Risk Factors That Increase Stress in Modern Day Adolescents Essay Example for Free

Risk Factors That Increase Stress in Modern Day Adolescents Essay Adolescence is a time of growth and development. It is a transitional stage between the dependency of childhood and independency of adulthood. Thus, it is not surprising that adolescence is noted to be a juncture of high distress. Risk factors and causes of stress in adolescence must be determined first and foremost, so that appropriate coping strategies can be developed to deal with this issue. Stress is defined as conditions or events that test a persons psychological capacity to adjust or respond to these circumstances (Garcia, 2009). The conditions, in which a person determines as stressful, vary depending on the individual. Adolescents experience of stress can be perceived as intolerable, due to their lack of knowledge and understanding of how to appropriately deal with their distress (George van der Berg 2011). Byrne and Mazanov (2002) established seven areas that predispose adolescents to increased stress levels. These include school, family relationships, future prospects and peer interactions (Byrne Mazanov 2002). Negative family interactions have been found to be the most compelling stressors for adolescents (McNamara 2000, pg 39). Unstable family structure, parental disagreements and inadequate child care can have a detrimental effect on an adolescents well being (Menaghan 2010). As adolescents are still developing physically and mentally, the requirement of a constant and secure home life is especially beneficial to their growth into adulthood. Most family related stressors can be classified as trivial or minor disagreements between an adolescent and parent (McNamara 2000 pg 40). When these discrepancies escalate into severe conflicts, the resultant adolescent is more inclined to have doubt in their self-worth, and depleted confidence in their ability to achieve, therefore losing all motivation to accomplish goals (McNamara 2000 pg 42). This in turn can predispose the adolescent to stress related conditions such as depression and self destruction (George van der Berg 2011). Peer relationships can be the most influential aspect on an adolescents  decision making process (McNamara 2000, pg 41). The need to fit in and feel validated by their peers can cause great distress, which can have a colossal effect on choices an adolescent makes. Peer pressure, bullying and fear of rejection are a few of the many social issues, youths face on a daily basis through school and social activities, such as youth groups and sporting events. The resources that they have access to, can either enhance their well being or cause an adolescent a great deal stress. Preconditions, such as negative family/home situations and genetic predisposition to mental illness, can increase development of problem behaviour in teens (McNamara 2000, pg 54). Poor self perception and lack of self esteem can make it difficult for an adolescent to build rapport with other peers, leading to anti-social and self-harm tendencies. Although peer interactions can manipulate an adolescents way of thinking or choices they make, lack of peer relationships can lead to depressive or aggressive attitudes (George van der Berg 2011). The burdens of school attainment includes future uncertainty with career and further education prospects, and current stressors such as the need to achieve good grades to accomplish these goals, and exam pressures (George van der Berg 2011). Added parental pressure to achieve high marks can also cause negative performance anxieties, due to the adolescents uncontrollable desire to please their parents scholastic achievement dreams of them. Competition between peers to achieve good grades for acceptance into reputable tertiary intuitions, can furthermore add to the distress caused on teenagers through education and peer rivalry (McNamara 2000). Constructive and supportive learning environments can be beneficial to an adolescents growth and development. This can support an overall higher achievement rate and feeling of satisfaction in student, teacher and parent (McNamara 2000). Research into adolescent stress has increased considerably over the past twenty years. With the ever advancing development of new technologies, Byrne and Mazanov (2002) concluded that their study into psychosocial factors that increase stress in adolescents must be modified and adjusted to suit the specific era. For example, twenty years ago issues with cyber bullying were  nonexistent. With this knowledge it is important to be aware of any new possible causes of stress in adolescents, and adapt the stress measuring apparatuses and questionnaires as required. Outlining the specific areas that youths find the most distressing, can assist adolescent professionals and parents alike to be able to recognise and treat the symptoms of stress before it gets out of control. It is important to acknowledge that stress and the ability to be able to adapt to different situations is not always a negative experience. From examining numerous case studies and experimental questionnaires on adolescent stress, I have been able to determine that there are three main significant areas that all adolescents find cause anguish in their lives. These factors are schooling, friendships and parent/child relationships. If these areas are controlled in a compassionate and understanding environment, there is greater chance of those adolescents developing appropriate coping strategies that they can continue to use into adulthood.

Nature vs Nurture: Genes vs Environment Essay -- child development, ps

Introduction A debate between psychologist, scientists and philosopher thinkers on the spectrum of ‘nature vs. nurture’ arose concerning human development. In the nature versus nurture debate, the term "nature" refers to the genes we inherit while the term "nurture" refers to our outside environment (Nature vs. Nurture: Twin and Adoption Studies). This debate of ‘nature vs. nurture’ has existed for centuries and up to now it is still a topic of major discussion although at present time. Human development is the scientific study of age-related changes in behavior, thinking, emotions and personality (Boyd & Bee, 2005). In order to understand cognitive, emotional, physical, social and educational growth that everyone experiences from childhood until adulthood, we must first understand the influence and importance of child development. Different psychologists have different theories and concepts of child development. Grand theories often use a stage-by-stage approach while a ttempting to describe the areas of development. Mini-theories focus only on a fairly limited aspect of development, such as cognitive or social growth. (Cherry, Child Development Theories, 2011) Discussion John Locke, a famous philosopher once introduced the concept of tabula rasa that defines a child’s mind as a ‘blank slate’ which can be written on and moulded by the society and environment. He believes that what we are is determined by the experiences we face. Plato, the Greek philosopher suggests that certain things simply occur naturally regardless of any environmental influence. However, Jean Jacques Rousseau describes humans in their state of nature as noble savages living in peace and harmony but due to civilization and advancement in society, humans ... ...0 Â © 1963). Childhood and Society. W.W Norton & Company, Inc. 5. King, A. L. (2008). The Science of Psychology: An Appreciative View. New York: McGraw-Hill . 6. Nature vs. Nurture: Twin and Adoption Studies. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2011, from Nurture or Nature.com: http://www.nurture-or-nature.com/articles/twin-and-adoption-studies/index.php 7. Preaaley, M., & McCormick, C. (2007). Child and Adolescent Development for Educators. New York: The Guilford Publications. 8. Robert S. Feldman, P. (2006). Child Development, . University of Massachusetts,Amherst. 9. Smolako, l. (1993). Adult development. Adult Development . 10. Spaulding, K. (2009). Human Development Theory - Psychological Growth Over Time. Retrieved December 4, 2011, from Knol - a unit of knowledge: share what you know, publish your expertise.: http://knol.google.com/k/human-development-theory#

