Biographical Analysis of John Mcwhorter Essays

Biographical Analysis of John Mcwhorter Essays Biographical Analysis of John Mcwhorter Paper Biographical Analysis of John Mcwhorter Paper Han Bin Kim Comp II, Class B Assignment 2, Draft 1 February 23, 2013 John McWhorter Interview Over the years I have interviewed a good number of people, but there has never been anyone quite like John McWhorter. Upon reading the article â€Å"The Cosmopolitan Tongue: The Universality of English† as published in the 2009 Fall edition of World Affairs, I found myself delighted by the mellow but powerful tone and the writer who could use it with such ease. Here was a man with brains, consideration, and humor. Lost in my reveries about what McWhorter would be like, I didn’t quite realize that I had somehow dialed his office number until a deep voice filtered through the receiver. â€Å"Yes? McWhorter speaking. † With a tingling sense of nervousness I had forgotten since my rookie days, I introduced myself and asked if he could spare time for a brief interview. He replied, â€Å"Interviews, my dear sir, are rarely brief,† and I could almost hear his smile. There was that brilliant wit which had inspired him to state that there were â€Å"no feminine-gendered tables that talk like Penelope Cruz. (McWhorter, 251) After a turn or two of friendly wrangling, he gently suggested meeting Saturday afternoon at a quiet cafe we both knew. I agreed to the designated rendezvous and, unable to control the temptation, asked, â€Å"How long have you said cafe like that? † The way McWhorter pronounced the word was this: the ‘c’ was sweeter and lighter, in the way I talians and Spaniards speak, and the ‘f’ was said like a soft ‘p’- sounding simply foreign. He said simply, â€Å"Since I was very young. I already knew that he had â€Å"taught himself languages as a hobby since childhood† (McWhorter, 247), and unsatisfied as I was with his answer, I vowed that Saturday would be a new day. On Saturday afternoon I drove down a peaceful country road and walked silently into the cafe. A tall man stood with his back to me, gazing out the large French window, and without prologue asked, â€Å"Isn’t that a beautiful poem right in front of us? Anne Shirley said it a century ago, but I’ll take the liberty to repeat it. The lines and verses are only the outward garments of the poem; the real poem is the soul within them†¦ and that beautiful scene is the soul of an unwritten poem. † I smiled quietly at his analytical but sensitive analogy, reminded immediately of his description of the word ‘al- â€Å"an evergreen branch, a word whose final sound is a whistling past the sides of the tongue that sounds like wind passing through just such a branch. † (McWhorter, 247) I later asked him what his childhood nickname had been, and laughing, he confessed that he had most often been called â€Å"poet†. Small wonder for a man who could condense a long, everyday sentence- say, for example, â€Å"there are an innumerable number of books that could have summed up to no mean weight†- into three pithy, creative, imagery-filled words: â€Å"Bookstore shelves groan. † (McWhorter, 247) He folded his long self into the armchair, crossing his legs, and leaning slightly forward he told me to sit down. As I sat, I remarked, â€Å"You look a great deal like I imagined you to be. † His quiet question and intelligent gaze compelled me to elucidate. I had gathered much of the premises from his writing. The contrasting thoughts â€Å"I hardly rejoice when a language dies† (McWhorter, 247) and â€Å"Would it be inherently evil if there were not 6,000 spoken languages but one? † (McWhorter, 252) could hardly have revealed themselves in a single piece of writing unless the writer was a man of exceptionally precise, cold logic. Thus I had already envisioned the deep-set, handsome eyes that flashed fire from under his brow, and the firmly set mouth. I had also imagined him to be a handsome man, and he was that, too. Humor saved the chin from tapering too sharply, the mouth from being dour: â€Å"Spanish speakers do not go about routinely imagining tables as cooing in feminine tones. † (McWhorter, 249) McWhorter laughed at my analysis, wryly telling me that I should have gone out for professional work in physiognomy, and handed me the menu which the waitress had left by his side. These little considerate actions which I had noticed during the phone call and the three minutes I had met him, inspired me to ask if he had always been so considerate. He looked surprised. I have never thought myself considerate,† he said slowly, â€Å"I am often told that I am too frank with my words. Before I make my opinion on something, I look at it from all perspectives to check that it is perfectly reasonable and logical. But once I make it, I say it without stopping to think if people who think otherwise will be hurt by my words. † I protested. I had already known that he was a considerate per son just by reading his article; namely, the welcoming way with which he drew his readers in: â€Å"Most Americans pronounce disgusting as