Tuesday, January 28, 2020

The Issues Surrounding Disability Social Work Essay

The Issues Surrounding Disability Social Work Essay There is a lot of discussion of how disability is described. The literal meaning of disability is difficulty with ability. This implies some form of mental or physical impairment that can manifest problems with mobility or awareness. According to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, disability impairments can include sensory impairments such as hearing or sight, mental impairments such as depression or learning difficulties and physical impairments such as wheelchair users. People with disabilities may face problems, and not only because of their particular impairments but by social factors such as attitudes, stigma and physical obstructions, for example, ease of access to buildings or transport. The description of disability has varied over the years but the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 describes it as, he/she has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on his/her ability to carry out normal day to day activities Thompson and Thompson (2008) state that historically, people with disabilities were considered tragic, different or in some way devious. They were not allowed to work, mix with others or travel and many were placed in asylums. Ingstad and Reynolds, (1995) claims that, media representation of disability often relates to insanity and evil. This is evident in such things as super hero movies, where the bad character is often portrayed as physically deformed or mentally unstable. However, throughout history there have been people with impairments that in todays society would have been viewed as disabled, Franklin D Roosevelt, four times president of the United States, had polio. The poet Lord Byron (mad Lord Byron), who was born with talipes, known then as a club foot, and whose name today is still synonymous for someone dashing, Byronic. Admiral Nelson, known for his great naval victories against the Napoleonic French and particularly the battle of Trafalgar, he is not viewed as disabled although he was blind in one eye and only had one arm. In todays society he would have been seen as a disabled seaman. But when we look at these people we do not see their disabilities, we see heroes, great leaders and writers. Did society just look past their impairment and just see their achievements?. (Ingstad and Reynolds, 1995). According to Finkelstein (1980), people with disabilities have existed in comparatively large numbers throughout the world and in different societies for centuries. What is also evident is that the cultural understanding and responses to impairment and disability have varied and still do. There is a real cultural stigma towards people that have any sort of physical or mental difference to the norm. This can be traced back to ancient Greek and Roman times. Finkelstein (1980) goes on to say that, all though the degree of bias has varied from time to time, peoples perceptions of impairment and disability have remained much the same since the industrial revolution in the nineteenth century. The start of the industrial revolution introduced the concepts of urbanization and paid labour. This brought new problems for people who were unable to compete for work. After being scrutinised and labelled by doctors and other professionals, these people were put in to hospitals or asylums where they remained for very long periods and sometimes indefinitely. This kind of treatment carried on throughout most of the western world and all through the first half of the twentieth century. Drake (1999), states that the Eugenic legacy, which looked at the assumptions of human mental characteristics, was in some way influential in forming a different outlook on impairments. Drake continues, the Eugenic legacy came to a logical conclusion during the systematic murders in the Nazi death camps of thousands of disabled people considered undeserving of life, worthless and a burden on society. In the 17th century impairments or disabilities were seen as punishments from God, and explained by using religion, superstition, or myths and legend. Some of these beliefs remain to this day such as the belief that a disabled person must have been evil in a previous life and is now being punished. (Campbell and Oliver 1995) I remember in 2003 former England manager, Glenn Hoddle was sacked from his position for saying that disabled people are paying for sins they committed in a previous life. But in other religious cultures in societies, disability may be seen as being chosen by god. (Campbell and Oliver 1995) Cultural values and Society can be responsible for imposing disability on someone with impairments. This is mostly done unintentionally or by misinterpretation but it results in excluding people with some form of impairment from participating in society. Therefore it is understandable that disabled people will see themselves, as an oppressed group. To understand this, there has to be a definition between the person with the impairment and the social construction, called disability. (Oliver 1996) What this means is that todays society defines the impairment as it is seen, i.e. the lack of a limb or limbs, organism or motor functions of the body that are not working properly, and the disability as the restrictions and disadvantages that go with it. Oliver, states that, We see disability as the disadvantage or restriction of activity caused by a contemporary social organisation which takes little or no