Reading reflection 4 - Essay Example

Reflection on “Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys” by V. Rios It was such a heart-wrecking experience, having read and pondered on the confessions of Victor Rios in “Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys.” Early youth had truly been difficult for Rios whose risk-filled life was lived on the edge at a poor and violent ghetto community of Oakland. Through his account of past encounters with crime, violence, drugs, and the corresponding punishment by law, Rios seems to have conveyed the unseen truths behind the issue of delinquencies among the youth of color and the manner by which these are being normally dealt with by the police authorities concerned.

Apparently, the author’s story with all the painful sentiments in it reminds me of young distant relatives and significant acquaintances in broken families who have gone in and out of jail as though there exists no cure for their ill behavior. When Rios expressed “I wanted to understand why and how these officers would ignore certain major crimes and at the same time arrest so many residents for such minor infractions”, I realize that the problem with youth may never obtain remedy unless the society and the government change the way their treat it.

My personal observations of reality agree to the narrative of the author and his findings of the problematic approach to ‘criminalization’. Rios himself is a living proof that each young individual deserves the chance to hope or acquire a positive view of life and be transformed accordingly as long as proper care is granted instead of shame, exclusion, punishment, and incarceration. Punitive efforts, I suppose, may only work to some extent but the root trouble requires abolition of ‘youth control complex’ and sincere affection for the youth at rough times.

Complete Name:Course:Title: Reflection on “Chapter 2 – Images of Women” Analyzing what the reading chapter communicates regarding ‘Images of Women’, I do find it quite reasonable to establish agreement on points which support the principle that the prevailing notion on the inferiority of woman, which dates back to ancient myths, ought to be eradicated totally for the sake of relieving discourse on gender inequality, especially in reference to stereotypes. However, by state of nature, the general roles that are inevitably played due to woman’s sexuality define the character of a woman as necessarily different from that of man and this is something which occurs beyond the weak judgment of society.

Indeed we have the right to defend a feminine cause particularly when it comes to issues emerging out of violence or crime against women, nevertheless, we must become flexible in treating gender inequality. Considering the tasks rendered by men and those conducted by women separately through time, we have witnessed where each gender should rightfully belong, regardless of the measure of physical or mechanical strength. Based on this fact, it may be claimed that women have shaped the course of history as much as men do yet because of the differences with respect to the level of coping in which men are discovered to possess capabilities in greater quantity, women appear to have been left behind so that on this ground, the idea of inequality is brought across.

This knowledge eventually proceeds at the expense of perspectives about women such that the several images which women embody suffer from the thought that female sex fails to yield adequate distinction from the male sex in terms of natural limitations on women’s potentials.