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guadalcanal essays

guadalcanal essays August 7, 1942,  ¡Ã‚ °Large force of ships, unknown number or types, entering the sound. What can they be? ¡ Tapped a Japanese radio operator, stationed on the island of Tulagi, neighboring Guadalcanal. This was the beginning of a pivotal battle at Guadalcanal, which would lead to the road to Tokyo and victory. The battle that lasted over six months presented U.S. troops with the obstacles of nature and the Japanese. These were overcome, but at a considerable cost. The Japanese fought with tactics foreign to American soldiers, presenting a new type of battle. The Japanese lost the Battle of Guadalcanal to the United States due to their strategies and assumptions that were grounded in ignorance. The cultural precepts of the Japanese soldier had a negative impact on their effectiveness in battle. Bushido led the samurais to believe that a single samurai could handle up to ten marines. In the battle of Tenaru, this ideology of Bushido manifested itself. A sizable amount of the 10,000 soldiers was stationed at a beachhead near Tenaru. Colonel Kiyono Ichiki arrogantly sent out 1,000 soldiers to overtake the beachhead. The Japanese troops were decimated with 827 casualties whereas the Americans suffered only 128 deaths. The attacks by Japanese soldiers, who never gave up, proved brave but fatal because of their overestimation of their strengths as a samurai. The prejudices about American troops proved fatal. Colonel Kiyono Ichiki believed that in the mind of an American, the night was for dancing. Attacks on U.S. troops were planned at night because of this ignorant misconception, and to the amazement of the Japanese, they were beat at night due to their weak attacks. After the U.S. had won all the decisive battles at Guadalcanal, the emperor continued to underestimate the U.S. and produced this arrogant statement:  ¡Ã‚ °The darkness is very deep but dawn is about to break in the eastern sky. Today the finest of ...

Using and interpreting statistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Using and interpreting statistics - Essay Example There are minimal numbers of diabetics with gene A. The Sensitivity of the study of gene A is equal to 0.22222, which means that the patient with gene A and true gene A rate is quite low. Specificity is equal to 0.38095. Informational data from a study associated with childhood diabetes, informational data from a heart and lung surgery, and informational data from transfusion orthopaedic surgery were collected, tabulated and statistically treated with 95% confidence interval, risk ratio, probability, chi square, mean, standard deviation, standard error.Statistics or data is synonymous to informational figures that can be derived from investigatory processes and whose meanings can be interpreted after analysis.In addition, the development in electronic technology enhances the manipulation of such informational data for close to precise clinical assessments and supervisions. The rejection group has a rate of four (4) or thirteen point thirty three percent (13.33%) gene A. On the other hand, the sure group has a rate of fourteen (14) or forty six point sixty seven percent (46.67); hence there are minimal numbers of diabetics with gene A. The Sensitivity reading of gene A is equal to 0.22222; hence respondents with gene A and true gene A rate is small. Specificity is equal to 0.38095, about one third of the probability of without gene A. So, there is a thirty percent or zero point thirty probability of gene A, the risk of gene A, its estimated probability. The exposed cases probability is 0.4667, while the exposed in control while the probability is 0.1333. The total exposed has 0.3000, with 95% confidence, and an interval of 1.410185 to 27.15574 which include unknown mean . a) The research design used is randomized controlled trial, entailing random allocation of different interventions to the patiens. . b) Using proportion statistics treatment of the informational data on Table 2, the risk of childhood diabetes for individuals with gene A compared with those without gene A can be designed. c) The informational data substantiates Ho: gene "A" is associated with childhood diabetes because fourteen or 46.67 percent representing minimal numbers of diabetics with gene A meant a Sensitivity study 0.22222. So, the small number of respondents with gene A is found with Specificity 0.38095, almost one third of the probability of without gene A. Therefore, 30% or 0.30 probability of gene A in childhood, the risk of gene A, its estimated probability. d) The research intends discovering the possibility of gene "A" being associated with childhood diabetes. Results showed diabetics under the rejection group was rated 4, having 13.33 percent gene A present, while the sure group was rated 14, or 46.67 percent. So, there are insignificant numbers of diabetics with gene A. The Sensitivity gene A is 0.22222, meaning patient with