Uses of Narrative Point of View in As I Lay Dying and O Pioneers!

Uses of Narrative Point of View in As I Lay Dying and O Pioneers! Narrative point of view refers to the position of the narrator in relation to the story that one is narrating. As such, when evaluating the point of view of the narrator, one focuses on the relationship between the narrator and the characters in the story. There are three major points of view that narrators can adopt while narrating a story. These are first-person, second-person, and third-person point of views. Either of the foregoing points of views have different effect on the understanding and believability of the characters or the story being told, as is evident from O Pioneers! and As I Lay Dying novels. As I lay dying is a narrative by William Faulkner who uses multiple narrators and different techniques to convey a message from different points of view. Through the narratives from the fifteen different characters in the novel, it is important to understand the different aspects of being as well as the existential metaphysics of daily life experiences. The fifteen characters and fifty-nine chapters in the book create vivid memories that validate the saying that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Through the different narrators, the author tries to convey the meaning of burdens but it is clear that different characters consider burdens from different perspectives such as love, hate, right, wrong, good, responsibility, and duty. From the book, it is clear that what constitutes burden is not obvious and varies from one person to the next. Most of the narrators use the first person’s point of view, which means that their communication is more personal and one can explore the feelings and the thoughts of every narrator. An example of the first person’s point of view is Cora’s perspective regarding the character of Darl and Jewel. According to Cora, Darl is heaven-sent while Jewel is a burden. She observes thus, â€Å"I always said Darl was different from those others. I always said he was the only one of them that had his mothers nature, had any natural affection. Not that Jewel†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Faulkner n. pag). Clearly, she considers the measure of what she refers to as ‘natural affection’ as something that she has to infer from the way a person behaves. In this regard, she considers Darl as Addie’s savior. Cora also emerges as a very religious person and one learns this from the language she uses in her narration. She says, â€Å"I have tried to live right in the sight of God and man, for the honor and comfort of my Christian husband and the love and respect of my Christian children† (n. pag). By using her own perspective in reference to God and Christianit y while describing her husband and children, she reveals her deep religious convictions to her audience. Ultimately, the way Cora compares Darl and Jewel shows that she believes that in order not to be a burden one has to be as close to a loved one as possible. As such, she is besides Addie until the very last point of her death because she does not want to be a burden to Addie. Accordingly, Addie uses the first person point of view when he considers Darl a burden and Jewel her salvation. She also reveals that people consider Darl as queer but talks fondly about Jewel. One instance that shows Addie’s deep affection for Jewel is when she says, â€Å"He is my cross and he will be my salvation. He will save me from, the water and from the fire. Even though I have laid down my life, he will save me† (n. pag). Further, Dell fears Darl because he considers him perceptive and feels that Jewel hates him as competition for the love of their mother. From the narration by Dell, it is obvious that he considers Darl’s perceptiveness as the burden. Accordingly, Anse believes that he is doing the right thing but the neighbors do not understand his motivations. It is important to note that emotions and motives are not the only things that grab one’s attention in the novel. When the foregoing characters are narrating how they perceive each other, they use the first person’s point of view to show that what they state is exactly what they feel. Incorporating the first person’s point of view makes the expressions of the characters more believable because one is able to interact with each character at a personal level. However, the first person’s point of view that the author uses where sections are overlapping is something that also creates some level of uncertainty such that one is not able to get the whole story until the very end. For instance, it is not possible to know what exactly caused the fire that burned down the Gillespie barn until after reading several sections that follow. This makes it hard to understand whether the events are actually happening or whether they are only happening in the mind of the narrator, or whether the narrator is narrating about events that occurred in the past. For instance, it is not clear whether Addie is narrating after her death, in which case she would be narrating about the events that occurred prior to her demise, or whether some omnipresent narrator with perceptive power is conveying her narration of the things that are happening. One of the phrases that are not clear whether Addie narrates about past or present events is when she states,  "I could just remember how my father used to say that the reason for living was to get ready to stay dead a long time †¦, I would hate my father for having ever planted me† (n. pag). Another incident that brings confusion as to the occurrence of the events being narrated is Darl’s narration of the death of Addie even though he is no longer present. The question that arises is whether a narrator can witness an event even if they are not present or whether there is a way that a narrator who is no longer present can imagine things that are happening and narrate the events with the same level of subjectivity as narrators who are witnessing events first hand. O Pioneers! Narrative Point of View The narrator in the novel O Pioneers! by Willa Cather makes use of the third person limited point of view where perspective is based on a single