â€Å"diss-kusting† with a k sound. Try it- you probably do too. )† (McWhorter, 248) The tall man leaned back in the armchair and laughed. â€Å"My dear friend, every writer is obligated to welcome his readers. Readers are the laziest species that ever drew breath, and if they don’t feel welcomed, they won’t read. As for being patient in littler things- well, I don’t know if this is very relevant or not, but I read five versions of the Talmud, each one progressively harder, when I was in middle school. I’m pretty sure junior high was when my interest in Hebrew peaked. The Talmud was a pretty good source of linguistic and cultural knowledge, and some of the moral standards made pretty logical sense, so I adopted them as my own. † It was relevant. Being considerate in a gentlemanly way, however, was different from the deferential attitude that McWhorter always took on when dealing with other cultures. More curious was how completely he seemed to understand each language, from its origin to how the people felt about it- â€Å"Native American groups would bristle at the idea that they are no longer meaningfully â€Å"Indian† simply because they no longer speak their ancestral language. (McWhorter, 249) McWhorter looked a trifle annoyed at first, but gradually his well-shaped face took on more complacent, amused lines. â€Å"I am a writer, and I am a linguist,† he said. â€Å"Both have to do with words- their denotation, connotation, nuance, and power. Knowing the power each word can wield automatically inspires you to feel a cert ain reverence for the English vocabulary in general- I’m sure you’ll agree with me there, sir- and knowing the power each language can wield brings you on your knees before the altar of all languages. † â€Å"But you don’t worship something you know absolutely nothing about,† he aid, gazing out at the sunlit scene again. â€Å"You first make sure that whatever it is, it is something that deserves to be worshipped. So you study the language. From then on, it’s rather like jumping into a river. Jump into the heart of the current, and you will be swept away like a stray autumn leaf. If you give yourself wholeheartedly up for the language to mold, the culture starts to mold you too. And as for the fact that I feel this way towards all languages,† and here a small frown creased his brow as he turned to me again, â€Å"well, it is a shame that this should be surprising, that is all. Each language has a rich legacy, albeit a legacy very different from our own, and they should be respected. † McWhorter’s eloquence touched me, and we talked for two more hours, vacillating from common everyday things I caught glimpses of from his article to fascinating facts I had never dreamed about him. I learned that he had mastered Socrates’ syllogisms at the age of six and Hegelian dialectics at the age of twelve, and that the value he respected most in humanity was its reason. Judging by the cold shoulder he gave his so beloved minority languages in his concluding paragraph- â€Å"We must consider the question in its pure, logical essence† (McWhorter, 252)- it was hardly surprising. More interesting was the fact that he had no less than four dogs at home, each named after a rare language he had specially enjoyed. The latest addition to the family was a darling slender little Chihuahua named Ket, with triple the uncertain grace of awkwardness found in dogs of his species. In the middle of hearing about Ket’s antics, I asked rather abruptly, â€Å"What art form is your favorite? Modernist? † McWhorter looked at me, surprised. â€Å"How did you guess? † I laughed. McWhorter, for a man of such clear-cut logic, enjoyed impossibilities as far as reality allowed- â€Å"The Ket language of Siberia is so awesomely irregular as to seem a work of art. † (McWhorter, 250) It was only natural that he should enjoy Picasso, whose pictures showed sharper intellectual insight, over David or Michelangelo, whose works were but excellent facsimiles of life’s appearance copied onto canvas and marble. Four hours passed by in the blink of an eye and time came for McWhorter to leave. He stood up and cordially shook my hand. â€Å"It was an honor meeting you, sir, though I dare say the interview was not short. † I shook my head. â€Å"No, it was an excellent interview. Thank you very much, Mr. McWhorter. † â€Å"Please, John,† McWhorter smilingly said. â€Å"If there’s one thing I learned from studying languages, it is that names are the essence of culture. I’ve seen many languages that are creative and fiendishly difficult and random- but no language is ever simpler than the other. Each has rich names for the things they treasure most. Native Americans sometimes have odd names; did you know that they have to earn it? But in our culture, we place identification foremost- and thanks be, my name is John McWhorter; John for friends and Mr. McWhorter for editors who don’t like my articles. † â€Å"Aren’t there many Johns here? † I teased, laughing, as I pulled on my coat. McWhorter shook his head. â€Å"None like me, John McWhorter,† he smiled, and treaded lightly out the door.