gene A and true gene A rate is small, Specificity is 0.38095, roughly one third the probability of without gene A. Therefore 30% or 0.30 probability is the risk of gene A, its estimated probability. The exposed cases probability of 0.4667 and the probability of the exposed control 0.1333, has a rate of 0.3000 with 95% confidence and interval 1.410185 to 27.15574 with the unknown mean . Question 2 Within four years of hearts and lungs transplantations, a total of 138 organs were received. Out of this, 97 hearts were transplanted or 70.29 percent, and 41 Lungs or 29.71 percent. This means that there were more hearts transplanted than lungs. Negative skew or skewed to the left is indicated by mean value of 46.48454, which is lower than median (50) and median is lower than mode (59). This also means a longer left tail, extreme low scores with low frequency. This implies that there were more adult recipients of heart transplant than young adults. The distribution of the lungs organ in age at transplant was group into smallest and largest. The grouping showed that it skewed to

Stem Cell Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Stem Cell - Research Paper Example The use of the stem cell research on humans started in the 1960’s and one of the first and foremost achievements in this respect was when a patient who had severe combined immune deficiency disorder was successfully treated in 1968. Thereupon, in the early years of the 1970’s adult stem cells were used to treat immunodeficiencies and leukemias. The stem cell research has been supported by many who have observed the scope and the need for such a research. The cures for diseases which can be found by way of such a research have created for it a dramatic increase in support from many. However, there are arguments contrary to these by people who effectively disagree with the said phenomena ab initio. In respect of embryonic stem cell research it is argued by many to be an unethical procedure whereby lives of people are taken in the process. The important question in this respect is the ascertain ability of when actual stages of life begin. A blastocyst is where a cluster ce lls which are known as the inner cell mass is where the embryo is arises. The problem in respect of stem cell research, in particular the embryonic stem cell research was one of the most important political issue of the first tenure of President George W. Bush of the United States of America. The first and foremost action that was undertaken by the aforementioned President was on 09th August 2001 whereby he imposed a ban whereby no federal spending would be done for the reason to obtain new embryonic stem cells from fertilized embryos. ... The stem cell research has been supported by many who have observed the scope and the need for such a research. The cures for diseases which can be found by way of such a research have created for it a dramatic increase in support from many. However, there are arguments contrary to these by people who effectively disagree with the said phenomena ab initio. In respect of embryonic stem cell research it is argued by many to be an unethical procedure whereby lives of people are taken in the process. The important question in this respect is the ascertain ability of when actual stages of life begin. A blastocyst is where a cluster cells which are known as the inner cell mass is where the embryo is arises. The problem in respect of stem cell research, in particular the embryonic stem cell research was one of the most important political issue of the first tenure of President George W. Bush of the United States of America. The first and foremost action that was undertaken by the aforementi oned President was on 09th August 2001 whereby he imposed a ban whereby no federal spending would be done for the reason to obtain new embryonic stem cells from fertilized embryos. The argument put forward by the President was that the said research was destroying human life and therefore such incidents should be curtailed. Furthermore, during the period of the 109th Congress there was a bill passed by both houses which was signed by the President which banned the creation of fetuses by people for the sole reason that they would eventually be destroyed and the body parts would be harvested upon. There were bills passed by the 109th and 110th Congress so as to overturn the band, however, the same were vetoed by the President. Contrary to the said