character, Alexandra Bergson. The third person-limited point of view requires the narrator to follow the main character closely such that all the audience sees and experiences is what the main character presents. The novel is about the difficult relationship that exists between Bergson and the society. It is important to note that the main character in third person limited point of view knows a lot but not everything about the other characters. As such, through Bergson, the extent to which one can learn about characters in the novel is limited. For instance, in reference to Bergson’s life the narrator states, â€Å"Her personal life, her own realization of herself, was almost a subconscious existence; like an underground river that came to the surface only here and there †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (3.2.1). Although the narrator likens Bergsonâ⠂¬â„¢s feelings to an underground river, in reality there is no revelation as to what forms the contents of the ‘underground river’ so that one can have a deeper understanding of the main character. As long as the narrator does not reveal the contents of the river, it is clear that the audience does not get to know the full extent of Bergson’s feelings and desires. There are other instances that the narrator explores the feelings and desires of other characters but fails to disclose enough to enable the audience to have extensive knowledge about the characters. However, one cannot lay the entire blame of the failure to disclose more about characters on the narrator because he also seems to have limited information about the characters. As such, it is important to note that using the third person limited technique in the novel helps to limit the access that an audience has to the characters in the novel and this allows the narrator to hide personal information about the characters. With regard to the foregoing, while the novel As I lay dying uses first person point of view, the narrator in O Pioneers! uses third person limited point of view. The main difference between the two points of view is that the first person point of view enables the audience to have a deeper understanding of the characters while the third person limited only allows the audience partial information about the personal life of the characters. As such, in As I lay dying, one is able to interact with the characters more closely because the audience gets the opportunity to get into the head of the characters thereby developing a direct link. Accordingly, one gets to experience the full range of emotions from different characters when reading the novel and the plot is more believable in the first person point of view. In contrast, the limitations that the third person limited point of view creates in O Pioneers! make it difficult for one to create a direct link with the main character, which makes the plot less believable.

William Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet - 1051 Words

William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet is arguably one of the greatest and most heart-breaking tragedies of all time. Two lovers, Romeo and Juliet, meet at the young ages of 16 and 13, fall in love, get married and die, all within the span of three days. The lovers take their own lives, but the blame for their deaths can be placed solely on Romeo and his impulsive behaviour. Romeo is always very quick to act on his feelings, but he tends not to think before he does so, which is apparent when he instantly falls in love with Juliet and decides to marry her, when he kills Tybalt despite the consequences and when he takes his own life immediately upon seeing Juliet in her tomb. Romeo is responsible for his a Juliet’s deaths because of how quickly he fell in love with Juliet and decided to marry her. Prior to meeting Juliet, Romeo was head-over-heels for another girl named Rosaline, who wanted nothing to do with him. Then, when he goes to the Capulet’s party and sees Juliet, he is instantly smitten with her, before even speaking to her. He then goes on to say, â€Å"Did my heart love till now? For swear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night† (1, 5, 52-53). At this point, he has forgotten all about Rosaline, dismissing the fact that he ever even loved her. This is significant because it shows how easily Romeo can change his mind. The next day, Romeo goes to Friar Lawrence and asks him to marry him and Juliet, saying, â€Å"We met, we woo’d, and made exchange of vow†¦Show MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet1287 Words   |  6 PagesLizzy Baginski English Composition 2 Mr. Spera March 10, 2015 Romeo and Juliet Research Paper The movie Romeo and Juliet is a modern classic film that took place in 1996. Overall this is a timeless story that everyone should go and watch. 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Two famous men grab my attention who didn’t fear forRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet Essay1024 Words   |  5 PagesRomeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare s most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with Hamlet, is one of his most frequently performed plays. Today, the title characters are regarded as archetypal young lovers. Romeo and Juliet belongs to a tradition of tragic romances stretching back to antiquity. The plot is based on an ItalianRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet1124 Words   |  5 PagesThe play Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare s most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with Hamlet, is one of his most frequently performed plays. Today, the title characters are regarded as archetypal young lovers. Romeo and Juliet belongs to a tradition of tragic romances stretching back to antiquity. Its plot is based onRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet861 Words   |  4 Pagesgreatly shown in the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. It was love at first sight with Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. Meeting at a party and falling in love to get married without even spending quality time with each other. Romeo and Juliet couldn t tell there parents because the Capulets and Montagues are long term rivals. Both Romeo and Juliet had to find different ways and excuses to make this marriage work. A big problem was developed. Romeo kills Juliet s cousin and is banishedRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet1770 Words   |  8 Pagesof Romeo and Juliet. The story of two destined lovers who were killed by their own doing. But what if they weren t two destined lovers who got unlucky, but doomed partners that were never going to have a good-life to begin with.William Sha kespeare gives us a view of early signs of gang conflict in the early age of Verona, Italy. He gives us a perspective of the norms and customs of Italy during the Setting of William Shakespeare s most famous story. Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, givesRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet1264 Words   |  6 Pagestheater-going public the most important dramatist in English literature, Shakespeare occupies a well-known position in the world of talented authors. His canon contains thirty-seven plays, written in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Additionally, throughout the years, they continue to sustain critical attention, with the majority of his works circling tragedies, one being Romeo and Juliet. William Shakespeare s Romeo and Juliet speaks to the timeless appeal of star-crossed lovers. Their loveRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet924 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy that follows t he so-called love of two teenagers. The two fall in love at a masked ball and have a secret marriage. Throughout the play, their actions show how ridiculous love is, and how it is a danger to anyone who become twisted in its choking grasp. However, in the death of the youth and survival of the elders, an alternative explanation for the tragic events may be found. Although Shakespeare seems to be mocking love throughout the play, itRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet1616 Words   |  7 Pageslove can also cause some of life s most controversial battles. These battles could stem from lack of patience, disagreement of moral values, and in some cases, an absence of attraction overall. In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the issues that drive Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet s to each of their dreadful misfortunes are inevitable. When it comes to many of Shakespeare s plays, Aristotle s theory is used to describe them as tragedies. Romeo and Juliet is known by many as a tragedyRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet967 Words   |  4 Pagesof ‘Romeo and Juliet’ written by William Shakespeare. Shakespearean time was between the middle Ages and the Industrial Revolution and it was branded by religious changes. William Shakespeare is widely known as the greatest dramatist of all time. Born April 1564, Shakespeare’s play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is no doubt one of his most famous pieces. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ was first published in 1597 and its tragic story of banned love still captures the creativity of its audience today. ‘Romeo and Juliet’, although

Work Life Balance free essay sample

Managing work life balance Introduction This essay is going to examine managing work life balance and how organizations are going to manage it in contemporary human resource management with relevant organizational examples. Moreover, we will look at the current issues and the problems of work life balance. Work life balance (WLB) is a term which refers to the concept that employees split their time between work and the other aspects of personal lives. It used to maintain a balance between work and leisure activity such as family life. It measured the amount of time on the work compare with the time on spending with family or other leisure activities. It is difficult to measure the efficiency and the balance between work and life. Based on the assumptions of diversity management which aim to provide a positive workplace environment and accept the individual differences from different background, gender, race etc in order to maintain equality in the workplace. Therefore, it is important that organizations introduce flexible working arrangement in terms of providing positive working environment to employees (Caleb Rosado, PH. D, 2006). Theoretical Review Due to the recent change of WLB, people shifted the focus on the balance on work and family roles as well as the outside work. Work life balance is important to employees because it represents peoples psychological well being and satisfaction between work and life (J. Rantanen U. Kinnunen, 2011). WLB can be traced back to previous studies of women having multiple roles throughout their lives as women are representing as mothers, wives and paid worker where they might experience overload work and cause them stressful which suggest it needs appropriate working arrangements in order to increase their job satisfaction (Barnett and Marshall,1993). The integrated concept of WLB is aiming to manage employees effectively while they are suffering from multiple roles conflict in lives and work and attempt to minimized job dissatisfaction and stress levels. However, as most of the organizations are seeking to provide a positive workplace to the employees, they provide several policies for the employees in order to increase the flexibility such as telecommuting opportunities for workers who want to spent more time at home to look after young children or offer flexible work schedules, also, some organizations provide an on-site fitness programs, therefore, it increases employees motivation because they are working in a positive workplace environment (  Heidi Cardenas) . In general, it suggested that UK has a flexible workforce labor with family life to maintain the balance between work and life. This lead to a higher employment and growth in the contemporary diversity management (Nick Bloom, Tobias Kretschmer, 2009). Current issue According to the current work life balance issues in diversity management, it suggested it become an very popular issue to debate over the world and more people and management are paying