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 14

Chapter 14 Meanwhile, back at the hotel room, Raziel has given up his hopes to be a professional wrestler and has resumed his ambition to be Spider-Man. He made the decision after I pointed out that in Genesis, Jacob wrestles an angel and wins. In short, a human defeated an angel. Raziel kept insisting that he didn't remember that happening and I was tempted to bring the Gideon Bible in out of the bathroom and show him the reference, but I've just started reading the Gospel of Mark and I'd lose the book if the angel found out about it. I thought Matthew was bad, skipping right from Joshua's birth to his baptism, but Mark doesn't even bother with the birth. It's as if Joshua springs forth full grown from the head of Zeus. (Okay, bad metaphor, but you know what I mean.) Mark begins with the baptism, at thirty! Where did these guys get these stories? â€Å"I once met a guy in a bar who knew a guy who's sister's best friend was at the baptism of Joshua bar Joseph of Nazareth, and here's the story as best as he could remember it.† Well, at least Mark mentions me, once. And then it's totally out of context, as if I was just sitting around doing nothing and Joshua happened by and asked me to tag along. And Mark tells of the demon named Legion. Yeah, I remember Legion. Compared to what Balthasar called up, Legion was a wuss. I asked Balthasar if he was smitten with me,† Joshua said over supper. â€Å"Oh no,† said Joy. We were eating in the girls' quarters. It smelled really good and the girls would rub our shoulders while we ate. Just what we needed after a tough day of studying. â€Å"You weren't supposed to let him know we were on to him. What did he say?† â€Å"He said that he'd just come off of a hard breakup and he wasn't ready for a relationship because he just needed to spend a little time getting to know himself, but that he'd love it if we could just be friends.† â€Å"He lies,† said Joy. â€Å"He hasn't had a breakup in a hundred years.† I said, â€Å"Josh, you are so gullible. Guys always lie about stuff like that. That's the problem with your not being allowed to know women, it means you don't understand the most fundamental nature of men.† â€Å"Which is?† â€Å"We're lying pigs. We'll say anything to get what we want.† â€Å"That's true,† said Joy. The other girls nodded in agreement. â€Å"But,† said Josh, â€Å"the superior man does not, even for the space of a single meal, act contrary to virtue, according to Confucius.† â€Å"Of course,† said I, â€Å"but the superior man can get laid without lying. I'm talking about the rest of us.† â€Å"So should I be worried about this trip he wants me to take with him?† Joy nodded gravely and the other girls nodded with her. â€Å"I don't see why,† I said. â€Å"What trip?† â€Å"He says we'll only be gone a couple of weeks. He wants to go to a temple at a city in the mountains. He believes that the temple was built by Solomon, it's called the Temple of the Seal.† â€Å"And why do you have to go along?† â€Å"He wants to show me something.† â€Å"Uh-oh,† I said. â€Å"Uh-oh,† echoed the girls, not unlike a Greek chorus, except of course they were speaking Chinese. In the week leading up to Joshua and Balthasar's departure, I managed to talk Pea Pods into taking on a huge risk during her shift in Balthasar's bed. I picked Pea Pods not because she was the most athletic and nimble of the girls, which she was; nor because she was the lightest of foot and most stealthy, which she was also; but because she was the one who had taught me to make bronze castings of the Chinese characters that were the mark of my name (my chop), and she could be trusted to get the most accurate impression of the key that Balthasar wore on the chain around his neck. (Oh yes, there was a key to the ironclad door. Joy had let it slip where Balthasar kept it, but I was sure that she was too loyal to him to steal it. Pea Pods, on the other hand, was more fickle in her loyalties, and lately I had been spending a lot of time with her on and off.) â€Å"By the time you return, I'll know what's going on here,† I whispered to Joshua as he climbed onto his camel. â€Å"Find out what you can from Balthasar.† â€Å"I will. But be careful. Don't do anything while I'm gone. I think this trip, whatever it is that we are going to see, has something to do with the house of doom.† â€Å"I'm just going to look around. You be careful.† The girls and I stood at the top of the plateau and waved until Joshua and the magus, leading the extra camel loaded with supplies, rode out of sight, then, one by one, we made our way down the rope ladder to the passageway in the cliff's face. The entrance to the passageway, and the tunnel for perhaps thirty cubits, were just wide enough for one man to pass through if he stooped, and I always managed to bruise an elbow or a shoulder along the way, which allowed me to show off my ability to curse in four languages. By the time I got to the chamber of the elements, where we practiced the art of the Nine Elixirs, Pea Pods had the small furnace stoked to a red heat and was adding ingots of brass to a small stone crucible. From the wax impression we had made a wax duplicate of the key, from that we'd made a plaster mold, which we'd fired to melt out the wax. Now we'd have one chance to cast the key, because once the metal cooled in the plaster mold, the only way to release it was to break off the plaster. When we broke off the mold Pea Pods held the end of what looked like a brass dragon on a stick. â€Å"That's some key,† I said. The only locks I'd ever seen were big bulky iron boys, nothing elegant enough for a key like this. â€Å"When are you going to use it?† asked Pea Pods. Her eyes went wide like those of an excited child. Times like that I almost fell in love with her, but fortunately I was always distracted by Joy's sophistication, Pillow's maternal fussing, Number Six's dexterity, or any one of the other charms that were heaped upon me daily. I understood completely Balthasar's strategy to keep from falling in love with any one of them. Joshua's situation, on the other hand, was harder to figure, because he enjoyed spending time with the girls, trading stories from the Torah for legends of the storm dragons and the monkey king. He said that there was an innate kindness born in women that he'd never seen in a man, and he liked being around them. His strength in resisting their physical charms astounded me perhaps even more than the other miraculous things I'd seen him do over the years. I couldn't relate to the act of raising someone from the dead, but turning down a beautiful woman, that to ok courage beyond my understanding. â€Å"I'll take it from here,† I said to Pea Pods. I didn't want her to be involved any further in case things didn't turn out well. â€Å"When?