Strategic Plan for Eco-travel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Strategic Plan for Eco-travel - Essay Example This "Strategic plan for Eco-travel" essay outlines the necessity of strategic plan to make every business successful. The author analyzes a new business concept such as Eco-travel and a strategic plan for it. Eco-travel is a small scale business operating in the tourism sector and it is concerned with the provision of hospitality services to customers who mainly visit local community tourist attractions which are often overlooked by other big, established players in the same industry. This is a new business concept in the tourism sector which is dominated by established corporations. The customers mainly comprise of people from local communities as well as others from the neighbouring communities. Regional as well as visitors from different parts of the country are not excluded. The idea of this service was conceived after realising that established tourist operators often shunned local community resort centres as these were often regarded as small. Competitive prices will be offere d in order to stimulate business in this new tourism sector. â€Å"To provide a platform where all our customers can gain knowledge about their local heritage through promoting community tourism in a bid to bridge the knowledge gap existing among targeted clients.† Knowledge management is a key to the success of the company given that it is primarily concerned with educating people so that they become aware of the essence of protecting the environment in order to preserve their local natural heritage. In this case, the mission of the organisation demands that the knowledge base as well as capacity building among the targeted consumers have to be increased in order for the business to achieve its set goals. Measures have to be put in place to enable free acquisition, sharing and processing of information that can be in turn converted into valuable knowledge to the organisation. 1.2 Vision for Eco-travel â€Å"We are committed to become a leading community tour operator through responding to customer needs and changes that may take place in the market at competitive rates that are unmatched.† The organisation’s overall vision is mainly concerned with becoming a leader in the local community tourism sector in the future through harnessing on the strategy of knowledge creation management among the stakeholders involved. In order to achieve this feat, the company will primarily focus on quickly responding to the needs of the customers as well as constantly scanning the bu siness environment for any changes that may affect its operations. The

The Green Concept In The Hotel Industry

The Green Concept In The Hotel Industry Tourism industry is one of the leading industries around the world. It has been proved that this industry generates billions of money and it also helps people around the world to travel and increase their knowledge about other cultures and languages. But unfortunately, after thousands of years we found out that the tourism industry have a negative impact on the environment. However, there has been awareness both for the research arena and people since decades in the protection of the environment, and the need to safeguard the natural resources for the future generation. This awareness has spread all over the world starting first in US and Europe. The green practices were put into action after the deal Mauritius made with France for the contract of Maurice Ile Durable. The population of Mauritius comprising both consumers and producers have recently shown an increase concern about the environmental impact of products Considerable attention has been directed toward green products such as organic foods, recyclable paper, phosphate-free detergents, energy-efficient lighting. Consumers make product choices based on which combination of product attributes that meet their needs based on dimensions of value, cost, and prior satisfaction (Kotler, 1997). Considering the tourism industry in Mauritius, we can say that it is the leading growth sector. Somehow the country depends a lot on this industry and same as foreign countries, Mauritius also has made a lot of evolution. Big hotels were built in every coastal area to accommodate tourists and the minister of tourism has also embellished our historical gardens and other visiting sites. It is also well known that tourists are attracted by the 3S of our country, that is, the sea, sun and the sand. Mauritius is a small Island and we must conserve and preserve the natural resources and also protect the environment surrounding us. As mentioned above, same as in Goa, Mauritius as well is facing serious problems concerning pollu tion and over use of resources. At present hotels, travelers and other tourism industries are aware of the measures that should be taken to preserve the nature together with the satisfaction of customers. This is why, nowadays it can be seen that there are hotels that are innovating into green hotels and more green hotels are built so as to be sustainable. 