account of people who have physical impairments and thus excludes them. (Oliver 1996, p22) The common view today, according to Campbell and Oliver (1995) is that a persons impairment is the cause of their disability and that their disability is a medical problem that has to be overcome. This refers to the medical model approach which focuses on prevention and cure. In many countries this has caused a growth of prosperous and costly industries involved with disability comprising voluntary organisations, drug companies, private businesses, charities and government institutions. These will be staffed by an army of professionals including support workers, doctors, nurses, occupational therapists and social workers. This attitude can have a negative effect on the way society see people with impairments and will result in stigmatisation. In addition to this, if society sees the impairment as the problem, surely it is logical to see that these problems must be cured or fixed in order for them to fit in to normal society. The outcome is that, people with disabilities are labelled as disabled people this may look like a play on words but what this shows is that the disability is seen before the person. Society sees people with disabilities as, not normal, this implies abnormal, and further reinforce the stigmatisation and stereotyping of people with disabilities being seen as inadequate and dependant. Are some people with disabilities more vulnerable than others According to Hales (1996, p152) Prejudice is a negative attitude towards particular groups of people based on negative traits assumed to be uniformly displayed by members of that group Hales uses the example, that it is commonly assumed, that younger people with learning disabilities have no interest in forming long term relationships, an adult sex life or having children. Hales describes this as issue as being social attitude rather than the physical disabilities faced by the people themselves. It is difficult to say if some people with disabilities are more vulnerable to discrimination than others as there are so many factors to consider. Cost for example. Barnardos (2011) state that, the costs involved in bringing up a child with a disability is much greater than raising non disabled children. Barnardos also state that, it may not just be the higher cost of living, no qualifications and unemployment that are causing discrimination. But the fact that living in deprived communities where the understanding of disability is lower than the more affluent areas. One fifth of children with disabilities live in poverty stricken areas, resulting in social exclusion, discrimination and causing multiple oppressions. (Barnardos (2011). Marginalisation and exclusion refers to people with disabilities not being included in everyday life. This includes non equality in the work place. (Barns and Mercer 2003) state that, while some benefits such as disability living allowance (DLA), are in place to help people cope financially with social and work factors, it can also have an adverse effect by highlighting a dependency on benefits. This again can lead to stigmatisation and oppression. New labour recognised this problem and developed the welfare to work policy in 1997. The government documented that unemployment for people with disabilities was far higher than it was with non disabled people. A high percentage of people with learning disabilities live in poverty. 24 % of working age people with disabilities do not have formal qualifications. (HM Government 2011) The government recognises a link between unemployment and social exclusion. In 1989 the government set up the social exclusion unit (SEU) to improve the educational prospects for children with disabilities. Although this was a step in the right direction, it is worth noting that the minister for education at this time was David Blunkett, who is classed as a person with a disability. (Dan 2005) When people think of disability they think of the obvious such as wheelchair users. There are some things put in place for people with physical disabilities. Examples of these are wider doors, ramps, higher power points, lower light switches, audio and visual aids, lowering busses and disabled parking (Hales 1996). But in my opinion people with learning disabilities seem to be less understood. Therefore, I feel that, it can be argued that people with learning disabilities are more vulnerable to discrimination than other. Why do some people reject the disability label and some accept it? According to Barnes (1991), some people will accept the disability label, feeling that they are not able to cope in society and they are in a sort of limbo, waiting for a cure and the hope that one day they may get fixed. This may be because they have been conditioned by a non disabled society to accept their lot in life; they are broken and need a cure. Some disabled people will obviously want a cure and will actively help in working to find one, thus giving their life some meaning and a reason to belong. Some need to succeed in order to belong, some need to belong in order to succeed. (Hill Country Disabled Group) According to Clapton Fitzgerald (1997) this stems back to the medical model of disability that perceives impairment as something that has to be fixed, i.e. a person is disabled because of their individual impairment so consequently they will require medical interventions to give them the skills to adapt in our non disabled society.   