attention to it, where it increases the conscious of people aware of this problem. Managing WLB has been increased in the last 2 decades (De Bruin Dupuis, 2004), which is a recent change from previous management style. In addition, a lot of private enterprises also aware the problem of work life balance as their human resource management. This has become an major issue in todays management since nowadays employers tend to use fewer employees to cope with difficulties and problems as they want to reduce the costs, therefore the jobs are more complicated and it increased their workforce so it becomes more difficult for employees to maintain a balance within work and life, such as home management, child care etc (Douglas T. Hall) as well as the levels of pressure and working time. Secondly, the demographic changes rapidly so it affects the labor such as gender, age, religion, workplaces etc (Dr Mark Wickham, Miss Melissa Parker Simon Fishwick). Due to the increasing number of working mothers, it usually applied to women that they need to maintain a balance between working hours and career break arrangements such as maternity leave. It stated that there is an enormous increase of working mothers in contemporary world, which suggested that 66. % of mothers are working compare with only 23% of mothers are working full time in 1996 (Guardian), so organizations are required to offer suitable flexible working arrangements for mothers. Therefore, it increases the awareness that organizations has to introduce flexible working arrangement to due with this issue in terms of being ethical and equality. In some circumstances, it suggested that rather than following by a tradition that women should look after child ren, it offers paternity leave for fathers as well in order to encourage fathers to active their role in the family (Gill Kirton Anne-marie Greene, 2005). According to the diversity management, it might be seen as inequality of men and women employees as women tend to have longer career break arrangement due to the maternity leave, employers might recruit new employees to replace them and this might damage for women future career prospects (Gill Kirton Anne-marie Greene, 2005). But on the other hand, according to the current issues, it argued that the gender equality of work life balance has changed in the 20 century. It suggested that there are significant increase of men are contributing to childcare rather than following by the tradition that women should stay at home and look after the children (Maron, 2009). By looking at the current issue, it can be seen that it is difficult to manage work and family life as employees (men and women) need to take a parental role of looking after children as well. Therefore, the government set some regulations to protect them. For instance, they promoted the Family and Medical Leave Act in 1993. The Family and Medical Leave Act 1993 has created an huge impact towards the organizations. The organization has to provide at least 12 weeks leave in a year for their birth, individuals or family illness. This act enable employees to look after the sick children or elderly etc (Judith  M. Nixon). Case Study There are few case studies with real organizational examples which suggested the management of work life balance in the contemporary organizations. Also, t covers different aspects of the practice in work life balance and stated the current diversify management style in different countries. One of the case study is Motorola which is a company founded in 1928 U. S. It delivers network communications and internet to individuals, companies and homes. Motorola operates in a global environment where their competitive advantage is to operate 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Due to this competitive advantage, Motorola has to offer flexible working time to employees. It becomes a very important issue to Motorola for employees having an equal time split and balancing between work and life time as diversity management aims to support employees with equal opportunity and forecasting a happy working environment. It suggested that there is change in Motorola from the past where full time workers work seven 12-hour shift in two week period and 2 full time workers share the job together and split their working hours equally. One of the employee called Mary McDonald who is a single parent with two children applied the job and she claimed that job sharing and working hours are very flexible, therefore this works very well with her family life while she is looking after two children. Motorola provides her a flexible working arrangements and work-life balance, therefore it increases her motivation and satisfaction at work by providing positive workplace environment according to the aim of diversity management (Gill Maxwell, 2008). In addition, Motorola stated that most of the job sharing workers are women where most of them are unable to work as a full time workers according to their family life and commitments. However, Motorola offers an alternative opportunities for women who wants to maintain a balance between work and family life. This arrangement has created an advantage for women especially when women return work after their maternity leave which is easier for them to catch up their work and they have enough time to look after children which reduce the levels of stress at their work. Motorolas flexible working arrangements has introduced new work life balance initiatives in contemporary organizations. Another case study is about IKEA which is a well-know home furnishing retailer which sells home furniture with a low prices. It is a global company with more than 150 stores distributed all over the world. The human resources policies relies at the heart of the IKEAs strategy as they believe the success of an organizations depends on the commitment of the employees, therefore IKEA emphasis heavily on the equality and working arrangements to the employees (Gill Maxwell, 2008). According to the IKEAs management style, it focuses heavily on the family life, leisure activities and healthy environment. This recognizes the importance of work life balance. For instance, IKEA offers a coffee breaks to