Cause and Effect of Poverty

Poverty can be described in a number of ways. For example, the disparities in income and wealth are considered as a sign of poverty since the state is related to issues of scarcity and allocation of resources and influence.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Cause and Effect of Poverty specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Although poverty is most prominent among developing countries, studies indicate that the condition is also noticeable among the developed countries. Poverty may also be defined as the combined status of poor individuals (John Tigani 207). Poverty affects the social, economic and political welfare of the society in many ways. This paper will therefore discuss the cause and effect of poverty with regards to the impact of poverty on: health; educational attainment; and migration patterns. Effects of poverty on health For majority of individuals, the harmful effects of economic poverty on health are worsened by disparity associated with racial, sex, disability, HIV infection and other aspects related with social status. Therefore, efforts that aim entirely on economic poverty may have restricted efficiency for supporting health. Internationally, poor health also can result to perpetual poverty. Since the health sector has limited influence over other factors that affect the health conditions such as housing, education, environmental hazards and food supply, it encounters the realistic challenge of ascertaining how to coordinate with other sectors to break the vicious cycle of poverty- illness-poverty. A number of effects of poverty- as enumerated above- can also cause of poverty, thus generating a cycle of poverty and complicating the matter even more: These comprise of extremism; depression; human trafficking; hunger; illiteracy, suicide; and drug abuse, among others (John Tigani 208). Poverty in childhood wields its effect all through the life course and is easily passed on to consequent generations. This transmission takes place via maternal health before and all through pregnancy. A Lower birth weight of a pregnant woman, influenced by the social and economic condition of her family, has a direct impact on the weight of the baby after birth.Advertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Maternal height is among the major factors that determine the weight of an infant after birth. Other than the influences of genetics on maternal weight, poverty and low social and economic conditions of the immediate family of the mother have a strong effect via early childhood diet. A number of studies have shown that the height of an expectant woman is directly related with the social status of her family. For example, South Asian women residing in UK are shorter than European women. Poverty and low social and economic status are related with poor mental health a mong women and mental stress and ill health have been identified as outcomes of poverty among these women. Women from poor background have less weight during pregnancy. They also suffer from genital diseases, have inferior micronutrient and are likely to smoke heavily. With respect to social disadvantage and mental health of children and youth, there is a marked similarity between emotional problems and poverty. The prevalence of certain conditions such as bed wetting and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is quite elevated among poor children. According to a study done in Canada, over 21% of children from poor families lived with a depressed close relative compared to 5% among children in high income cohort. Also, the study found that there was a high prevalence of suicide among youth from poor backgrounds. In addition, child care, a key factor in mental health of a child, is highly affected by low socio-economic status and explicit aspects such as dejection and debt a re rife among poor parents. Social risk aspects tend to clump together. The effect of clumping of social risk aspects on smoking and feeding patterns is shown through a study involving a sample of smoking families in the West Midlands who had infants aged below three months. The effects of smoking during pregnancy were analysed by Maritz and Harding.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Cause and Effect of Poverty specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The study found that the cigarette consumption and infant exposure to cigarette smoke these households increased steadily as their income levels dropped. These findings are consistent with the conventional knowledge that youth from poor families tend to be heavy smokers than those from well-off families. In addition, drug abuse and consumption of alcohol is higher among youth from poor families than their rich counterparts. At the same time, Wojcicki focused on the condition of a woman before and during the pregnancy and the influence of depression on an infant because poverty can make a woman depressed. Effects of poverty on educational attainment The level of education attained by a mother is identified as a key marker of child health in both high and low income countries. Access to education is determined by income of the household in most countries (Sachs 3). The educational attainment of children from poor families is much lower and studies indicate that low levels of educational attainment are evident when a child is seven years old. According to Adrienne Ingrum, there is a direct relationship between low socio-economic status and educational attainment among high school students (73). Children of parents with inferior educational attainment are likely to drop out of school. This is because parent with low levels of education do not appreciate the value of education and tend to relay