There are disadvantages to being labelled as disabled. But there can also be advantages. In my experience, in having dyslexia, (which was discovered while I was at university), I am classed as a disabled student. I do not see myself as being disabled as there are no physical signs of dyslexia and it is something I have lived with all my life without knowing. Initially, I resented the disability label, but in accepting it, I received the help I need to complete my course. Some of my fellow students see such a label as stigmatising, and even though they have similar pattern of difficulties, they did not want to seek help for fear of being labelled. There are the people who see disability as a social problem put on them by a non disabled society that impairs physically disabled people. It is argued that no one has made a specific distinction between biological impairment and social disability. (Clapton Fitzgerald (1997) This is seen as the key to the British social model of disability and was originally devised by disabled rights activists in the 1970s. This move forward was developed by disabled people and their own experiences of living with impairment in Western society (UPIAS 1976) The social model has been widely acknowledged and developed by disability rights groups all over the world. It is now the foundation and the principle way of thinking in regard to policy-making for countries as diverse as Japan, South Africa and the USA. The social model of disability is not complicated; it just highlights the cultural, economic and environmental barriers experienced by people who are seen by others as impaired. According to Barnes (1991), these barriers can include: education problems, communication issues, problems within the working environments, insufficient disability benefits, social support services, inaccessible transport, housing and public buildings and the devaluing of people labelled disabled by negative imagery and representation in the media such as films, television and newspapers. From this viewpoint it is easy to see why some people will reject the label of being disabled and see their disability as a failure by society to accommodate their personal and combined needs within the confines of conventional society. (Barnes 1991) What can be done to effectively counter discrimination? Oliver (1990).explains that, peoples perceptions of disability and rehabilitation are changing. The 1960s saw the start of this change with politicians, policy makers and social workers realising that the world can no longer look at the disability issue as an individualistic medical problem, (Barnes and Mercer 2003). One of the reasons for this is that people with any form of impairment, be it cognitive or physical, are seen as abnormal and labelled as disabled. The fact is, that these people represent a growing segment of the global population and must be treated as equals. In brief, this means that the social model of disability is a tool to help us recognise the disablement caused by societys preconceptions of people with disabilities and help improve policy making. (Oliver 2004) Ten years ago, Glasby and Littlechild (2002), stated that, what is needed to effectively counter discrimination is to move away from government run professional services. They foresaw a need for greater investment in user led initiatives, especially regarding direct payments. This should give thousands of disabled people across the UK a better chance of achieving real independent living. Glasby and Littlechild go on to say that this could be achieved by setting up a new national body working directly with the National Centre for Independent Living (NCIL). Along with the distribution of direct payments, this new organisation could produce a standardized assessment for direct payments, reducing mistakes and making it easier for service users. Barns (2004) explained that, such an organization could also monitor local user groups that provide services for direct payment users. This would also give this new organisation the opportunity to benefit from a wealth of experience and expertise that has been developed by disabled people for over twenty years. (Barns 2004) The problem at this time was that, the government authorities were reluctant to implement direct payment policy for a number of reasons. Nowadays, direct payments are offered as a matter of course. During my third year placement in social services, It was actively encouraged to offer this service, in fact, I could not complete a unified assessment without doing so. We also recognise organisations such as the Rowan. This is a registered charity that provides direct Payment and Personal Budget support for service users. The Rowan has a vision of, A society that is fully inclusive in which the barriers, whether environmental, attitudinal or institutional, that prevent disabled people from having equality of opportunity have been removed. (The Rowan Organization 2012) As social workers we have the training to act in a non discriminatory way. We follow guidelines in our codes of practice such as, upholding public trust in social services and not unlawfully discriminating service users. Anti discriminatory practice is fundamental to the practice of good social work. It is important not to assume what difficulties people have with their disabilities. This in itself is a form of oppression, as only people with disabilities will know what its like to face disability discrimination. I feel that one of the most important roles as a social worker is advocacy. This will ensure that the voices of peoples with disabilities