Judicial Activism - Cons essays

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A Report On IP Video Surveillance

A Report On IP Video Surveillance The report is organized in the following way. The report starts with the introduction of the topic that includes the sub headings of: Aims and Objectives Literature review How does the IP video surveillance works Advantages of the IP video surveillance Disadvantages of the IP video surveillance Comparisons with the traditional video surveillance techniques Purpose of the research This is followed by the second chapter that explains the methodology of the research done. This contains the following sub headings. Definition of the research Reason for the research Research Philosophy Research Approach Research Strategy The research process Sampling of the Data Collection of the Data This is followed by the next chapter which is Findings and Analysis which consists of the following sub headings. Observations made Analysis of the observations. Other critical Findings. Inference and the basic derivations. Limitations of these findings and analysis This is followed by the last chapter which is Conclusion which takes the various aspects of the report and summarizes all the contents. Introduction PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH This research project which is titled as IP video surveillance in todays business environment is purposed to investigate, identify and explore mainly the following dimensions related to: The advantages and disadvantages of the IP video surveillance over the conventional and the traditional analog video surveillance. Explore the potential of the IP video surveillance in the fields like security, safety, and other business related purposes. Listing the latest and the most recent innovational developments in the field of IP video surveillance. Finding the designs related with the implementation of the IP video surveillance systems. Justifying the investment in the IP video surveillance for the business purposes. The video surveillance is finding the new applications in the physical security and safety in the various fields. To combat with the terrorism and theft along with finding the ways through the technological innovations to protect the personal and group properties and asset, the IP video surveillance technique is presently on its boom. This research project focuses on analyzing such benefits of the implementation of the IP based surveillance of the videos to see how the loss of the property and the time by the theft and other reasons can be avoided that affects the profits and the sales of any business or the organization whether it is a private firm, government organization, manufacturing units, retail stores, etc. The research is also focused on finding the methods and determining its feasibility to develop a security system be it the centralized or the distributed one for the world wide businesses and some other purposes by the use of the IP network enabled instruments for the video capture and other features. Another focus was to analyze the various aspects and protocols needed to assemble the various facilities available in the form of the internet and the world wide web with the various types of cameras and other electronic devices to transmit and receive the videos, communicating the data with the required control and security and the transmission of the related information in the most appropriate and the convenient way so as to seek the ultimate benefits to the business oriented environment. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The main aim of the project IP video surveillance in todays business environment is to determine and study the capacity and potentiality of using the IP video surveillance and finding the most appropriate and feasible applications of it in the todays business environment through an in-depth analysis of its design and implementation. The main objective of this project is to study the over topic IP video surveillance and analyze its productivity and feasibility along with the justifications and the list of the advantageous factors for the implementation of this technology for the business related purposes. Other objectives of this project are also listed below: Exploring and understanding the benefits of using the IP based video surveillance in the security, safety and the management related issues of the business. Getting the justifications for the recommendation of the use of the IP video surveillance for the business purposes. To have a critical understanding of the concepts related with the available IP video surveillance technologies and the pros and cons of each of these concepts if applicable. To indentify the recent and the latest technological innovations in the field of the IP video surveillance with the emphasizing focus on the use of intelligence in the process involved in the form of video analytics. Analyze how the existing equipments and the systems can be utilized with the required modifications in order to get a planned migration from the existing video surveillance to the new technologies of the IP based video surveillance system. To analyze the construction and design for the implementation of the IP video surveillance system. The research will provide a deep insight of the technology of IP video surveillance along with the consideration of the existing, conventional