2.1 The Green Concept in the hotel industry The Green concept of the hotel industry is an increase in awareness since the late 1980s. The hotel sector is said to be one of the most energy and water intensive sectors in the tourism industry. (Bohdanowicz, 2005). When hotels are constructed there is a need to make use of the environments resources like the land. Hotels can operate in different parts of the environment. The facilities like comfortable services, supplies (heating, cooling, lighting, ventilation, etc) to customers are necessary for their operations. (Bohdanowicz, 2005; Han et al., 2009). All these are said to be contributions to negative impacts on the environment. However, the success of the tourism industry, as well as the hotel sector will depends on the availability of a clean environment. Hotels operation lead to pollution, waste, and other elements represent a threat for the environment. The Green concept in this context is to turn these elements into a recycling process that will cause less harm to the envir onment. It is believed that hotels have produced great harm to the environment by, for example, consuming vast quantities of non recyclable products that generate tremendous waste, consuming substantial amounts of water and energy and emitting carbon dioxide and air, water and soil pollutants (Bohdanowicz, 2005; Chan, 2005). According to Wolfe and Shanklin (2001), the term green, which can alternatively be called eco-friendly, environmentally responsible, environmentally friendly, sustainable and environmentally oriented (Han et al., 2009; Pizam, 2009), are referred to actions (for e.g. recycling) that diminish harmful impacts on the environment. Green hotels are therefore described as environmentally responsible hotels that actively follow environmentally friendly guidelines, practice environmental management, implement diverse eco-friendly practices, institute sound green programs and commit themselves to achieving environmental improvement by displaying eco-labels or a green globe logo (Department of Environmental Protection, 2001; Green Hotel Association, 2008; Han et al., 2009, 2010; International Hotels Environmental Initiative, 1993). There is a public concern over environmental damage and customers desire for environmentally oriented products have stimulated hotel operators to green their operations (Han et al., 2009; Manaktola Jauhari, 2007; Wolfe Shanklin, 2001). Researchers and practitioners agree that the greening of a hotel contributes to satisfying eco-friendly customers green needs, avoids criticism of existing tourism practices, fulfils the requirements of government regulations and substantially decreases costs through waste reduction, water or energy conservation and recycling (Chan, 2005; Han et al., 2009; Wolfe Shanklin,2001). 2.2 The Green Building Green building is a new term which refers to environmentally friendly practices from the building design to the landscaping choice. With the introduction of sustainable development, building also need to be sustainable because buildings generate large amount of wastes from its construction and during its lifetime. And these wastes impacts on the surroundings, the environment and the people. According to Scatterfield (2009) the less impact a building has on human health and the environment, the more green it is. A green building can cost a lot at the beginning, but is profitable in the long run. It brings more benefits such as less pollution, more comfort for the employees and guests, and increase in productivity. The U.S Green Building Council (USGBC) in 2010 organised a competition with the aim to identify the best and brightest vision in the designing of an environmentally friendly hotel suite. The title of the competition was the sustainable Suite Design Competition. The judges have to consider several elements such as the resources efficiency of the suite (water, energy and materials), the guest room overall attributes, innovation nad aesthetic and lastly the cost associated with the design of the suite. The winners name was Haptik. The techniques developed by Haptik concerns the saving of energy in the room by using the PIS which is the passive infrared sensors. Th e PIS switch off light automatically when nobody is in the room. Haptik utilized the Trombe wall in the bathroom which uses sunlight to heat the water. A model of the suite was shown to the public during the HD Expo 2010. 2.2.1 The Green Building Certificate There are several certifications given to hotel all over the world to encourage them to move towards eco friendly attitude. The certification includes specific norms from energy saving to waste water disposal. Having a certification is often considered as a marketing tool also. The certifications are often internationally known. 