† asked Pea Pods, meaning when would I attempt to open the door. â€Å"Tonight, when you have all gone to live in the world of pleasant dreams.† I tweaked her nose affectionately and she giggled. It was the last time I ever saw her in one piece. At night the halls of the fortress were lit by the ambient light from the moon and the stars that filtered in from the windows. Everywhere we went we carried a clay oil lamp which made the serpentine curves of the passageways seem even more like the inside of a huge creature as they swallowed up the dim orange light. After several years with Balthasar, I could find my way through the main living quarters of the fortress without any light at all, so I carried an unlit lamp with me until I had passed the girls' quarters, stopping at the beaded doorway to listen for their gentle snores. Once I was well away from the girls' door, I lit my lamp using one of the fire sticks that I'd invented using some of the same chemicals we used to make the explosive black powder. The fire stick made a soft pop as I struck it on the stone wall and I could swear I heard it echo from the hall up ahead. As I made my way to the ironclad door I could smell burning brimstone and I thought it strange that the smell of the fire stick had stayed with me. Then I saw Joy standing by the door holding an oil lamp and the charred remains of the fire stick she'd used to light it. â€Å"Let me see the key,† she said. â€Å"What key?† â€Å"Don't be foolish. I saw what was left of the mold in the room of the elements.† I took the key from where I'd tucked it in my belt and handed it to Joy. She examined it by lamplight, turning it this way and that. â€Å"Pea Pods cast this,† she said matter-of-factly. â€Å"Did she take the impression as well?† I nodded. Joy didn't seem angry, and Pea Pods was the only one of the girls skilled enough in metallurgy to have done the casting, so why deny it? â€Å"Getting the impression must have been the hard part,† Joy said. â€Å"Balthasar is fierce about guarding this key. I'll have to ask her what she did to distract him. Could be a good thing to know, huh? For both of us.† She smiled seductively, then turned toward the door and pushed aside the brass plate that covered the keyhole. In that second I felt as if a frozen dagger had been dragged over my spine. â€Å"No!† I grabbed her hand. â€Å"Don't.† I was overcome with a feeling of revulsion that wrenched my insides. â€Å"We can't.† Joy smiled again and pushed my hand away. â€Å"I have seen many wondrous things since I came here, but there has never been anything that was harmful. You planned this, you must want to know what is in here as much as I do.† I wanted to stop her, I even tried to take the key away from her, but she grabbed my arm and pushed into a pressure point that made my whole left side go numb. She raised an eyebrow as if to ask, â€Å"Do you really want to try that, knowing what I can do to you?† And I stepped back. She put the dragon key into the lock and turned it three times. There was a clicking of machinery finer than anything I had ever heard, then she withdrew the key and shot the three heavy iron bolts. As she pulled the door open there was a rush of air, as if something had moved by us very quickly, and my lamp went out. Joshua told me what had happened later and I put the timing together myself. As Joy and I were opening the room they called the house of doom, Joshua and Balthasar were camped in the arid mountains of what is now Afghanistan. The night was crisp and the stars shone with a cold blue light like loneliness or infinity. They had eaten some bread and cheese, then settled in close to the fire to share the last of a flask of fortified wine, Balthasar's second that evening. â€Å"Have I told you of the prophecy that sent me in search of you when you were born, Joshua?† â€Å"You spoke of the star. My mother told me of the star.† â€Å"Yes, the three of us followed that star, and by chance we met up in the mountains east of Kabul and finished the journey together, but the star wasn't the reason we went, it was only our means of navigation. We made the journey because each of us was looking for something at the end.† â€Å"Me?† Joshua said. â€Å"Yes, but not just you, but what it is said was brought with you. In the temple where we travel now, there lies a set of clay tablets – very old – the priests say that they date back to the time of Solomon, and they foretell the coming of a child who will have power over evil and victory over death. They say he will carry the key to immortality.† â€Å"Me? Immortality? Nope.† â€Å"I think you do, you just don't know it yet.† â€Å"Nope, I'm sure,† said Joshua. â€Å"It's true that I have brought people back from the dead, but never for very long. I've gotten better at healing over the years, but my back-from-the-dead stuff still needs work. I need to learn more.† â€Å"Which is why I have taught you, and why I am taking you to the temple now, so you may read the tablets yourself, but you must have the power of immortality within you.† â€Å"No, really, I haven't a clue.† â€Å"I am two hundred and sixty years old, Joshua.† â€Å"I've heard that, but I still can't help you. You look good though, I mean for two hundred and sixty.† At this point Balthasar started to sound desperate. â€Å"Joshua, I know that you have power over evil. Biff has told me of you banishing demons in Antioch.† â€Å"Little ones,† Joshua said modestly. â€Å"You must have power over death as well or it does me no good.† â€Å"What I am able to do comes through my father, I didn't bargain for it.† â€Å"Joshua, I am preserved by a pact with a demon. If you do not have the powers foretold in the prophecy I will never be free, I will never have peace, I will never have love. Every minute of my life I must have my will focused on controlling the demon. Should my will fail, the destruction would be unlike anything the world has ever seen.† â€Å"I know how it is. I'm not allowed to know a woman,† Joshua said. â€Å"Although it was an angel that told me, not a demon. But still, you know, it's hard sometimes. I really like your concubines. The other night Pillows was giving me a back rub after a long day of studying, and I started getting this massive – â€Å" â€Å"By the Golden Tenderloin of the Calf!† Balthasar exclaimed, leaping to his feet, his eyes wide with terror. The old man began loading his camel, thrashing around in the darkness like a madman. Joshua was following him, trying to calm him down, fearing he might have a fit any second. â€Å"What? What?† â€Å"It is out!† the magus said. â€Å"Help me pack up. We must go back. The demon is out.† I stood cringing in the dark, waiting for disaster to fall, for mayhem to reign, for pain and pestilence and no good to manifest, then Joy struck a fire stick and lit our lamps. We were alone. The iron door hung open into a very small room, it too lined with iron. The entire room was just big enough to contain a small bed and a chair. Every span of the black iron walls was inlaid with golden symbols: pentagrams and hex symbols and a dozen others I had never seen before. Joy held her lamp close to the wall. â€Å"These are symbols of containment,† Joy said. â€Å"I used to hear voices coming from in here.† â€Å"There was nothing in here when I opened the door. I could see in the second before the lamp blew out.† â€Å"Then what blew it out?† â€Å"The wind?† â€Å"I don't think so. I felt something brush me as it passed.