this perception to their children, hence boosting thei r likelihood of abandoning high school education (Ingrum 73). Thus, according to Ingrum, a low social-economic status (SES) may increase the prospect of a child dropping out of high School. Coleman and DeLeire conducted a study in 2003 to ascertain the relationship between locus of control and educational attainment of youth. They established that children who had external locus of control do not value high school education and are thus likely to drop out of school more regularly than those with an internal locus of control (Coleman and DeLeire 712). The outcome of their study support the Human Capital Theory which states that the probability of a student with an external locus of control dropping out of school is higher since they underrate their income potential and thus resolve that the value of lost wages outweighs the benefits acquired by investing in a high school education (Ingrum 74). According to Coleman and DeLeire, students from poor backgrounds are more likely to experie nce an external locus of control which makes them to place a low value on educational attainment (716).Advertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Evidently, the Human Capital Theory stresses on the value of investing in human capital, for example education, for economic gains. Thus economic gains could be defined as completion of high school education, attained via investment in human capital. Give that high school education takes place during youth, most of the human capital investments that would result in educational attainment need to be relayed from parents to young people. Thus, the socio-economic status of a family greatly affects accumulation of human capital among high school students. Poor families not only have fewer human capital resources but also transmit less of it to their children (Ingrum 75). This implies that the effect of poverty among families with low SES is that it reduces the prospects of attaining high school education among these students. Effects of poverty on migration patterns Economic theories postulate that migration patterns are a result of rational choice. For instance, in the Harris-Torado mo del, migration of labour is structured within the framework of inequality of wages among different sectors. Labour migration choices are made by rational individuals who look for work that promise higher wage rate in urban areas. Migration takes place when the financial gains with respect to wages at urban centres outweigh financial costs of migration and opportunity cost of rural work. Migration is thus seen as a selective process where skilled and better educated individuals move to urban centres in search of better jobs. Since many poor families have limited financial resources, the cost of migration can limit the number of accessible destination choices, and thus the expected gains which might dampen migration. In developing countries, the adverse effects of poverty are compounded by asymmetrical information in financial markets (Waddington Sabates-Wheeler 5). There are several economic theories that attempt to explain the unrelenting poverty in the society. For instance, the c ritical threshold theory postulates that an optimal level in human capital must be realized so that the conventional competitive theory can be applicable in an economic system. Both the country and individual must also attain this critical threshold, which varies according to the environment in which the person lives. For instance, if wage rate for unskilled labour are constrained by abundance of illiterate workers, a poor individual can’t save enough money to escape poverty if continues to live in a developing county that has a limited number of skilled labour force. However, he can break out poverty if he shifts to a country that has a large skilled population (Bowles et al. 2). The Dysfunctional institutions theory suggests that poverty is caused by socio-economic institutions that result in skewed distribution of power and wealth in the society. Thus a society that fails to develop effective political and social institutions is likely to experience low incomes and low inv estments which are common ingredients of poverty (Bowles et al. 4). A study of migration at the meso-level emphasizes migration to be a result of poverty in the community. Given that individuals are worried about their economic status, families that are poor in relation to their society move elsewhere to boost their economic status. For instance, holding other factors constant, migration patterns to the United States from two Mexican villages (are trivially ascertained by the family’s initial absolute poverty but completely influenced by initial relative poverty). Evidence also abounds of a non-linear association between poverty and migration which shows that poor families are not able to meet migration expenses. The outcomes suggest major concave associations between absolute and relative poverty and migration with respect to international migration (Waddington Sabates-Wheeler 10). Works Cited Bowles, Samuel, Steven N. Durlauf, Karla Ruth Hoff, and Russell Sage Foundation. Poverty Traps. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. 2006. Print. Coleman, Margo, and DeLeire Thomas. â€Å"An Economic Model of Locus of Control and the Human Capital Investment Decision.† The Journal of Human Resources 38.3 (2000): 710-721. Web. Ingrum, Adrienne. â€Å"High School Dropout Determinants: The Effect of Poverty and Learning Disabilities.† The Park Place Economist 14 (2007): 73-79. Web. John, Nitin Ashok, and Ahmed Tigani. â€Å"Health, Poverty and Human Development: A Review and Further Analysis of Effects of Poverty on Health.