2.3 The Green Tourist Nowadays, tourists are showing preferences for destinations that protect and preserve the environment. In the literature there has been a tendency to use the terms green and sustainable interchangeably. However, there are very distinct differences between the two. Green is defined as a product or service that is both environmentally and socially responsible. It is accountable to and respectful of the places and people that provide and use them (Mc Laren, 2006). Sustainable is defined as the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. (Brundtland, 1987). Green Tourism is defined by the Green Association as travel and exploration within and around an area that offers visitors enjoyment and appreciation of the areas natural assets and cultural resources, while inspiring physically active, intellectually stimulating and socially interactive experiences (Blackstone Corporation, 1996). The United Nations designate d the year 2000 as the international year of Ecotourism. Eco tourists or green tourists attempt to travel in a manner not harmful to the environment. To travel green means to travel responsibly while conserving the environment and minimizing the social, cultural and ecological impacts, a green tourist enables other people to visit the same place later and still enjoy the same experience. Green tourism is informative because travelers learn their destination and local people learn what to appreciate what they have to offer. It supports the integrity of the place because conscientious travelers seek out things that are characteristic of the locality in terms of architecture, cuisine, heritage or environment. Quality not quantity should be the goal of Green Tourism, therefore permanence and richness of experience is what both parties are striving for. According to environmentalists, the Green Practice was put into action when the view of the Earth was broadcasted through satellites programs. From that moment itself an increase concern to protect the earths fragility, and there is a need to conserve and protect it. This is the result in an increase of awareness of the following terms like; the ozone layer, greenhouse effect and acid rain. (Walker, 2000). Despite the complexities surrounding green behavior the tourism industry is still keen to understand how the green concerns of consumers correlate to tourists and how the concerns convert to travel- or holiday-related behavior. Moreover, Peattie (2001) has claimed that although all consumers are green consumers at some point in their lives, most green purchases involve a trade-off. These compromises include paying a green premium or accepting a lower standard product or service for better eco performance. However, differences in concerns and behaviors among tourists highlight the l ack of homogeneity in this market. For example, concerns about the impact of transport and conservation of wildlife tend to be more mainstream issues, whereas erosion of recreational areas by walking or riding may only concern niche market segments, such as eco-tourists, environmentally responsible tourists or ethical tourists, which are the alternative terms given to green tourists ( Horner and Swarbrooke, 2006 ). These differences have been explained according to four factors awareness and knowledge of the issues; attitudes towards the environment in general; other priorities in life; information obtained from the media and pressure groups; and their health, family commitments and housing ( Horner and Swarbrooke, 2006, p. 181 ). Although many in the tourism industry question whether the environmental concerns of tourists influence decision making, there is evidence that some tourists may choose anairline based on their environmental management practices ( Horner and Swarbrooke, 2006 ). They may also boycott events involving animal cruelty (for example, bull-fights) or campaign against tourism development that destroys wildlife habitats. Furthermore, the extent of change varies from one type of tourist to another. The very dark green consumers may convert their beliefs into action by not taking holidays away from home so as to prevent harm to the environment and in doing so do not become tourists. On the other hand, the not all green tourist may show only a passing interest by reading about the environmental issues caused by tourism (Hornermand Swarbrooke, 2006). 2.4 Attitudes towards the Green Practice Over the last few decades, protecting the environment has been a major issue in our society (Easterling et al., 1996). Recognizing the seriousness of ecological problems, people have become increasingly environmentally conscious. This ecological awareness has led an increasing number of individuals to engage in environmentally friendly behaviors in their everyday lives. (Kalafatis et al., 1999; Laroche et al., 2001). In addition, Amyx et al. (1994) has focused on the perceived importance of the environment to the degree to which individuals express their consciousness of environmental issues. In conceptualizing the perceived importance of the environment as the primary indicator of attitudes toward environmentally compatible behaviors, Laroche et al. (2001) determined the levels of these attitudes by whether individuals considered eco-friendly behaviors to be essential to themselves or the entire society. This ATGB mainly involves the perceived importance or inconvenience of environm ental consciousness, the severity of environmental problems, and the level of responsibility of corporations (Laroche et al., 2001; McCarty and Shrum, 1994; Roberts, 1996). In other words, individuals ATGB can be established by the level of