. uk/psscg/Q-Nar-lec. htm.