are heard. Legislation is main area that can help fight discrimination and oppression. The Equality Act 2010 enforces a duty on employers to make adaptations that will aid disabled people in the work place. This act also makes it illegal to treat people differently because of their disability. According to Barns (2003), the equality movement and looking into the problems of disablement has brought forward the concept of independent living. This concept was first used in the United Kingdom during the 1970s, after being adopted by disability activists in the USA. These activists called themselves the ILM or independent living movement. This movement was partly developed within campuses of American universities and partly from the on-going efforts of the disability activists who were attempting to influence, not only US disability legislation in the 1960s. But also, peoples discriminating perceptions of disabled people. Disability Wales ran a campaign from April 2010 to March 2011. This was called independent living now. This highlighted six main calls to action that disabled people had deemed essential in further development of Independent Living. These are: 1. Improved access to information, advice, independent advocacy and peer support services for all 2. Availability of accessible and supported housing to meet individual requirements 3. A comprehensive range of options and genuine choice and control in how personalized care and support is delivered 4. Improved access to Person Centered Technology (aids equipment) 5. A barrier free transport system, including all modes of transport 6. Enabling access, involvement and social, economic and cultural inclusion for all disabled people. This concept of independent living is a broad one and is usually associated with younger and middle aged people with physical and sensory conditions. But this concept does apply to everyone in the disabled population. This includes people with high support needs and people with cognitive conditions such as learning disabilities and mental illness (Barnes 2003). Because of this, independent living does have some criticisms. My own experience of working with a young man who had learning disabilities was not very successful. This person was granted independent living and was given his own flat. The problem was that all his friends did not have any kind of impairment. This was causing real problems as they were encouraging him to spend his disability allowance on alcohol and having parties at his flat. In turn this was causing problems with the neighbours because of the constant noise. This also resulted in him not having any money for food and being drunk most of the time. This was caus ing him to have health problems, which resulted in him being returned home to his parents. Conclusion In concluding this assignment, I have discussed why there is disability discrimination both from an historic and societal point of view and how people are disabled by these views. I have also discussed the different levels of vulnerability and who I feel are the most vulnerable in our society. In addition, I have covered why some people accept the disability label whilst others reject it, and what can be done in the hope of effectively countering disability discrimination. 3249 words Acts Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Equality Act 2010

Monday, January 20, 2020

The Calling Of Isaiah Essay -- essays research papers

The Calling of the Prophet Isaiah, Chapter 6:1-13   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The prophet Isaiah lived during a very troublesome era during the years 742-701B.C.E. He preached during the reigns of four kings of Judah: Uzziah (783-742), Jotham (742-735), Ahaz (735-715), and Hezekiah (715-687). Judah faced many challenges and crises throughout those years primarily at the hands of the Assyrian Empire. Isaih interpreted the events as part of the Lord's will, and he encourages the people to trust in the Lord rather than relying on political alliances.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Isaiah is thought to be one of the greatest poets of the Bible, and his book a classic of the Hebrew language. His writing has a very concise style, effective imagery, and an equilibrium between form and content which classify the type of poetry as classical. From the theological aspect, Isaiah moves in the religious tradition influenced by David's dynasty and the election of Sion, and also contributed to the shape and expression of the messianic hopes (Obstat, p.278).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The book Isaiah contains mostly oracles from various authors, however the authentic oracles of Isaiah are found in the first part of the book. Chapters 6-12 are considered the oldest collection in the book. It includes the account of the vocation and mission of the prophet, the oracles concerning the Syro-Ephraimite War, oracles referring to the crisis of 701B.C.E., and other salvation passages (Obstat, p.278).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Isaiah chapter 6 versus 1-13 stand apart from the rest of the Bible as a unique record of how God called on and reached out to a man, and in doing so a prophet was born. Interpreting this chapter is of vital importance for the understanding of Isaiah's teaching as a whole. In it he describes a real experience which effects him both psychologically and spiritually. Through the passage it can be perceived that his ministry was initiated by a soul shaking experience of the reality of God, and it's authenticity validated by it's results and influence on the prophet's life and work (Berrtrick, p 205).