their awareness of these dimensions of ATGB for themselves and for society as a whole. Some researchers has also pointed out that only a small portion of environmentally conscious customers actually purchases eco-friendly products in the marketplace because of high monetary and non-monetary costs and inconvenience (Maibach, 1993; Roberts, 1996). However, numerous findings indicated that more environmental concern tends to result in more environmentally friendly buying behaviors (e.g., Kalafatis et al., 1999; Laroche et al., 2001; Manaktola and Jauhari, 2007). Consumers may be willing to purchase environmentally-friendly products but are faced with constraints or conflicts that create a resistance to adopting pro-environmental behavior. For example, consumers may want to be environmentally responsible but still want to maintain their existing life-style (Schwartz, 1990; McDaniel and Rylander, 1993). They may not be prepared to sacrifice convenience (Simon, 1992; Stern, 1999), accept lower performance levels, or pay a price premium (Peattie, 1999b). Based on Ajzens (1988) theory of planned behaviour consumers environmental purchasing intentions and behaviour may be influenced by a number of factors, such as the individuals knowledge and motivation, the ability to perform the behaviour and the opportunity to behave in an enviro nmentally-friendly way (Pieters, 1989; O  ¨ lander and Thà ¸gersen, 1995). 2.5 Tourists willingness to buy Green Products Products are defined as environmentally friendly if in some way they aim at reducing a products negative environmental impact. Some authors have suggested that the failure to reassure consumers on the products functional performance was partly attributable to the early failure of many environmentally-friendly products (e.g. Davis, 1993; Ottman, 1999). Although it has been found that some consumers may, for example, accept a lower functional performance in order to buy a product that delivers environmental benefits, the environmental benefit in itself is neither the primary benefit sought nor the primary motivation for purchase (Speer, 1997; Ottman, 2001). As Wong et al. (1996) observed: Green is seldom the over-riding determinant of product or brand choice but just another benefit or attribute that adds value, usually a feel good factor to the overall product. (Wong et al., 1996, p. 269). Some marketers appear to have overlooked this and assumed that an environmental positioning alone was sufficient to guarantee product success (Ottman, 1995). Product performance appears to play a key role in influencing consumer adoption and retention of environmental products. So, when there is consumer skepticism of the relative performance of environmental products or a performance gap exists (i.e.consumer expectations of the products performance have not matched up to the in-use experience), this may strongly influence the products acceptance (Wong et al., 1996).Within the hotel sector, increasing numbers of customers prefer to choose a green lodging facility that follows environmentally friendly practices, showing concern about the seriousness of ecological degradation (Han, Hsu, Sheu, 2010; Manaktola Jauhari, 2007). In recognition of this eco-friendly consumption need, nowadays many hotel firms seek to incorporate customers emerging concerns about the environment in their man agement or a marketing decision-making (Bohdanowicz, 2006; Lee, Hsu, Han, Kim, 2010; Mensah, 2006). Altering their hotel operations to be green (i.e. significantly reducing environmental impacts) is becoming a necessity to attain noticeable improvement in their competitiveness in the market (Han, Hsu, Lee, 2009; Manaktola Jauhari, 2007). One of the most credible pieces of evidence demonstrating the increase of environmentally friendly customer behaviors is the increased number of customers who have a strong intention to pay more for green products (Laroche, Bergeron, Barbaro-Forleo, 2001). In the hotel context, in reality, green hotel prices do not significantly differ from those of comparable conventional (or non-green) hotels (Han et al., 2009; Manaktola Jauhari, 2007). The green hotel operators interest is in whether travelers are willing to pay comparable regular-hotel prices for their hotel, perhaps sacrificing little conveniences while staying at their green hotel (reusin g towels, limited use of disposable products, use of recycled products/furniture, recycling bins, buffet-style foods without garnishes, meeting tables without tablecloths, minimized decor, non-smoking areas, dispensers for soap/shampoo, etc.). For consumers who are more receptive to environmental products and purchase them through choice, there may be a segment that are willing to pay more for the environmental benefit. But, whilst some authors suggest that consumers are willing-to-pay more for an environmentally-friendly products (Kassarjian, 1971; Freeman, 1989; Klein, 1990; McCloskey, 1990; Kapelianis et al., 1996; Laroche et al., 2001), others suggest otherwise (Wood, 1990; Simon, 1992; Sims, 1993). Marketplace examples also suggest that in reality consumers are not always prepared to pay the premium prices suggested by research (Fuller, 1999). Although our knowledge about consumers acceptance of paying a higher price for environmentally-friendly products appears to be inconsist ent and inconclusive, it has often been found that consumers will pay on average around 5 percent more (Schwartz, 1990; Kapelianis et al., 1996; Speer, 1997). 