workers for interaction in a positive environment. More importantly, IKEA provides flexible career break arrangements such as marriage leave, parental leave, childcare leave or moving house leave etc. This enable workers to deal with their own or family problems. Furthermore, IKEA introduced health promotion to employees which allow employees to have a healthy working time. IKEA offers foot care and massage for them during their working time. It provides physical health care to employees as the managers of IKEA thought workers are very tired of often working with their foot. This is a totally new work life balance initiatives in organizations where they offer flexible hours of work and arrangements but also physical health care. Therefore, employees are motivated and pleasant for working in the positive working environment. As I mentioned above, organizations offer fitness and health programs to workers while they are stressed at work. This has created a positive impact on workers and the organization and reinforced the importance of work life balance programs as more people aware with this issue. It is important to note that diversity managers are required to provide a range of work life balance programs to employees in order to foster a pleasant working environment (wisegeek). After discussing the real organizational examples, it shows that WLB creates a positive impact on organizations and performance as well as becoming more effective of managing employees flexibility (Nick Bloom, Tobias Kretschmer, 2009). This has enlightened and developed the practice of diversity management where it can be seen that organizations are continuing developing the issue of work life balance in terms of being ethical and equality. Organizations are getting more familiar with the practice of work life balance but there are still some problems should be highlighted in the current diversity management. Problems Many organizations perceived work life balance could be seen as a competitive advantage as providing flexible working arrangement can enhance individuals performance which affects the whole company because employees are motivated and feel being valued in the organization such as IKEA offer foot massage for employees and it can be seen as an competitive advantage. But, it could be argued that what is meant by good practices of work life balance in organizations as it is difficult to measure the effectiveness of the appropriate work life balance to employees. On the other hand, gender has been considered a major issue of work life balance, many people still believe on the assumptions of women are the identity as housewives and women careers would directly affect the commitments and performance at work. This is the major issue that organizations need to take into account in developing diversity management. Organizations could provide more working opportunities to women and prove that even though they stop working during their pregnancy it doesnt affect much to the organizations as nowadays women are working harder compare to the past. For instance, Motorola offers job sharing which benefits and support women even they are pregnant. In addition, providing flexible work arrangement or job sharing could easily lead to conflicts because people could easily mixed up their schedules and responsibilities with the others. This might create a conflict and inconvenience to organizations. Therefore, organizations should take into account that they should provide a clear working arrangement between workers. Recommendations After highlighted the problems of work life balance and based on the organizational examples I have suggested, I recommend that manager should be more diversified in order to deal with different problems because managing flexibility may cause a lot of conflicts or misunderstanding, therefore, managers should allocated a clear working schedules or responsibilities to employees so workers understand what they are doing and it will increase the working efficiency. Providing a good communication to employees may ensure the job sharing responsibilities and break schemes. In the case of Motorola, offering a split time worker between workers, the managers should set out a clear schedule for the workers in terms of splitting time and responsibilities equally to avoid any conflicts. Also, managers should provide support to employees while employees are having maternity or sick leave etc, such as providing a paid sick leave because employees tend to fear of being discriminated or dismissal when they report their illness, therefore, a diversity manager should provide a paid sick leave to support them and ensure they wont be discriminated (Xenia Scheil-Adlung Lydia Sander, 2010). In addition, managers should provide more support to woman during their maternity leave such as telecommuting to ensure they can catch up their work easily when they back to work in terms of equity. Conclusions In conclusion, after discussing the assumptions and current issues of work life balance as well as the problems highlighted, it suggested that it is difficult to measure the effectiveness of work life balance. It all depends on the nature of the job due to the job difficulties and the levels of stress from the work itself. Also, it relies on the employees itself of managing a balance between work and family life and their own experiences where organizations have no control over. From an organizational view, to manage work life balance effectively at the workplace, they can promote a message to employees the importance of work and life and prevent any conflicts between work and non-wok interaction if they want to build up a good employees relations with the organization (J. Rantanen U. Kinnunen, 2011). Organizations are still seeking to develop the diversity management, therefore, it is important to provide a positive workplace environment for employees as well as the equality. However, living in a diversified culture, every organizations should assist employees to maintain a good balance of work and family life but it requires the co-operation between managers and employees in order to provide a positive workplace environment by making use of the existing policies.