and traditional ways of doing the video surveillance. The research has analyzed the different aspects of the changing trends with the complete overview of the advantages and implications of implementing the technology with the detailed report of benefits related to the security, safety and management of the businesses and their feasibility in the light of its complexity, monetary required and other essential elements. LITERATURE REVIEW In the literature review of this project, I have made a deep study of the published and unpublished work to understand and analyze the different concepts related to the video capturing, surveillance techniques and algorithms, various internet protocols along with the requirements and essential needs for the business professional and firms and the security and safety issues related to it. Several elements and components related with the project were analyzed and studied with the different perspectives to get an idea and the base to predict and get the inferential analysis of the fact and figures to get the final results and conclusions to predict and present the recommendations in the light and support of these analysis. The reviews and the reports were taken as the secondary source of the data which means that they are not based on the new findings or the experimental researches but just the referential reading material containing the data that has evolved out of the previously done researches and experiments to support for the further research and development. (What is a literature review?)It helped me to build the substantial knowledge base and the acquaintance of various methodologies for the study of the taken research project of IP video surveillance with its application in the todays business environment. The reviews and the studies were made from the different available resources like journals, books, reports, published or unpublished interviews, doctoral thesiss, doctoral presentations, newspaper articles, business reports, research papers from the different national and the international conferences and student project reports. This gave me enough insight of the previous researches done and the further research required and also helped me to know my domain of how I can contribute for the further research. These literature reviews also helped me to build up a base full of the knowledge and the logical aspects for the analysis of the information and the data gathered from the intensive interviews conducted. (What is a literature review?) The study of the few statistical concepts were also done to have a better understanding of the data and also for the removal of any undesired and unrequited error that may have crept in due to the negligence or the ignorance of the interviewee. To better understand the concepts of the digital and the analog practices and the technology of the CCTV surveillance I gone through the CCTV Surveillance, second edition book available at the Google books. (Kruegle, CCTV surveillance: analog and digital video practices and technology, 2006) The loss and the crime prevention techniques were studied from the Handbook on the loss prevention and the Crime prevention by the Lawrence J. Fennely which explained the benefits of implementation of CCTV video surveillance to the institutions. (Fennely, Handbook of loss prevention and crime prevention, 2003) The researchers conducted by the IMS showed that the IP video surveillance is the fastest growing field of research in the physical and the remote security. (The business to business trade publication for information and physical Security profe, 2009) The increasing sophistication of the video analyst software and its integration with the other sensors were understood from the book Protecting Privacy in Video Surveillance by Andrew Senior. (Senior, 2009) The changes in the technologies, advantages and disadvantages of the IP video surveillance system, etc were studied from the different sources like an article by Lucy P.Roberts. (How IP-based video surveillance works) There is a growing need for information to support business intelligence application. Business intelligence information such as counting of people going in or out of the store, determining customer shopping habbits, information on the store occupancy information, and the others can be gathered using the video analytics. (Branislav, Embedded Computer Vision, 2009) Besides, several research papers like Towards developing Secure Video Surveillance over IP, Design and implementation of an IP-based Intelligent Video Surveillance System were also studied. Basics The IP video surveillance is one of the most promising technologies of the future that is designed to work on the Internet Protocols and allows the users to get the view of the distant images digitized over the local area or even the wide area network. The devices like high resolution video camera, CCD, etc takes the scene in front of it, converts it to the corresponding digital signal send it over the network, where it is transmitted to the computers, servers, etc to finally reach the destination. The server has the responsibility to manage all these information. These digital images are managed, recorded, displayed, and retransmitted to any part of the world using the various tools and techniques with the various software, hardware and algorithms. The software packages that is involved