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the main purposes of any prophet's call narrative is to justify his right to speak in the name of God. Oftentimes a prophet's message isn't accepted of very popular with the people he is preaching to, and in the face of t... ...en to Judah and Jerusalem, which at the threat of judgment would suffer greatly. But Isaiah must have certainly seen the Northern Kingdom included as well. Verse twelve is thought to be an addition made by a later editor to show how the judgment would result in the deportation of many from the land. This situation could possible relate to after 721B.C.E. when many citizens of the Northern Kingdom were carried off to Assryia, or to Judah when many of its inhabitants were carried off to Babylon (Kaiser, p.78)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Book of Isaiah is a book full of oracles such as the one narrating Isaiah's calling to be a prophet for the Lord God. In accordance with his classical poetic style the passage is full of imagery and sensual descriptions. Concerned with the fall of the nation, Isaiah has God himself warning the people of what is to come for a stronger impact on the Israelites. As a man who lived through the reins of four kings whom throughout the book are of great importance, Isaiah sees God as a functioning king and ruler. Much of what is said and seen in Isaiah 6:1-13 relate to other events in the rest of the book and surely influence Isaiah's life completely.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Emerging Trends †Business Analytics

The Need: The amount of data being generated globally increases by 40 percent a year, according to the McKinsey Global Institute, the consulting firm’s research arm. Gartner predicts that data will grow 800 percent over the next five years and 80 percent of the data will be unstructured. International Institute for Analytics predicts that â€Å"Big data analytics will top all other areas of growth in analytics during 2012 due to the rapid expansion of social, mobile, location and transaction-based data taken in by various industries. As the volume of enterprise data sky-rockets, an industry is growing up around using this flood of information to help companies operate more efficiently and sustainably. Companies increasingly will be deploying sophisticated software as a key component of their sustainability strategy. Mu Sigma, for example, an Indian firm providing data analytics and decision support services for global enterprise, secured a $108 million investment round led by General Atlantic. My smartphone produces a huge amount of data, my car produces ridiculous amounts of really valuable data, my house is throwing off data, everything is making data,† said Erik Swan, 47, cofounder of Splunk, a San Francisco-based start-up whose software indexes vast quantities of machine-generated data into searchable links. Companies search those links, as one searches Google, to analyze customer behavior in real time. Splunk is among a crop of enterprise software start-up companies that analyze big data and are establishing themselves in territory long controlled by giant business-technology vendors like Oracle and I. B. M. Founded in 2004, before the term â€Å"big data† had worked its way into the vocabulary of Silicon Valley, Splunk now has some 3,200 customers in more than 75 countries, including more than half the Fortune 100 companies. The Usage: Here’s an unsubstantiated anecdote: â€Å"There’s a cell service provider in Japan that collects GPS data from cell phone users. The cell provider collects the data in real time, and keeps track of which people are walking the furthest. Once a month, the cell provider gives an award to the walker who covered the greatest distance. In a way, cell phones are working like sensors to collect and analyze streaming big data. † â€Å"Imagine a consumer walking around downtown in a city, shopping. Now imagine letting a shopping service know where he is, plus maybe the kinds of goods he is looking for. As I walk, the GPS coordinates could stream to the shopping service, and it could point him to stores that match his interests. † â€Å"A lot of people know how to work with data,† observed Anand Rajaraman, â€Å"but now there is a lot more data so the kinds of things you can do with it and the way you work with it can are very different. The founder of companies which have been acquired by Amazon and Walmart, Rajaraman is now senior vice president at Walmart Global e-commerce and co-founder @WalmartLabs, and a professor at Stanford. Traditional users of large amounts of Data — retail, telecom and intelligence — are already comfortable with it. The next big set of users is in mobile-soc ial, especially incorporating geolocation. Some areas have been underserved, such as health care, which is described as the third rail because it has been too hard and too slow. But now health care is experiencing a fundamental change similar to what retail felt when customers came in armed with smart phones and had more information than sales people. Patients are starting to acquire more information and health care providers are developing more analytics. The Education: To arrive at solutions on how to perceive, derive, collate, store, sort and use data for business decisions is Data Analytics. All areas of commerce, business, economics and sciences are using data analysis to arrive at solutions. To do