† Just then someone in the girls' quarters screamed, then a chorus of screams joined in, primal screams of absolute terror and pain. Instantly Joy's eyes filled with tears. â€Å"What have I done?† I took her sleeve and dragged her down the passage toward the girls' quarters, snatching up two heavy lances that were supporting a tapestry as we passed and handing one to her. As we rounded the curves I could see an orange light ahead and soon I could see that it was fire blazing on the stone walls from broken oil lamps. The screaming was reaching a higher pitch, but every few seconds a voice was removed from the chorus, until there was only one. As we approached the beaded doorway into the concubines' chamber the screaming stopped and a severed human head rolled in front of us. The creature stepped through the curtain, oblivious to the flames that licked the walls around it, its massive body filling the passageway, the reptilian skin on its shoulders and its tall pointed ears grating against the walls and ceiling. In its talonlike hand it held the bloody torso of one of the girls. â€Å"Hey, kid,† it said, its voice like a sword point dragged across stone, a yellow light coming from behind its dinner-plate-sized cat's eyes, â€Å"it took you long enough.† As they rode back to the fortress, Balthasar explained to Joshua about the demon: â€Å"His name is Catch, and he is a demon of the twenty-seventh order, a destroyer angel before the fall. As far as I could tell, he was first called up to assist Solomon in building the great temple, but something got out of hand and with the help of a djinn, Solomon was able to send the demon back to hell. I found the seal of Solomon and the incantation for raising the demon almost two hundred years ago in the Temple of the Seal.† â€Å"Oh,† Joshua said, â€Å"so that's why they call it that. I thought it had something to do with one of the barky sea animals.† â€Å"I had to become an acolyte and study with the priests there for years before I was allowed access to the seal, but what is a few years against immortality. I was given immortality, but only so long as the demon walks the earth. And as long as he is on earth he must be fed, Joshua. That's the curse that goes with being this destroyer's master. He must be fed.† â€Å"I don't understand, he feeds on your will?† â€Å"No, he feeds on human beings. It is only my will that keeps him in check, or it was until I was able to build the iron room and put golden symbols on the wall that would hold the demon. I've been able to keep him in the fortress I made him build for twenty years now, and it has been some respite. Until then he was with me every minute, everywhere I went.† â€Å"Didn't that attract enemies to you?† â€Å"No. Unless he is in his eating form, I am the only one who can see Catch. In his noneating form he's small, the size of a child, and he can do little harm (except for being incredibly irritating). When he feeds, however, he's fully ten cubits tall, and he can tear a man in half with the swipe of his claw. No, enemies are not a problem, Joshua. Why do you think there are no guards at the fortress? In those years before the girls came to live there, some bandits attacked. What happened to them is legend now in Kabul, and no one has tried since. The problem is that if my will were to fail, he would be set loose again on the world as he was in the time of Solomon. I don't know what could stop him.† â€Å"And you can't send him back to hell?† Joshua asked. â€Å"I can with the seal and the right incantation, which is why I was going to the Temple of the Seal. Which is why you are here. If you are the Messiah predicted in Isaiah, and on the clay tablets in the temple, then you are the direct descendant of David, and therefore Solomon. I believe that you can send the demon back and keep me from suffering the fate of his return.† â€Å"Why, what happens to you if he is sent back to hell?† â€Å"I will assume the aspect of my true age. Which I would guess, by this time, would be dust. But you have the gift of immortality. You can stop that from happening.† â€Å"So this demon from hell is loose, and we are returning to the fortress without the Seal of Solomon or this incantation to do exactly what?† â€Å"I hope to bring him back under control of my will. The room has always held him before. I didn't know, I truly didn't know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Know what?† â€Å"That my will had been broken by my feelings for you.† â€Å"You love me?† â€Å"How was I to know?† The magus sighed. And Joshua laughed here, despite the dire circumstances. â€Å"Of course you do, but it is not me, it's what I represent. I am not sure yet what I am to do, but I know that I am here in the name of my father. You love life so much that you would brave hell to hold on to it, it's only natural that you would love the one who gave you that life.† â€Å"Then you can banish the demon and preserve my life?† â€Å"Of course not, I'm just saying that I understand how you feel.† I don't know where she found the strength, but the diminutive Joy came from behind me and hurled the heavy lance with as much power as any soldier. (I felt my own knees starting to buckle in the face of the demon.) The bronze tip of the lance seemed to find its way between two of the monster's armored chest scales and drove itself a span deep under the weight of the heavy shaft. The demon gasped, and roared, opening his massive maw to show rows of saw-edged teeth. He grabbed the shaft of the lance and attempted to pull it out, his huge biceps quivering with the strain. He looked sadly down at the spear, then at Joy, and said, â€Å"Oh, foul woe upon you, you have kilt me most dead,† then he fell back and the floor shook with the impact of his huge body. â€Å"What'd he say, what'd he say?† Joy asked, digging her nails into my shoulder. The demon had spoken in Hebrew. â€Å"He said that you killed him.† â€Å"Well, duh,† said the concubine. (Strangely enough, â€Å"duh† sounds exactly the same in all languages.) I had started to inch forward to see if anyone was still alive in the girls' quarters when the demon sat up. â€Å"Just kidding,† he said. â€Å"I'm not kilt.† And he plucked the spear from his chest with less effort than it might take to brush away a fly. I threw my own lance, but didn't wait to see where it hit. I grabbed Joy and ran. â€Å"Where?† she said. â€Å"Far,† I said. â€Å"No,† she said, grabbing my tunic and jerking me around a corner, causing me to nearly coldcock myself on the wall. â€Å"To the cliff passage.† We were in total darkness now, neither one of us having thought to grab a lamp, and I was trusting my life to Joy's memory of these stone halls. As we ran we could hear the demon's scales scraping the walls and the occasional curse in Hebrew as he found a low ceiling. Perhaps he could see in the dark somewhat, but not a lot better than we could. â€Å"Duck,† Joy said, pushing my head down as we entered the narrow passage that led to the cliff above. I crouched in this passage the way the monster had to crouch to move in the normal-sized halls and I suddenly realized the brilliance of Joy's choice in taking this route. We were just seeing the moonlight breaking in through the opening in the cliff's face when I heard the monster hit the bottleneck of the passage. â€Å"Fuck! Ouch! You weasels! I'm going to crunch your little heads between my teeth like candied dates.† â€Å"What'd he say?† asked Joy. â€Å"He says that you are a sweet of uncommon delicacy.† â€Å"He did not say that.† â€Å"Believe me, my translation is as close as you want to the truth.