with the use of the video surveillance can be modified to serve for the various purposes like analyzing the data, selecting some of the features and the objects to watch for, hosting various function s, analyzing the environment, thus building it into the a powerful customizable tool for security and various other purposes. (Video Surveillance Technology) The IP-based digital video surveillance makes the use of CCD cameras which are the charged coupled devices, and use the digital signal processing tools and algorithms that sends the packetized or the buffered video streams over the LAN or WAN using the standard TCP/IP communication. (Video Surveillance Technology) To make the better utilization of the bandwidth, the transmission is done through a Cat 5 cable rather than the coax cable network. The IP video surveillance can also provide various intelligent data mining and information retrieval techniques to smartly analyze and extract the logical information from the video being processed. The tools and techniques like the data encryption and some others can be used to protect the transmitted data against the image processing in order to do away with the security issues if they are essential for the transmission of the videos to the remote locations. The technologies of the IP video surveillance is getting more and more advanced and in the recent developments the companies like D-Link and Linksys have developed such efficient digital cameras that have actually integrated the built-in web servers and no external device or computers are required to operate them with the signals being transmitted directly to the required remote locations for the storage and play-back purposes. (How IP-based video surveillance works) HOW DOES THE IP VIDEO SURVEILLANCE WORKS Earlier the technology that was used for the video surveillance was the analog technology. The process was quite simple with the use of the closed circuit televisions (CCTV) and the recording on the tapes. The recording used to be fine, where the images and the videos were used to get recorded on the storage devices and played back later on for the surveillance purposes but the problem was that it didnt broadcast the actual live information, so although it used to provide the essential information but was obviously impractical for monitoring the remote locations, etc. The quality of the picture was also not very good and also the human reliability was required as someone has to interfere with the system time to time in order to change the tapes regularly, etc. (Networks, 2010) In the simple terms, it provided the video after the happening of the fact and not instantly. With the revolution in the internet technologies in the 1990s and the increasing presence and the demand on the Local Area Network revolutionized the field of the video surveillance too. Now, the traditional analog cameras were able to be replaced by the digital ones and the Charged Coupled Devices (CCD) which came into the existence and gradually became affordable to most of the people. (Networks, 2010) With this revolution in the field, it provided the surveillance to do the important things like going live over the internet or a closed network for the purpose of surveillance, provide the better picture quality, clearer in view which can be easily manipulated. With the digitized images, it became much easier to zoom the images, track the particular scenes and enhance the feature as the user desires which has a large number of applications in law enforcement, defense purpose, research and development processes. (Video Surveillance) ADVANTAGES OF IP VIDEO SURVEILLANCE There are a number of advantages of the IP video surveillance for the home, business, defense, and research related purposes. Some of them are listed below (IP Camera Advantage and Disadvantage): The IP video surveillance can be very efficient in terms of its flexibility as the IP cameras can be highly mobile in the terms that it can be moved anywhere in the network having the IP standard. This mobility and the flexibility can be of very high level in case of the wireless networks. (IP Camera Advantage and Disadvantage) The cameras used in the surveillance, the IP cameras can be provided with the modifications to implement the distributed intelligence. This can be done by the various ways like adding the video analytics right on the cameras allowing it to get the scalability in the analytic solutions. (Benifits of network video Surveillance) The IP video surveillance also allows the two-way audio/video transmission through a single network cable which can allow the users to communicate with what they are seeing. (IP Camera Advantage and Disadvantage) With the development of the type of cameras in this field, various high range cameras with the high resolution which can provide the multi-megapixel resolution of the image and the HDTV image quality as high as 30 frames per second on a normal network. Transmission of the digital commands for the features like pan, tilt and zoom (PTZ) via a single network cable is also possible. (Benifits of network video Surveillance) The transmission of the videos can be done through the various encryption and authentication methods such as WPA, WPA2, WEP, TKIP, AES, etc. (IP Camera Advantage and Disadvantage) Another advantage of this technology is that it is highly remote accessible i.e. the live videos