† Sudanese Journal of Public Health 2.4 (2007): 207-211. Web. Maritz, Gert S., and Richard Harding. â€Å"Life-long Programming Implications of Exposure to Tobacco Smoking and Nicotine Before and Soon After Birth: Evidence for Altered Lung Development.† International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 8 (2011): 875-898. Web. Sachs, Jeffrey. The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time. New Yor k: Penguin Press. 2005. Print. Waddington, Hugh, and Rachel Sabates-Wheeler. â€Å"Migration, How Does Poverty Affect Migration Choice?† Sussex: Institution of Development Studies, 2003. Web. Wojcicki, Janet M. â€Å"Chronic Maternal Depression Is Associated with Reduced Weight Gain in Latino Infants from Birth to 2 Years of Age.† PLoS ONE 6 (2): e16737. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0016737. Web. This research paper on Cause and Effect of Poverty was written and submitted by user Aurora O. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Make Peace not Terrorism

Make Peace not Terrorism Make Peace not Terrorism Terrorism has always been considered as a threat with particular influence not only on people but on infrastructure as well. Since the old times people involved in terrorist attacks pursued an objective to prove their power and strength. They choose extirpation not by exident. Psychological nature of human beings functions in a way that fear for ones life is one of the strongest leverage to make someone pay attention to something. Infrustructure is the second important area terrorists use for attacks. Destroying infrustructure means serious interruption in normal life flow of people and creating threat for their natural existence. All of us remember the events of 9/11 where both people and infrustructure experienced powerful attack lead to enormous tragedy ever. However, it should be born in mind that violence can never be erased. That is why it is important to be always on the look-out. Measures should be taken not only by government of USA but by individuals in private as well. Common efforts can considerably contribute in preventing terrorism locally and on a national basis. Terrorism is a phenomenon that can not be destroyed by ignorance. The proper informing of individuals how to act in a case of attack or suspicious obstacles would be of a great importance. But at the mean time situational awareness should not turn into total paranoia about the possibility to be killed anywhere. As for public security within the USA it should be focused on providing safe environment for people anywhere. Emergency service should be prepared to act immediately and secret service should be ready to foresee several scenarios of terrorists acts and be able to react in an appropriate way. In conclusion I would like to say that terrorism is the only global problem of the modern world can not be resolved. In this case people have to be ready to face it

Richard Nixon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Richard Nixon - Essay Example CRP began a massive fund-raising campaign aimed at collecting as much money as possible before the reporting contributions became mandatory under a new law, and the money could be used for any purpose. Besides this official objective, under Nixon's orders, members of the CRP began conducting electronic surveillance of government officials and members of the press, in an attempt to control the flow of information regarding Nixon's activities. In the period between 1969 and 1971, wiretaps were installed on telephones around Washington DC in the name of "national security," and the Oval Office was equipped with voice-activated tape recorders, a decision that would later come back to haunt Nixon. In 1971, the CRP began to ramp up its political intelligence-gathering activities in preparation for the upcoming presidential election. The group planned to infiltrate the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters, located on the sixth floor of the Watergate apartment and office complex in Washington DC. Leading the conspiracy were US Attorney General John Mitchell, deputy director of the CRP Jeb Magruder, and CRP counsel G. Gordon Liddy. Their goal was to photograph campaign materials and place bugging devices in the office of Democratic National Chairman Lawrence F. ... The Watergate break-in eventually exposed a whole array of campaign practices designed to disrupt or embarrass the political opposition, all of which commentators later summarized as 'dirty tricks.' Investigation and Prosecution When making an attempt to break into the Watergate building in order to fix up previously installed wiretapping equipment, all the burglars were caught red-handed by the police on information of the building guard. The number of these burglars was five including Bernard Barker, Virgilio Gonzlez, Eugenio Martnez, James W. McCord, Jr., and Frank Sturgis. After investigation the police found telephone number of E. Howard Hunt in McCord's notebook who was Chief of Security at the Committee to Re-elect the President (CRP). This was a strong proof that strengthens the idea that there was surely a connection between the burglars and someone close to the President. Investigation started to find a link between McCord and the CIA and finally it was discovered that the CRP bribed McCord. The White House denied any knowledge of the break in. Six days later, John Haldeman, the White House Chief of Staff, met with Nixon to tell him that the FBI had traced the money found in the burglars' possession to CREEP. In a tape-recorded conversation, Nixon asked Haldeman to get in touch with the CIA to have the FBI's investigation stopped. In spring 1973, three of the five indicted men in the Watergate break-in pled guilty, while the remaining two were found guilty after a trial. The Cuban men were each sentenced to forty years in prison, and Hunt was sentenced to thirty-five. McCord sent word to Judge Sirica that he was willing to cooperate in exchange for a reduced sentence. White House counsel John Dean also approached the Judge and offered his