† I heard a horrible scraping noise from inside the passage as we climbed out on the ledge and up the rope ladder to the top of the plateau. Joy helped me up, then pulled the ladder up behind us. We ran to the stable where the camel saddles and other supplies were normally kept. There were only the three camels that Joshua and Balthasar had taken, and no horses, so I couldn't figure out why we were taking the time to stop until I saw Joy filling two water skins at the cistern behind the stable. â€Å"We'll never make it to Kabul without water,† Joy said. â€Å"And what happens when we make it to Kabul? Can anyone there help? What in the hell is that thing?† â€Å"If I knew, would I have opened that door?† She was remarkably calm for someone who had just lost her friends to a hideous beast. â€Å"I guess not. But I didn't see it come out of there. I felt something, but nothing that size.† â€Å"Act, Biff, don't think. Act.† She handed me a water skin and I held it in the cistern, trying to listen for the sound of the monster over the bubbles as it filled. All I could hear was the occasional bleating of the goats and the sound of my own pulse in my ears. Joy corked her water skin, then went about opening the pig and goat pens, shooing the animals out onto the plateau. â€Å"Let's go!† she shouted to me. She took off down the path toward the hidden road. I pulled the water skin from the cistern and followed as quickly as I could. There was enough moonlight to make traveling fairly easy, but since I hadn't even seen the road in daylight, I didn't want to try to negotiate its deadly cutbacks at night without a guide. We had almost made the first leg of the road when we heard a hideous wailing and something heavy landed in the dust in front of us. When I could get my breath again I stepped up to find the bloodied carcass of a goat. â€Å"There,† Joy said, pointing down the mountainside to something moving among the rocks. Then it looked up at us and there was no mistaking the glowing yellow eyes. â€Å"Back,† Joy said, pulling me back from the road. â€Å"Is that the only way down?† â€Å"That or diving off the edge. It's a fortress, remember – it's not supposed to be easy to get in and out of.† We made our way back to the rope ladder, tossed it over the side, and started down. As Joy made it to the ledge and ducked into the cave something heavy hit me on the right shoulder. My arm went numb with the impact and I let go of the ladder. Mercifully, my feet had tangled in the rungs as I fell, and I found myself hanging upside down looking into the cave entrance where Joy stood. I could hear the terrified goat that had hit me screaming as it fell into the abyss, then there was a distant thump and the screaming stopped. â€Å"Hey, kid, you're a Jew, aren't you?† said the monster from above. â€Å"None of your business,† I said. Joy grabbed the ladder and pulled me inside the cave, ladder and all, just as another goat came screaming past. I fell on my face in the dust and sputtered, trying to breathe and spit at the same time. â€Å"It's been a long time since I've eaten a Jew. A good Jew sticks to your ribs. That's the problem with Chinese, you eat six or seven of them and in a half hour you're hungry again. No offense, miss.† â€Å"What'd he say?† Joy asked. â€Å"He says he likes kosher food. Will that ladder hold him?† â€Å"I made it myself.† â€Å"Swell,† I said. We heard the ropes creak with the strain as the monster climbed onto the ladder.

Keeping Foster Parents And Kinship Parents - 892 Words

KEEP Keeping Foster Parents and Kinship Parents Supported (KEEP) was established in 1996 and was formed out of a family based alternative program for teenagers with chronic delinquency and mental health problems called Treatment Foster Care Oregon (TFCO). (keepfostering.org) The program was developed by Patty Chamberlain and Oregon Social Learning Center. (cofcca). KEEP serves foster and kinship parents and their foster children aged five to twelve years old. Needs Addressed KEEP encourages foster and kinship parents to use effective parent management strategies to modify their children’s behavior for a positive outcome, the program also increases parenting skills that will help with behavior and emotional difficulties. (Effects of a foster parent) Child behavior problems significantly contribute to placements changes. This will increase positive permanency outcomes and decrease placement disruptions. (Chapinhill) Overall this program will address the needs of managing children’s behavior, develop parenting skills which will lessen parental stress, address placement disruptions which will address permanency issues. Description The KEEP program is a sixteen week program attended once a week for ninety minutes. Classes are presented by caseworkers to groups of eight to ten parents. Facilitator’s are trained and supervised to skillfully implement the program.(keepfostering.com) The objective of the KEEP program is to give parents effective tools for dealing with their child’sShow MoreRelatedHow Family Preservation Is A Service Help Keep Children At Home With Their Families1470 Words   |  6 Pagestheir families rather than in foster homes or institutions (p.243). This service was a reaction to the earlier practice of family breakup, which pulled children out of unfit homes (Downs et al., 2009, p. 282). The services are designed to support families by improving parenting and family functioning while at the same time keeping children safe. The services are built around the belief that many children can be safely protected and treated within their own homes when parents are given services and sup portRead MoreEssay on Effect of Foster Care on Children2422 Words   |  10 PagesEffect of Foster Care on Children Human Development March 30, 2011 Introduction/ Problem Statement Each year 542,000 children nationwide live temporarily with foster parents, while their own parents struggle to overcome an addiction to alcohol, drugs, illness, financial hardship or other difficulties (Mennen, Brensilver, Trickett, 2010.) The maltreatment they experienced at home, the shock of being separated from their birth parents, and the uncertainty they face as they enter the foster careRead MoreCultural Awareness : Australian Institute Of Family Studies948 Words   |  4 Pagesresided within the same community as their mother. Working towards the health of the older children (Australian Institute of Family Studies 2015b) by keeping them in their own environment, however due to unknown facts (why the aunty did not take the younger two) the younger two children are no longer living in their community nor have visitation from parents (Ledger 2015) due mainly to the finical restriction upon the family. Strength based The method of intervention in tertiary child protection hasRead MoreThe Department Of Children And Families1210 Words   |  5 Pagesdifferent types of families and situations. The department works diligently to ensure that children are protected from neglect and/or abuse. 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American History Native Americans - 829 Words