captured from one place can be viewed from anywhere in the world, any computer, any internet enabled device, also from the mobile smart phones, etc even they can be correspondingly viewed from a number of places at the same time. (Benifits of network video Surveillance) For the large systems like those that have more than 25-30 cameras, the IP video surveillance system becomes highly cost effective. The IP video surveillance can also be managed to function over the wireless networks which requires only the initial configuration through the routers after which they are ready to be used in the wireless network. This technique is of the extreme importance for their use in the navigation purposes in the defense forces. (Wireless Internet Video Cameras) The cameras used in the surveillance i.e. the IP cameras mostly do not require the additional power supply and can be operated using the PoE i.e. Power over Ethernet using the PoE protocol which derives the power from the Ethernet cable for the cameras to operate. (Power over Ethernet (PoE)) DISADVANTAGES OF IP VIDEO SURVEILLANCE With the number of advantages of using the IP Video surveillance, there are also few disadvantages related to its use. Some of them are listed below (IP Camera Advantage and Disadvantage): Comparatively high cost related with the surveillance due to higher initial cost related with the camera and its installation except for the cases when the cheap and less expensive webcams are used. (IP Camera Advantage and Disadvantage) If the system is transmitting the videos over the public Internet rather than a private LAN whether it is the CCTV or the DVR system, the system becomes quite opened to the hacking and cracking via the internet. Attackers can attack to the transmission stealing the various personnel, business or defense information which can be very harmful for the users. (IP versus analog cameras) The bandwidth required for the system is very high. A typical CCTV camera system of the resolution of 640X480 pixels and 10 frames per second in the MJPEG mode requires the bandwidth as at least 3 MB/S which is quite high for a normal user. (IP versus analog cameras) The installation procedures of the camera systems are considerably complicated and require the professional technical assistance. (IP Camera Advantage and Disadvantage) COMPARISON WITH THE TRADITIONAL VIDEO SURVEILLANCE TECHNIQUES As described above earlier the analog or CCTV/ DVR system was used for the purpose of the video surveillance instead in comparison to the topic of our discussion which is IP based video surveillance. The comparison is summarized in the following table: Sl no. IP Video Surveillance Analog or CCTV/DVR Video Surveillance 1. The IP based video surveillance means the instant transmission of the images anytime anywhere and in the world. The live transmission of the obtained video is neither possible nor practical. 2. The quality of the recorded video does not decreases with the number of replays or repetitions. The quality of the storage gets poorer an poorer with the repetitions. 3. The IP standard can be used to control a number of cameras at the same time from one remote location 4. The recording on IP basis can be highly compressible and can be transported in the various ranges of formats, size and quality. Storage of the analog videos is generally much more bulky than the digitized ones. 5. Digital picture quality is generally better to that of the analog ones. The image quality is inferior to that which is obtained from the digital ones. 6. Encryption can be done for security purposes for the digital images. There are almost no encryption techniques available for the analog videos. 7. The updating in the requirements can be done very easy and inexpensively by having the updates and add ons in the software package or Internet networking. The updating just means the updating in the hardware. 8. The frame rates are adjustable. Frame rate can adjusted only through the hardware not through any algorithm. 9. The number of cameras can be easily added, removed or modified with very ease. The number of cameras can be added or deleted only in the set of 16 as in the case of DVRs. 10. Sharing can also be done on the wireless networks like Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wifi, etc Only the physical transport of the tapes is possible. 11. Standard IP video compression techniques can also be utilized. These techniques are not applicable here. ibliography Branislav. (2009). Embedded Computer Vision. Springer. Fennely, L. J. (2003). Handbook of loss prevention and crime prevention. Elsevier. How IP-based video surveillance works. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2011, from Video Surveillance Guide: http://www.video-surveillance-guide.com/how-IP-based-video-surveillance-works.htm IP Camera Advantage and Disadvantage. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2011, from IPMarket.Info: http://ipvideomarket.info/report/should_i_use_ip_cameras__reviewing_ip_camera_advantages Kruegle, H. CCTV Surveillance, Videos services and technology. Kruegle, H. (2006). CCTV surveillance: analog and digital video practices and technology. Butterworth-Heinemann. Senior, A. (2009). Protecting Privacy in Video Surveillance. Springer. The business to business trade publication for information and physical Security profe. (2009, February). CXO Media Inc. Vol. 8, No. 1 , p. 36. Video Surveillance. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2011, from Video Surveillance: http://www.videosurveillance.com/