this there is a certain skill set that has to be created, the science of teaching this has grown into what academic institutions call Data Analytics or Business Intelligence programs. The institutions that have taken on the mantle of teaching data analytics are the management institutions with inputs from their engineering, mathematics and statistics departments creating interdisciplinary programs to acquire data mining and interpreting skills. Most management institutions are at the forefront on this learning derivative because business now believes that this skill will be critical to improving their penetration and profitability. The Education programs train students on: Data Collection and Integration Processes for Enterprise Decision Making Advanced Data Analysis Database Management Web Analytics Marketing Analytics Process Optimization Text Mining The Nomenclature of Education Programs: Masters of Science in Analytics Masters of Science in Predictive Analytics Masters of Science in Business Intelligence Masters of Science in Business Analytics Masters of Science in Data Mining Certification in Data Analytics Duration of the Program: 10 months to 18 months Statistical Methods and Models Predictive Analytics Advanced Statistics Financial Analysis Predictive Modeling Data Warehousing Data Mining Techniques Mining Genomics Data Some of the Indian Institutions that are helping students gain data analytic skills are: Institutions Indian Institute of Science http://www. mgmt. iisc. ernet. in Location Bangalore Program Name Master of Management Program Length 24 Months (Full Time) Contact Details Department of Management Studies IISC Bangalore 560 012 Phone: +91-80-2293 2567 (Office) Fax: +91-80-2360 4534 E-mail: [email  protected] iisc. ernet. in The Administrative Officer Executive Education Programmes IIM Bangalore, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore 560 076 Phone : +91-80-26993475 /3660/ 3264 /3742 Fax : +91-80 – 26584004 / 26584050 E-mail : [email  protected] ernet. n Admissions Office Indian School of Business Gachibowli, Hyderabad-500032 Phone: +91 40 2318 7474 /7484 /7494 Fax: +91 40 2300 7099 Admissions office Address: Praxis Business School, Next to Akademia International School, Bakrahat Road, P. O. Rasapunja, Kolkata – 700104 Phone: +91 98368 77599/ +9133 24980553/4 E-mail: [email  protected] ac. in Indian Institute of Management Bangalore http://www. iimb. ernet. in Bangalore Certificate Programme on Business Analytics and Intelligence 12 Months (Part Time) Indian School of Business http://www. isb. edu/ Hyderabad Part of the MBA program Analytics Labs (only for enrolled MBA students) 12 Months (Full Time) Praxis Business School http://praxis. ac. in (Knowledge Partners PWC and ICICI) Kolkata Post Graduate Program in Business Analytics Some International Programs offering Business Analytics: 1. In 2007, North Carolina State University began offering the first graduate degree in Analytics. In just 10 months, students can earn a Master of Science in Analytics through the university’s Institute for Advanced Analytics. The degree program addresses data collection and integration, statistical methods and models and complex processes for enterprise decision making. 2. In 2010, DePaul University announced a Master of Science in Predictive Analytics (MSPA) through its Center for Data Mining and Predictive Analytics, a joint venture between the School of Computing and the School of Marketing. The DePaul program covers data mining, predictive analytics and business intelligence. 3. Northwestern University will begin its first MSPA degree program in the fall of 2011. The new MSPA degree provides core basics such as data mining concepts and applications, and extends into advanced data analysis, advanced statistics, database management, financial analysis, web analytics, predictive modeling and marketing analytics. 4. Students can earn a Master of Science in Business Intelligence (MSBI) from Saint Joseph’s University. The program offers evening classes and addresses technology integration, quantitative skills and analytics within a business context. 5. The University of Denver also offers an MSBI degree rogram through the Daniels College of Business. The program focuses on how to gather and leverage information to lead organizations and guide decisions. The cross-functional coursework covers data warehousing, marketing, finance and operations and incorporates real project work. 6. The University of Tennessee Knoxville offers a Master of Science in Business Analytics through the College of Business Administration. The program provides students with an understanding of business and helps them learn the analytical skills needed to solve business problems. Students can choose one of three areas of concentration: Applied Statistics, Process Optimization or Business Intelligence. 7. Since 2003, Central Connecticut State University has offered a Master of Science in Data Mining degree. The program helps students master the cross-industry standard process for data mining, become proficient with leading data mining software, and to understand and apply a wide variety of mathematical and statistical techniques. It also introduces students to the latest data mining techniques and applications such as text mining and mining genomics data. Student Educational Backgrounds: Any student comfortable with Mathematics and Statistics can opt for these programs. Companies In India hiring for Analytics: Target, Dell, IBM, HP (analytics), Citi, ICICI, PWC, Accenture, etc.