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be Native American during the European invasion? In American history Native Americans were treated unfairly. The American government mistreated the Natives by lying to them and treating them as foreigners. After years of fighting for freedom the Natives did not achieve their goal for freedom. The Trail of Tears, being the most tragic event in American history, was due to the Removal Act in the 1830s, the misguidance of President Andrew Jackson, the discovery of gold, and the false promises made to the Native Americans. In the beginning of the 1830s, about 150,000 Native Americans lived on the lands of Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Alabama. By the end of the 1830s the Indians were moved out and the few left were workers for the Europeans. The Native Americans were sent to â€Å"Indian Territory.† The article informs that, â€Å"Some wanted to stay and fight. Others thought it was prognostic to agree and leave in exchange for money and other concessions† (Trail of Tears). The government promised to keep land for the Indians but the greed of the whites made the Indian population shrink. These settlers kept coming in whenever they saw the opportunity for gold. During the 1830s, the discovery of gold made the southeast region of the United States a prime region for prospectors. This led to the Removal Act of the Native Americans. The Native Americans were forced out of their land so the European immigrants could have somewhere toShow MoreRelatedNative American History : Native Americans1099 Words   |  5 Pages Native Americans A few thousands of years before the famous and high recognized explore Christopher Columbus’ ships landed in the Bahamas, a distinctive group of people discovered America. The ancestors of modern Native Americans who hiked over a â€Å"land bridge† from Asia more than 12,000 years ago. 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Critical Analysis of Research Papers - 1711 Words

In this paper I will critically analyse the strength and weakness of using qualitative and quantitative to a specific area of social work practice. The area of choice is childrens services with focus on two research findings in the area of performance measurement within social work, with special emphasis on quality services and stability of placements for children looked after away from home. The two documents will be referred as Paper one titled Performance Targets and stability of Placement for children Long looked After away from home Harriet Wardan and Tricia Skuse (2002) and Paper two titled Defining Quality care for looked After Children: Front line Workers Perspectives on Standards and all that(David Watson (2003). I†¦show more content†¦There are several theoretical frameworks depending on the researchs goal and purposes. Quantitative paradigm is based on positivism paradigm. In, contrast the qualitative paradigm is based on interpretivism and constructivism based on one construction of reality Altheide and Johnson (1994). The ontological position of quantitative paradigm is that there is one truth, an objective reality that exists independent of human perception. Epistemologically the investigator and investigated are dependent entities. Therefore, the investigator is capable of study a phenomenon without influencing it or being influenced by it Guba Li ncoln (1994). In qualitative, epistemological level there is no access to reality independent of our minds no external referent by which to compare claims of truth Smith (1983). The investigator and the object of study are interactively linked so that findings are mutually created within the context of the situation which shapes the inquiry Denzin Lincoln (1994). This suggest that reality has no existence prior to the activity of investigation and reality ceases to exist when no longer focus on it Smith (1983). The researcher of this study clearly, concisely and explicitly indicate their hypotheses regarding the outcome of the research. Particular hypotheses are as follows: 1. To ensure that children are securely attached to carers capable of providing safe and effective care for the duration of childhood.Show MoreRelatedCritical Analysis of a Quantitative Research Study1080 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Prepare a critical analysis of a quantitative study focusing on protection of human participants, data collection, data management and analysis, problem statement, and interpretation of findings. The quantitative research article can be from your previous literature review or a new peer-reviewed article. Each study analysis will be 1,000-1,250 words and submitted in one document. 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It distinguishes the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by conducting a survey consisting of a sample of 473 executives. What is more, the motives are classified as three types: â€Å"financial motives†, which is external, â€Å"ethical and altruistic†Read MoreOrganic Farming Case Study1115 Words   |  5 PagesResults Meta-analysis results for energy use indicated that 67.3 percent of the 165 observations involved in the study exhibited positive outcomes, while 32.3 percent exhibited neutral or positive outcomes. The positive outcomes in are the results that indicated that organic farming had superior environmental effects, while the negative outcomes implied otherwise. In order to identify the structural variables that impacted to the superiority of the organic farming, the study performed a logistic

Rise of a superstar free essay sample

The Rise of a Superstar Proficient in stealing almost every scene he appears in, through his screen intensity and polished delivery he regularly displays while performing, Samuel Leroy Jackson really has all the reason to place himself softly in the group of lauded leading men in Hollywood. His work on a number of projects, either high profile or low key, has indeed shown his ability to play film characters with both remarkable versatility and unusual intelligence critics often praised for. His roles portray him often as an angry man, but Jackson quickly Justifies it in saying, You know, thats part of a story Jackson proclaims himself on being a good son, father, husband, being married to the same woman for over thirty years (Pat 3). He is a good friend, he values education, and he also donates anonymously. The dynamic actor, Samuel L. Jackson, offers so much in his films, and even more off the camera in his everyday life. In addition to films, Jackson also appeared in several television shows, a video game, music videos, as well as audio books. Jackson had a small part in the Public Enemy music video for 91 1 Is a Joke. Jackson voiced several television show characters ncluding the lead role in the anime series, Afro Samurai, in addition to a recurring part as the voice of Gin Rummy in several episodes of the animated series The Boondocks. He guest-starred as himself in an episode of the BBC/HBO sitcom Extras. He voiced the main antagonist, Officer Frank Tenpenny, in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Jackson also hosted a variety of awards shows. Thus far, he has hosted the MTV Movie Awards in 1998, the ESPYs in the years 1999, 2001, 2002, and 2009. In addition to those award shows Jackson hosted the Spike TV Video Game Awards in the years 2005, 2006, 2007 and came back in the year 2012 (Pat 6). In November of 2006, Jackson provided the voice of God for The Bible Experience, The New Testament audiobook version of the Bible. He was given the lead role because the producers believed his deep, authoritative voice would be the best fit for the role. For the Atlanta Falcons 2010 season, Samuel L. Jackson portrayed Rev. Sultan in the Falcons Rise Up commercial. He has been a successful actor and a great role model for many kids across the nation. Jackson has been in countless movies that has sold ver millions in the box office, pulling a gross worth over four