Origins of The Beauty Myth :: Naomi Wolf, The Beauty Myth

Naomi Wolf's "The Beauty Myth," discusses the impact of our male-dominated society upon women. Wolf argues that women's most significant problems associated with societal pressures are a "fairly recent invention," dating back to the 1970s (6). She explains that women have "breached the power structure" by acquiring rights equal to men in areas such as, education, professional careers, and voting. As a result, Wolf suggests that the "beauty myth" is the "last one remaining of the old feminine ideologies that still has the power to control those women" (3). Considering that the beauty myth is women's last battle, the struggle is increasingly more difficult. Wolf claims that women are currently experiencing "a violent backlash against feminism," noting the recent rise in eating disorders, cosmetic surgery, and objectification of women's bodies (3,2). While Wolf accurately defines the beauty myth, she incorrectly states that eating disorders, cosmetic surgery, and pornography are recent issues, resulting from an intentional "backlash" against women's rights. Wolf utilizes the term "the beauty myth" to demonstrate that the interpretation of beauty is a creation of society, intended to keep women trapped inside their bodies. Wolf claims that the beauty myth "is not about women at all." She explains, "it is about men's institutions and institutional power" (5). In addition, she claims that women have recently obtained numerous rights, which now threaten "to destabilize the institutions on which a male-dominated culture has depended." She continues to explain that "a collective panic reaction [†¦] has forced a demand for counter images" (8). Clearly, society as a whole does create pressure on women to act in a certain manner. However, Wolf's implication that it is an intentional, organized effort to keep women oppressed is one-sided and extreme. While Wolf fails to conclusively prove that the beauty myth is an organized group effort, she is certainly correct in her explanation of the symptoms associated with the beauty myth: There is a secret "underlife" poisoning our freedom; infused with notions of beauty, it is a dark vein of self-hatred, physical obsessions, terror of aging, and dread of lost control. (3) According to Laura Shapiro, a notable researcher on eating disorders, the medical condition of anorexia consists of several elements. By definition, anorexia nervosa is a condition characterized by intense fear of gaining weight or becoming obese, as well as a distorted body image, and a feeling of loss of control (Shapiro 69). Origins of The Beauty Myth :: Naomi Wolf, The Beauty Myth Naomi Wolf's "The Beauty Myth," discusses the impact of our male-dominated society upon women. Wolf argues that women's most significant problems associated with societal pressures are a "fairly recent invention," dating back to the 1970s (6). She explains that women have "breached the power structure" by acquiring rights equal to men in areas such as, education, professional careers, and voting. As a result, Wolf suggests that the "beauty myth" is the "last one remaining of the old feminine ideologies that still has the power to control those women" (3). Considering that the beauty myth is women's last battle, the struggle is increasingly more difficult. Wolf claims that women are currently experiencing "a violent backlash against feminism," noting the recent rise in eating disorders, cosmetic surgery, and objectification of women's bodies (3,2). While Wolf accurately defines the beauty myth, she incorrectly states that eating disorders, cosmetic surgery, and pornography are recent issues, resulting from an intentional "backlash" against women's rights. Wolf utilizes the term "the beauty myth" to demonstrate that the interpretation of beauty is a creation of society, intended to keep women trapped inside their bodies. Wolf claims that the beauty myth "is not about women at all." She explains, "it is about men's institutions and institutional power" (5). In addition, she claims that women have recently obtained numerous rights, which now threaten "to destabilize the institutions on which a male-dominated culture has depended." She continues to explain that "a collective panic reaction [†¦] has forced a demand for counter images" (8). Clearly, society as a whole does create pressure on women to act in a certain manner. However, Wolf's implication that it is an intentional, organized effort to keep women oppressed is one-sided and extreme. While Wolf fails to conclusively prove that the beauty myth is an organized group effort, she is certainly correct in her explanation of the symptoms associated with the beauty myth: There is a secret "underlife" poisoning our freedom; infused with notions of beauty, it is a dark vein of self-hatred, physical obsessions, terror of aging, and dread of lost control. (3) According to Laura Shapiro, a notable researcher on eating disorders, the medical condition of anorexia consists of several elements. By definition, anorexia nervosa is a condition characterized by intense fear of gaining weight or becoming obese, as well as a distorted body image, and a feeling of loss of control (Shapiro 69).