Friday, January 3, 2020

The Catcher in the Rye Censorship - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1694 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/05/21 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Catcher in The Rye Essay Did you like this example? Lexton LewisLisa PhelpsEnglish 112-0925 April 2018The Catcher in the Rye: CensorshipTo start off, the Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, is about a boy named Holden Caulfield, who begins the book at a school named Pencey Prep School, in Pennsylvania. At the books beginning, the school is several days away from Christmas break, where Holden will be returning home to Manhattan, where his parents live, because he has been expelled out of the prep school due to the failing of four out of his five classes. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Catcher in the Rye Censorship" essay for you Create order To end his last couple days at Pencey, Holden goes through a lot of annoying moments that test his patience at a disappointing time for Holden. His former teacher tries giving him tips, his roommate gets in a relationship with his crush, who he then gets in a fight with, and his neighbor is constantly bugging him with his disgusting habits. All three of these events end up getting to him in a negative way, which pushes him to leave Pencey three days early and stay in a hotel until it is time to return home. During these three days, Holden goes through a lot, such as dealing with prostitutes, ex-girlfriends, old friends, thoughts of running away for good, and alcohol, he ends up being led to his sister, who still lives at his familys apartment, by the name of Phoebe. Here, he is forced to tell his sister about how he has been kicked out of school yet again, and then proceeds to explain and justify why he hates school so much and how it is such a struggle to him. After a short argument , Holden responds to Phoebes question that asked, What do you want to do with your life? , with If a body catch a body comin through the rye. Holden goes on to explain how he wants to stand at the edge of a cliff, and protect kids that are playing nearby from falling off into a field of rye far below, which introduces the catcher in the rye. After his sister turns down these thoughts, his parents return, who he hides from, and he then leaves for good and turns to an old English teacher by the name of Mr. Antolini. Once Holden arrives at his place, he says, I have a feeling that youre riding for some kind of terrible, terrible fall. to try to tell him how he is messing up his life. Holden leaves after they argue. After he leaves, he meets back up with his sister. This is all while Holden is at his lowest point yet, and constantly down on himself. After they hangout awhile, he is happy as hers ever been, and cries. The story then ends by Holden explaining how he wont say what happened after he begins to cry in the park. It is known, however, that he did not run away, and he went home, and ultimately got mentally sick, and is now at this point in a mental rehab facility. This is where he told the story from the whole time. He then says how he may enroll into school next semester, and actually apply himself as advised form many people in the story. So, the story ends with Holden getting the help he has needed throughout the story, and him getting his life in line. After reading The Catcher in the Rye, I have many different thoughts about the book and the main character, Holden. In the beginning and throughout a good portion of the book, I believed that Holden was this type of kid who had lots of potential and opportunity, but wasted it all away in a sense. This sixteen year old kid was going to a nice school, where he could have set his mindset to be successful after being kicked out of two other schools, but he instead got kicked out again. After this, when he went back into the city, he made bad choice after bad choice, which only made his image worse. He got tied with several bad things, such as prostitutes and alcohol, which made his life even harder. Which negatively affected himself once again. At this point, readers would see this kid as a failure, that still has a chance at a nice life, and then Holden shows Hope when he begins to think about his exrs and his sister, and this is really the turning point in the story. When Holden first gets led to his familyrs apartment, where he finds Phoebe, his slight fall leads to his uprising. This is when I started to notice he was trying to fix himself, which is shown by his constantly trying to justify what he did/what he has been through. It ends up being an argument and Holden leaving, but then when he talk with his English teacher, Mr. Antolini, he realizes it is his fault, and