Health Priorities in Australia free essay sample

Health status is a holistic concept that is determined by more than the presence or absence of any disease. It is often summarised by life expectancy or self-assessed health status, and more broadly includes measures of functioning, physical illness, and mental wellbeing. Epidemiology is the study of disease in groups or populations through the collection of data and information, to identify patterns and causes. The measures of epidemiology are: Mortality- refers to the number of deaths in a given population from a particular cause and/or over a period of time. Infant Mortality- refers to the number of infant deaths in the first year of life, per 1,000 live births. Morbidity- is the incidence or level of illness, disease or injury in a given population. Life Expectancy- is the length of time a person can expect to live. More specifically, it refers to the average number of years of life remaining to a person at a particular age, based on current death rates. In Australia, the median age of death among the entire population in 2007 was 80.5 years old. In 2011 that statistic had risen to 81.5 years old, an increase of one year to the average life. In both years the leading cause of death among Australians was circulatory diseases (diseases of the heart and blood vessels) and the second leading cause in both years was cancer. Although the percentage of cancer deaths rose from 29.2% proportion of totals deaths to 29.8% and the percentage of circulatory disease deaths dropped from 33.8% of the populations deaths down to 31%. In the past 100 years the infant mortality rate as decreased by 95%, from more than one in ten deaths in the first year of life (100+ deaths per 1000 live births) to one in 200 deaths in the first year of life (5 deaths per 100 live births). This can be attributed to improved health education, public sanitation, improved medical diagnosis and improved support services for parents and new born babies. Most infant mortalities are caused by congenital malformations which are structural or functional anomalies which are present at the birth of a child, preventative causes of this disease are improving the diet of women through their reproductive years, avoiding exposure to harsh environmental substances and improving vaccinations and health education. Information about the incidence and prevalence of the total population gives a broader perspective on the nation’s health than just the mortality statistics. Australia’s population has a lowering incidence of asthma and rising survival rate of cancer although since 1984 the incidence of five major cancers has risen (Breast, Prostrate, Melanoma, Colorectal and Lung) and a report from SMH in 2008 shows 7.4 million people are overweight or obese and the prevalence of diabetes climbs rapidly, along with these problems the amount of people affected by STI’s has risen to more than 230 per 100,000 people. According to AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) Australia is one of the healthiest nations in the world although Indigenous Australians lag behind in their health status. Australians live the second longest lives in world, behind Japan. The average Australian citizen will live to be 81.4 years old. And trends indicate that the expectancy of males and females is growing, since 2000 the life expectancy of males has grown from 77.4 years old to 79.7 years old, an increase of 2.3 years. The life expectancy of females since 2000 has grown from 82.6 up to 84.2, an increase of 1.6 years. This increase in the life expectancy of Australian residents indicates that their health is improving, with the help of increased knowledge and improved health services. Taking all of this information into account, using measures of epidemiology, the health status of Australians can be said to be relatively good compared with that of other nations. The improved health services and new discoveries in the health sector along with increased knowledge about health from the population also indicates that the health status of Australians may be improving. 2. Explain how health promotion, based on the Ottawa Charter, reflects social justice principles. Health promotion is a combination of science, medicine, practical skills and beliefs aimed at maintaining and improving the health of all people. The Ottawa Charter for health promotion promotes social justice as it incorporates the idea of giving all members of the community access to health services and attempts to rule out inequities in differing communities. The Ottawa Charter does this through its five action areas: Building Healthy Public Policy, Create Supportive Environments, Strengthen Community Action, Develop Personal Skills and Reorient Health Services. All five of these action areas provide a building block for health promotions. The four principles of social justice are: Equity, Access, Participation and Rights. The way equity is reflected in health promotion based on the Ottawa Charter is through the action areas Building Healthy Public Policy, Create Supportive Environments and Reorient Health Services as these three areas bring together people onto an equal level and give specific help to