What Effect do Siblings have on Development Research Paper

What Effect do Siblings have on Development - Research Paper Example The younger one may not get the opportunity to express his feelings better than the older sibling and his thoughts may remain unexpressed. This paper tends to present a literature review regarding the role of siblings on development. Research Section Berger and Nuzzo studied in their research how older siblings influence the motor development of younger siblings. They interviewed parents of 51 sibling pairs to determine the onset of their children’s motor development. They found that in almost all the cases, it was evident that older siblings affected younger siblings’ motor development as the latter crawled and walked much sooner than their elder siblings had. In cases where older ones moved sooner, it was found that the parental resources were inadequate when the younger child was born which affected his motor development. I agree with Berger and Nuzzo because I have observed many children who come at number 2 or 3 in their sibling order and have learnt to move much s ooner than their older siblings. Reid, Stahl and Striano (2010) present a similar research in which they focus on motor development of children in or without the presence of older siblings. In their longitudinal research, infants of age 5-12 months were observed playing. The researchers used Mental Bayley Scale, coded the play in terms of the production of infant goal-directed actions, and concluded that â€Å"infants with siblings produced fewer goal-directed actions at 5 months than infants without older siblings, but at 12 months they produced relatively more goal-directed actions than infants without older siblings† (p.325). I agree with the idea that as the children grow older, they start imitating their elder siblings more and more. Downey (2001) presents a different research in which he talks about family size and its effect on children’s development. He suggests that as the family size increases, the parental resources and their time and energy all get distribu ted so much so that each child gets a little share and not enough. So, older siblings tend to lessen down the cognitive development due to which â€Å"children with few siblings score higher on tests of cognitive skills than children with many siblings† (Downey, 2001). However, I do not totally agree because I believe that parental attention is that kind of abstract source that cannot be lessened with each coming child in the family. Parents have the ability to increase their scope of energy and attention as they deal with more kids. Azmitia and Hesser (2008) studied how older siblings and older peers affect the cognitive development of younger siblings. They conducted a pottest in which younger children got instructions from their older siblings and peers. The researchers found that â€Å"siblings are unique agents of cognitive development† (p.430) and that the children who imitated and followed their elder siblings showed higher pottest scores that those who followed their peers. They also found the older siblings more happily offered their guidance than did the peers. I agree with this because it is natural for a sibling to help another sibling more than any outsider can do. There is a very important research by Begum and Blacher (2010) who studied the influence of gender, age and family

Trouble in Williams Companies Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Trouble in Williams Companies Inc - Essay Example The collapse of Enron in the late 2000 and in the early 2001 was a problem to Williams. This led to uncertainty in the future of energy trading as participants assessed their exposure to Enron. As a result, it competitors like El Paso Corp. announced its intention to curtail investment in energy and concentrate in natural gas. Another rival Reliant resource also decided to scale down its energy trading. The businesses then become very difficult making Williams to record a loss, its first loss in a period of three years. The news about all the problems facing Enron Corporations broadband unit as well as Global Crossing highly exposed substantial weaknesses in the telecom industry and this made Williams Communication Group to be unable to meet its covenants which then led to breach of its lending agreements with its creditors making William Companies financially distressed. Proposed $900 million funding agreement As way to save its situation, Williams Companies Inc proposed a $900 million agreement with Lehman-Berkshire Hathaway which would fund the company and the agreement would be backed by the assets of Barrett Resources Corporation, a company which the Williams had acquired in 2001. The conditions provided for in this agreement were too strict and too onerous for Williams considering the fact that the company was going through tough financial times. The terms required Lehman Brothers would each advance Williams $ 450 million for a period of one year. The terms also required Williams to make a number of payments which included interest rate of 5.8% payable in quarterly basis, the principal amount in one year and an additional payment of 14% of the principal to be paid in cash upon maturity. The proposition would be very helpful to Williams as it would restore liquidity in the company and also increase cash flow but the problem was how to finance it given the financial hard times faced by the company. The loan from Lehman Brother will be guaranteed by William Companies and