billion dollars. He was also named the highest grossing film actor of all time by Guinness Book of World Records and was honored a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (Harris 3). Jackson received much inspiration from featuring in voice overs for books, that he further expanded his audio book legacy by then narrating the Adam Mansback production of the number one book on Amazon, Go The F*ck to Sleep. While this is not your typical, politically correct, childrens bedtime story, this book went on to become a best seller in the year ot 2 Many thoughts were snared about t explicit book, some funny some disgusted. This books sparked many issues, with the big one being gender expectations. Would it have been different if a women were reading this book? that seemed to be the huge question in the reviews of this childrens bed time story (Pat 7). This caused much controversy for Samuel L. Jackson and his part of narrating this story, but he is no strange to stirring up the latest news, so he handled it with much professionalism. He went on in explaining the situation of the controversy lightheartedly, discussing the sense of humor of it all. Growing up Samuel Leroy Jackson faced many obstacles. Born on December 21, 1948, in Washington, D. C. Jackson eventually moved and grew up in a deeply segregated time and place in Chattanooga, Tennessee where he was raised by his grandparents and aunt, who was a school teacher. His mother, Elizabeth Jackson a former factory worker-turned-state institutional supply buyer did not live with him until Jackson was in the fourth grade. Young Sam grew up estranged from his father, a drunk, who later died from alcoholism (Samuels 47). His urge to perform emerged while he was still quite young. He played the French horn and trumpet in school symphony orchestras from the third grade up until his senior year of high school. Jackson also participated in rowdy neighborhood re-creations of favorite Westerns, substituting bicycles for the horses. When he was not pretending to be a high-sea rogue, he acted in his aunts school plays. However, he did not seriously participate in the theater world until he was in college. Despite his circumstances while browning up, Jackson went on to become an African American scholar. He attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. Initially intent n pursuing a degree in marine biology, but after Joining a local acting group to earn extra points in a class, Jackson found an interest in acting and switched his major to Drama. Jackson was briefly suspended his Junior year in 1969 from Morehouse College, after taking hostage several members of the board of trustees, including the father of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, during a protest of the failure of the college to have a black studies program (Samuels 45-46). Coming back from suspension, Jackson made his film debut at Morehouse College with a supporting role in Together for Days, a low budget drama about interracial dating. Focusing on what would soon become his career, Jackson helped start the Just Us Theater company in Atlanta in 1972 before graduating. In addition to being involved with Dr. Martin Luther King, Samuel L. Jackson went on to star in a Broadway play with actress Angela Bassett, recalling a fateful time and rises about the progression of African Americans. The play, Reliving MLKs Last Hours, took a look inside the life Martin Luther King Jr. It explored the emotions, regrets, and fears of the civil rights leader in the night before he was shot to death on a Memphis motel balcony. the script offered a shocking twist to Dr. Kings last day (Samuels 44). The play showed Dr. Kings heart and venerability and how much he cared about the moment of civil rights in ways Jackson claimed he had never seen before in all of his years of living. This play displayed the humanity of Dr. King and the chance to discuss some meaningtul issues about where Atrican Americans were then and where they are now. the play Jackson cleared his entire schedule Just to cast in, had much influence on the audience. It displayed everything of Kings life from his usage of profanity to extramarital affairs to his emotion evoking, infamous, Mountaintop peech. After doing the play, Jackson suggested that there be a new appreciation for the civil struggle, saying given the current state of frustration and apathy running through the African American community. Samuel L. Jackson had many peaks in his career. Jackson Joined the Black Image Theatre Company with his future wife, LaTanya Richardson, whom he met at Morehouses sister school, Spelman College. They toured the country and performed skits characterized by a fiery combination of rage and humor to primarily white audiences. In 1976, having exhausted their enthusiasm for politically-charged heatre, Jackson moved with Richardson to Harlem, New York City, to pursue an acting career outside such strictly defined perimeters of race. He began to act in Off- Broadway productions, including Richard Wesleys The Mighty Gents, an adaptation of Bertolt Brechts Mother Courage, and Samm-Art Williamss Home (Harris 8). He also got a Job substituting for Bill Cosby during The Cosby Show rehearsal and appeared in two episodes of Spenser: For Hire with Robert Urich. In 1981, while working on Charles Fullers A Soldiers Play, Jackson had two life- changing encounters. He met fellow actor Morgan J. Freeman, who became a great friend and convinced Jackson that he could be a successful actor, and a New York University film student named Spike Lee, who expressed his enthusiasm for Jacksons performances and urged him to appear in the films he planned to make. Jackson consented and kept his word, appearing in several of Lees early films including School Daze, Do the Right Thing, and Mo Better Blues. The friendship duly paid off for Jackson, as it was his role as the drug-addicted Gator in Lees Jungle Fever that finally grabbed critics attention and inspired some well-earned praise. Judges at the Cannes Film Festival created a Best Supporting Actor category in order to give Jackson the prize. He also received a New York Film Critics award. Through playing an on- screen drug-demon, Jackson was forced to confront his own off-screen demon an increasingly destructive addiction to drugs and alcohol. After previously overdosing on heroin several times, Jackson gave up the drug in favor of cocaine. After seeing the effects of his addiction, his family entered him into a New York rehab clinic where he successfully completed rehab. The cathartic nature of his performance enabled Jackson to give up drugs, making it both a personal and professional success. Jackson continued to take small parts in films such as Juice and True Romance, and he played an FBI agent in the thriller White Sands, exhibiting his impressive range and ability to add a quirky twist to every character. He overcame two Hollywood flops, National Lampoons Loaded Weapon I and Amos Andrew, by making small but affecting performances in Menace II Society and Patriot Games (Sandoval 4). In 1994, after establishing a reputation as one of Hollywoods hardest-working actors, Jackson ot a chance to play the pivotal role of his career in Quentin Tarantinos instant cult classic, Pulp Fiction. Working trom any actors dream script, Jackson played Jules Winnfield, a sermon-spewing killer with eruptive speeches up to five pages long. He moved and terrified audiences with his impassioned performance, becoming the elusive moral center of the