2.6 Cost of going green in the hotel industry With a broadly point of view, there are two approaches in the environmental cost analysis. One emphasizes the costs associated with environmental damage and its remediation, the other stresses on the price of control. In practice, this damage costing approach faces some essential problems in estimating the environmental impact as described by Bernow at al. (1991). Hotel developers still face specific barriers in developing and operating green properties, such as finding vendors, contractors, engineers, housekeepers, landscapers and managers that understand new systems, products and procedures. Complicating matters for hotels is to cover the typical hotel management and franchise agreements. The highly structures arrangements negotiated between hotels owners and hotel managers have not yet addressed a number of issues raised by green development, redevelopment or operation that affects the bottom line of both entities. Finally, there is the issue of meeting the expectations of paying guests. Although we believe guests expect hotels to operate in an environmentally conscious fashion, it may also be that those same guests may have unrealistic expectations of luxury and comfort in terms of green operation. To take simple example, do hotels still need to put out individual shampoo bottles and does the spa need to smell faintly like chlorine to satisfy guests expectations. The costs arising from the implementation of ISO 14001 include those associated with initial set up, maintenance and improvement (Chin et al., 1998). The price of initial set up refers to all costs associated with the provision of hardware and software facilities, plus tools for establishing the system in compliance with the ISO 14000 EMS standards.

Sylvias Struggle in The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara Essay -- Sylvia’s

Toni Cade Bambara’s "The Lesson" revolves around a young black girl’s struggle to come to terms with the role that economic injustice, and the larger social injustice that it constitutes, plays in her life. Sylvia, the story’s protagonist, initially is reluctant to acknowledge that she is a victim of poverty. Far from being oblivious of the disparity between the rich and the poor, however, one might say that on some subconscious level, she is in fact aware of the inequity that permeates society and which contributes to her inexorably disadvantaged economic situation. That she relates poverty to shame—"But I feel funny, shame. But what I got to be shamed about? Got as much right to go in as anybody" (Bambara 604)—offers an indication as to why she is so hard-pressed to concede her substandard socioeconomic standing in the larger scheme of things. Sylvia is forced to finally address the true state of her place in society, however, when she observes fi rsthand the stark contrast between the rich and the poor at a fancy toy store in Manhattan. Initially furious about the blinding disparity, her emotionally charged reaction ultimately culminates in her acceptance of the real state of things, and this acceptance in turn cultivates her resolve to take action against the socioeconomic inequality that verily afflicts her, ensuring that "ain’t nobody gonna beat me at nuthin" (606). "The Lesson" posits that far from being insurmountable, economic and social injustice can be risen above, but it is necessary that we first acknowledge the role that it plays in our lives, and then determine to take action against it; indifference, and the inaction that it breeds, can only serve to perpetuate such injustices. Sylvia’s languid regard for Miss Mo... ... The "unprecedented access to higher education and employment" (African American np) that African Americans have been party to since the Civil Rights Movement speaks strongly to the opportunities for change that this country affords its citizens. However, the value of the struggle cannot be lost on us. We must recognize that such fundamental change does not manifest itself overnight: it is achievable only where a lasting commitment to it is available. Change is not beyond us. Action, however, is its necessary predecessor. Works Cited Bambara, Toni, Cade. The Lesson. New York: The Continuum Publishing Corporation, 1972. Cartwright, Jerome. â€Å"Bambara’s ‘The Lesson.’ The Explicator 47.3 (Spring 1989): 61-64. Literature Resource Center. Web. 27 Nov. 2014. "African American" Web. 27 Nov. 2014. http://www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/African_American