all of its subsidiaries indicating that the company may lose everything if it is deemed unable to pay for the loan. As a result, the Williams felt a sense of fear that if all does not work out well, they might end up being bankrupt hence losing the company and its subsidiaries to Lehman-Berkshire Hathaway. From the perception of Lehman Hathaway, the proposition would be a good deal for Williams as it will help the company to restore liquidity. According to Lehman Brothers, the terms may not be of much importance for as long as the situation is well taken care of. The purpose of each item in the proposition The purpose of each of the terms of the Proposed Short term credit agreement was to ensure that Williams eventually paid for the loan acquired. Considering the fact that Williams was almost bankrupt, there was the need for Lehman Berkshire Hathaway to restrict Williams in so many ways to ensure t hat the company tried as much as possible to gain from the loan in order to repay the loan without having to sell its assets. The main purpose of having William Companies guaranteed by the company and i

Up from Slavery Booker T. Washington, Summary

Up from Slavery Booker T. Washington, Summary The book Up from Slavery, is about a nine-year-old slave named Booker T. Washington who lived on a plantation in Virginia.  Booker T. Washington describes his childhood as a slave as well as the hard work it took to get an education. Booker T. Washington shares details of the changes he went through from a student to teacher.  He also outlines his experience as an educator and how helped with the development and opening of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Booker T. describes the progress of when Tuskegee started having classes small shacks to now having classes in new buildings. The last chapter, describes Booker T. career as a public speaker and civil rights activist. Booker T. mention the Atlanta Cotton States and International Exposition in 1895 which made him well known nationwide. He ends his story with several acknowledgments he had received for his work which includes an honorary degree from Harvard.  In addition to, there were two significant people who made a visit t o Tuskegee, President McKinley and General Samuel C. Armstrong. Booker T. was a nationwide leader for the development of African Americans in the post-Reconstruction South. He pushed for the economic and industrial improvement of Blacks while helping Whites with voting rights and social equality. His mother was the plantation cook where they lived. It did not have glass windows and the doors barely hung on uneven hinges. There were large cracks in the walls that let in cold air in the winter and humidity in the summer. The floor was the stripped to the ground. Booker T. had no reminiscence of playing games or sports. He regretted it because he believed he would have been a more useful man if he had. However, because he was a slave he dedicated his life to work. He cleaned yards, carried water, and took corn to the mill. Moving corn to the mills was the hardest jobs he had ever done. While at work, Booker T. heard two men chatting about a school for African Americans people which would be opening in Virginia. Booker T. learned that not only was the institute famous, but openings were offered to help cover the cost of room and board and the students would be taught a trade. Booker T. felt like this could be a great chance. He was fixed on going to the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Virginia. Booker T. left the salt mines to get a job at the General Lewis Ruffner, the owner of the mines. He wanted to continue to make money. General Lewis wife was a very strict boss. A lot of young men had quit or had got fired because they didnt meet her values.  Booker T. would walk around all night and beg for a ride until he had reached 82 miles to Hampton. He did not have any money to pay for a place to sleep so he walked around the city of Richmond until he found a place to sleep. Booker T. had saved enough money to reach Hampton. He believed he had a surplus of 50 cents. When he reached Hampton, he was impressed by the beauty of the school building. He believed that his life would have new meaning. He stood before the head teacher hoping to enroll but he didnt make a satisfactory impression on her. His clothes were dirty and his appearance was rough. The teachers at Hampton helped to provided Booker T. with fresh clothing because the institute had strict rules. All students attending had to have clean clothes and shiny shoes. Booker T. was also given an extra set of clothing that was sent in barrels from up North.  Booker T. slept in a bed for the first time that had sheets on them.  He was unaccustomed to sleeping on sheets for the first several nights. After watching the other boys for a while, he picked up on how to make his bed. Booker T. was one of the youngest adolescent boys in the school but that didnt stop his determination. Even as Booker T. att ended school at Hampton Institute, he learned a significant lesson about education that would be with him for a long time. One of the lessons was being clean was a vital part of a persons self-confidence. He also learned that even though if a person had an education, it did not put them directly above blue-collar labor. Booker T. believed education should be well rounded and that a people should learn to enjoy labor. He also learned to be more independent and valuable to others in his surroundings.  