those who need it, creating equity in communities. Access is reflected in health promotion based on the Ottawa Charter through the action area Reorient Health Services, as this area of the charter aims to bring together health services, governing bodies and other health professionals in an attempt to give more adequate access to health services to those who need it. Also reflected is Participation, which can be based on the Ottawa Charter action areas through Building Healthy Public Policy, Strengthen Community Action and Develop Personal Skills. This can be known as empowering the communities and bringing the communities the education and information needed to know more about their own health. Lastly, Rights is reflected in health promotion through the action areas Create Supportive Environments and Reorient Health Services as they attempt to give equitable opportunities for good health to all individuals. With these four social justice principles reflected in health promotion, the overall health of Australia can be improved, examples of this include: ‘Quit for you Quit for two’ which promotes to pregnant women who smoke, who if they ceased their habit would be creating a more equal life for their expectant child and give them the right for an opportunity to good health. Another example would be the ‘Swap it’ campaign which aims at developing personal skills while creating equity through smart food choices. 3. Critically analyse how the action areas of the Ottawa Charter address Australia’s health priorities through ONE health promotion initiative. â€Å"Slip Slop Slap Seek Slide† Campaign by the Cancer Council of Australia was created in 1980 and revolved around Sid the Seagull who gave a constant reminder of the easy ways that the population of Australia would be able to avoid skin cancer; slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat. 27 year later the ad was upgraded to include; seek shade and slide on sunnies, thus creating the â€Å"Slip Slop Slap Seek Slide† song. The campaign aims to lower the prevalence and incidence of skin cancers in Australia. The action areas of the Ottawa Charter address Australia’s health priorities through this campaign. The action areas are: Building Healthy Public Policy, Create Supportive Environments, Strengthen Community Action, Develop Personal Skills and Reorient Health Services. Building Healthy Public Policy- Policies have been created due to increased awareness attributed to the â€Å"Slip Slop Slap Seek Slide† campaign; a commonly known policy would be the â€Å"No Hat, No Play† policy used in schools. This is used by teachers to protect children from skin cancer risks in the playground. Advantages of this would be that children will be increasingly protected and parents are given peace of mind, and no noticeable disadvantages are created by this policy. Create Supportive Environments- A noticeable environment change caused by the increased awareness of skin cancers would the addition of shaded areas to many public places. This creates an environment for the public population that is protected from harmful Ultraviolet sun rays. An advantage of this are that people can be outside but protected from skin cancer risks while a disadvantage would be that most of these shaded areas come at the expense of nature, eg- destruction of trees and/or other natural features. Strengthen Community Action- Two initiatives related to the ‘Slip Slop Slap† would be the introduction of Cancer Centres to many rural areas and the Relay for Life, which is about raising funds for the Cancer Council. These two initiatives can create awareness of skin cancer, while the former can save lives. Only advantages are created by these two initiatives, which are; increased knowledge, funds gained for research and practical use, the ability to detect cancers and save lives. Develop Personal Skills- The campaign of â€Å"Slip Slop Slap Seek Slide† uses a jingle to educate the Australian population. The TV ad itself is an educational video, which creates awareness of skin cancers in Australia. This leads to increased knowledge of how to protect yourself and others from skin cancers. An advantage of this is that the Australian public is being educated in their own home by the TV, although a disadvantage is that they do not know that they are being directly educated. Reorient Health Services- A health service which has become operational due to increased awareness of skin cancers is the Skin Cancer @ Bondi checks, where on the beach at Bondi you can have a skin cancer check. This leads to a safer beach, as beachgoers can be precautious and have a skin cancer check. Advantages of this are that the population can be on the beach and get their skin checked at the same time as well as not have to book into a skin cancer centre for the check. A disadvantage may be that the check may not be a thorough as one performed in a more professional environment. Overall, the introduction of the â€Å"Slip Slop Slap† campaign and the readjustment to â€Å"Slip Slop Slap Seek Slide† campaign has increased the awareness and knowledge of skin cancers in Australia. The action areas of the Ottawa Charter are relevant to the campaign and Australia’s health priorities.