he needs to fix himself and put the work in. This is the spot where he I feel he is really disappointed with himself, until he meets with his sister, and they hangout, where he is suddenly very happy, because he now knows what he needs to do to fix himself, and he has accepted that. As a reader, I now have respect for him because he is working towards where he needs to be by going to rehab and then trying in school after that. From beginning to end, Holden made an excellent comeback for everything he had been through. Overall, this was an excellent book that demonstrated many dif ferent things that a person could go through and how to resolve them in a manner that is very realistic, and a way that many others can probably relate with. The book The Catcher in the Rye is not a book meant for those in Elementary or Middle school. According to Liz Perle, It is intended for those who are fourteen years of age or older, which are generally freshman in high school (2005). The banning and censorship of this book is much due to its constant vulgar language, sexual actions, and violence that is portrayed by Holden, who is the main character. According to an article by the name of Banned Books written by California State University-Northridge, Holdenrs actions and language lead to the main arguments of banning this book. One parent of a student who was reading this even took a petition with eighty signatures to ban this book (1). Even though there are such strong cases to protect this classic, the sexual content and vulgarity continue to cause such a strong argument that it must be banned/censored. As time has gone on, this book by J.D. Salinger has been considered as a classic, but very inappropriate by others, which has le d to its banning in many places in America. It has been one of the most challenged books ever, and its frequent challenging has led to it being banned in majority of schools and libraries (American Library Association 1).Those who have attempted to challenge this book have had good arguments against it, mainly because they explain how kids should not be exposed to the content of this book. According to Ryan Gash, the sexual, violent, and vulgar content in this book is the only reason it has been challenged and banned. The actual content and storyline of The Catcher in the Rye is a very touching story that readers can relate to because of the real life problems Holden has, but since it has this stuff in it, parents and teachers do not want many of the students and kids reading it under a certain age which is about fourteen or fifteen years of age (1). This book, written by Salinger, actually is in the Wayne County Public Library, and the Wayne Community College Library. This is because this book was only challenged and banned for those of younger ages, like elementary and middle school students, so therefore, it would not be banned in a college and a county library because those who come in to read at both of these places can be well over this age in which it has been said to be inappropriate for. While it has this content, the story is still good, so therefore it is st ill loved and considered a classic, so it is still accepted in the older age range, so therefore, it is still in many libraries around the country.Personally, I believe in censorship to an extent. Censorship should be mainly applied to readers of younger age, more than those in the upper teens. Young kids under the age of fourteen should not be exposed to such mature content like that in the Catcher in the Rye. Typically, in most schools and friend groups, kids at this age are immature and if they read this type of stuff, they will take it the wrong way and not understand it how they should. However, if these students above the age of fourteen read it, they are more mature because at this stage in their life, they are young adults, so it doesnt really affect them. This is why censorship should take place in certain age groups. I believe that High School students are at a point in their life where they are more mature, of course this has an exception of a few, but for the most part, students who have reached this age have grown up and can handle the content in this book. Also, many students probably go through some of the same things that Holden went through, so if they can read this, connect, and see how Holden handles his problems, their lives may benefit from reading this which is a nice thing to get from a classic book like this. This is the specific group that I feel is the perfect group to read this. Kids, students, and young adults who are in the grades nine through twelve, and in college will get the most out of this. However, I feel that older adults will react badly to Holden, which is one of the reasons it has been banned.