In addition to, Booker T. thought that people should not be selfless but lead by example. Booker T. Washington later take all his left lessons to the Tuskegee Institute where he became a principal. In the month of May, 1881, General Armstrong accepted a proposal from a group of philanthropists who recommended that the principal for the new school be an African American in the little town of Alabama which would be called Tuskegee. At the time of the request, people assumed that there would not be an African American man that would qualify for the position. Nevertheless, to the shock of the founders of the Tuskegee Institute, Booker T. Washington was recommended for the position where he would be accepted at the school. Shortly after Booker T. Washington made it to Tuskegee, the founders and Booker T. agreed that the school would open on July 4, 1881, Independence Day. Booker T. thought the goal of the Tuskegee Institute would be the source for people who could work hard, learn a skill, and make a living. He also thought people should learn the meaning of hygiene and religion. Booker T. wanted the graduates to go all over the country and be a model to all they met.  Reading, wr iting and arithmetic was taught. But a greater value was placed on the skills and everyday living. Booker T. hope students would know that working as a laborer was not an embarrassment. As a part of all the students training, they were expected to do all the work at the institute. In 1893, Booker T. Washington married his third wife, Miss Margaret James Murray, who had graduate of Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee.  Portia his daughter was a dressmaker. She had a passion for music. Portia later was hired as an instructor at Tuskegee. His son Booker T., Jr. learned the brick masons trade. He wanted to become an architect one day.  Ernest, the youngest son wanted to be a doctor. He decided to gain experience in a doctors office. His biggest guilt was he couldnt spend more time with his family. Twenty years later, the Tuskegee Institute has incorporated a lot of land built by the student. All the manufacturing departments demonstrated skills that permitted students to get careers once they graduated at the institute. Washington died in 1915 as one of the most popular black men in the world. Booker T. had dinners with the President of the United States, as well as dining with royal families in Europe. Washington was an intellectual man who tried to do the best for African Americans. He wanted to have an education that would allow them to live ideal lives. A number of black leaders in America today, such as Alan Keys, hope to go back to Washingtons structure of educating the head, hand, and the heart. The Tuskegee Institute has improved since Washingtons time. While the school was built to help African Americans to learn a skill, it now supports students to earn a college degree. Washingtons assessment on integration consisted of living by example. Washington felt if black pe ople could demonstrate white people they could act sophisticated and be an asset to the community, all the races would finally get along. Washington felt like the government could make people like one another by making it legal. Washington believed African Americans had to prove themselves as equals.

Ghost Story of the Kingsville Haunted House Essay examples -- Ghost St

Kingsville Haunted House The teller is 24 years old, and works for the state department of education. Originally, he was from the Baltimore area where he attended an elementary Catholic school. He moved to Bell Air in second grade and grew up there. After his parents separated, he moved back to Baltimore to live with his grandparents, and has remained in Baltimore ever since. The sister he mentions in the story moved away to China years ago. A weekend or two ago, he, I, and a few other friends spent the evening in one of our favorite hang-out spots in Columbia, Pub Dog. It was there, sitting in our dimly lit booth, over some beers that I heard him tell this story from his childhood. He spoke in a strangely matter-of-fact tone, considering the weirdness of the story he was telling, and in a smooth, comfortable manner that seemed to indicate he had told the story many times before. Here is the story he told: Ok. One night my sister and I were at my father’s house. He lives in Kingsville on 10 maybe 9 acres of land in this [small pause, looks at ceiling] I wouldn’t really call it a farmhouse, just a kind of small house out there. The previous person who lived in the house was supposedly shipped to an asylum, for, you know, normal stuff [pause] schizophrenic or something. My sister and I were at the house one night and we were cleaning up the house while my dad was on some sort of job out of the state and my step mom was at work in the hospital. We were doing our stuff, and then the power flickered, and came back on. We didn’t think anything of it. Then, outside of the door, we heard a noise, kinda like a dog barking, but like, just enough not so that we knew it wasn’t. So, we hear this noise, and start to get fre... ...g age. â€Å"Young children idolize their parents and draw strength from closeness to them.† (Nichols, 190). As soon as my friend and his sister were near to their father, they felt safe, and things returned to normal. This story, although somewhat unique in its exact plot, contains many elements that make it a typical and traditional ghost story. These elements suggest common fears in today’s society of people in general, and children specifically. Works Cited Nichols, Michael P. Stop Arguing with Your Kids: How to Win the Battle of Wills by Making your Children feel Heard. New York: Guilford Press, 2004. Sceurman, Mark and Mark Moran. Weird Maryland: Your Travel Guide to Maryland’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets. New York: Sterling Pub. Co., 2006. Spock, Benjamin. Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care 8th Edition. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2004.