psychologically twisted film. He received an Academy Award nomination for the role. Starting what would become a successful career, Jackson went on to make several big Hollywood films, including John Grishams A Time to Kill and the action-thriller The Long Kiss Goodnight, but he continued to participate in independent endeavors, such as Steve Buscemis Trees Lounge. In 1993, Jackson made a much-desired return to the stage in Distant Fires, telling Premiere magazine, l always want to get back to theater to make sure that Im still an actor. Some 1999 performances include a role in the shark thriller Deep Blue Sea and Jedi knight Mace Windu in Star Wars: Episode l: The Phantom Menace. Jackson has revealed in an interview that he sees every one of his movies in theaters with paying customers claiming that. Even during my theater ears, I wished I could watch the plays I was in while I was in them! I dig watching myself work. (Richardson 64 ) He also enjoys collecting the action figures of the characters he has portrayed in films, those including Jules Winnfield, Shaft, Mace Windu, and Frozone. He is a comic book and anime fan. His favorite anime series including Ninja Scroll, and Black Lagoon. Jackson is a bald man, but enjoys wearing unusual wigs in his films. Jackson has reflected on his decision to go bald, saying I keep ending up on those bald is beautiful lists. He continued in explaining, You know, when I started losing my hair t was during the era when everybody had lots of hair All of a sudden I felt this big hole in the middle of my afro, I couldnt face having a comb over so I had to quickly figure which haircut was for me. (Richardson 65) His first role where he appeared completely bald was in The Great White Hype. Jackson usually gets to select his own hairstyles for each character he portrays. Although he did poke fun at his baldness the first time he appeared bald on The Tonight Show, explaining that he had to shave his head for one role, but then he kept receiving more and more roles afterward, and ad to keep shaving his head so wigs could be made for him. Laughingly, he ended the tale by lamenting to Jay Leno The only way Im gonna have time to grow my hair back, is if Im not working! (Harris 9). In 2000, he starred with Tommy Lee Jones in the military thriller Rules of Engagement and in the remake of the classic 1970s blaxploitation hit Shaft. He also co-starred with Bruce Willis in Unbreakable, a supernatural thriller written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. In 2002, Jackson starred opposite Ben Affleck in Changing Lanes. He also starred in Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Jackson also starred in Star Wars: Episode Ill Revenge of the Sith in 2005, Black Snake Moan in 2006, and Snakes on a Plane in 2006. In 2008, Jackson starred in Jumper. He also played the role of Nick Fury in Iron Man. His appearance comes only after the final credits have rolled in the film, setting up the inevitable sequel to the successful film. He appeared in the sequel, Iron Man 2, in 2010, signing a nine-film agreement with Marvel to play the character. In ad dition to his all ot his movie accomplishments, Samuel L. Jackson also campaigned during the 2008 Democratic Primary for then Illinois Senator Barack Obama in Texarkana, Texas. He expressed his gratitude for soon to be 44th president saying, Barack Obama represents everything I was told I could be growing up. Jackson had a major impact on the film industry, setting a standard for other actors. Having been the most prolific actor of the Nineties, its likely Samuel L. Jackson will slow down a touch. Especially as hes discovered a new hobby, golf, saying the only place I can go dressed as a pimp and fit in perfectly, but that doesnt mean he wont make more appearances than anyone else, or that he wont continue to deliver some of the most intense performances in history. The star of about one hundred films, and the earner of more than four billion dollars in domestic gross, Samuel L. Jackson, took a quick break from all the working and sat down for an interview conducted by Golf Magazine. He talked about being a part of George Lopez Celebrity Golf Classic in Los Angeles. Interviews viewers soon learned another side of Jackson, the golfer side (Golf Magazine). He talked about his favorite golf movie, Dead Solid Perfect, explaining about how not so great it is, but how it got him playing golf in the first place. He went on in telling his favorite people to golf with, Don Cheadle and George Lopez, two very famous actors as well. The sixty two year old explained his number one golf accomplishment so far, describing his 3-wood onto the par-1 5 13th at Augusta (Golf Magazine). That fire in his eyes is still so bright, its impossible to imagine it ever going out even at the age of 64. Working hard and becoming the great actor that he is, Jackson made a name for African American actors across the world with his success. With the ball still rolling, Jackson has Just starred in yet another Quentin Tarantino film, Django Unchained, along with Jamie Foxx,Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Kerry Washington. In this particular film that released in late 2012, Jackson portrayed a very controversial character, which he believed would make him the most hated African American in America. Other believed this was one of Jacksons best performances to date. Jacksons role was pretty complicated as he plays the house nigger to the character played by DiCaprio. His character represented an instance in which a white director holds an obsequious black slave up for ridicule. (Sandoval 5) His character was thought to be making a mockery of African American history. Some of he audience felt offended and couldnt draw the distinction of the comic relief his role was supposed to provide. Whether it was good attention or negative attention, the character Stephen, played by Samuel L. Jackson, was sure to get the audiences attention. While being a big superstar on the big screen, Samuel L. Jackson also has a life at home. He has a loving wife and daughter whom he cherishes. His wife LaTanya, also and actress, actually played apart in movie with her husband in Losing Isaiah in 1995. Both of their roles werent as big, but it was a milestone in their relationship and oth of their careers. LaTanya contented to act, landing roles in plays such as The Member ot the Wedding at the Westport Country Playhouse in Connecticut (Richardson 64). LaTanya didnt think she was that cut out for movies, and found her passion for the stage doing broadway plays. Together the two have one daughter, Zoe. The Jacksons made sure that their daughter was instilled with the same values each of them had while growing up. they made sure she possess a strong will, work ethic, and a sense of self. Zoe didnt follow the footsteps of her dramatic parents, but he isnt far from the television screen working as a producer for a sports channel. The Jacksons all come together to keep their charitable actions alive. They all care deeply about human and civil rights, and feel that it is important to provide an education for the less fortunate (Sandoval 8). Coming from two prestigious Historically Black Colleges, Morehouse and Spelman, the two made sure to keep education alive by setting up their own charitable foundation. Now, at almost 65 years old, Samuel L. Jackson is still acting and it doesnt look like hell be slowing down anytime soon. Hes in the same category as some of the best in Hollywood like the infamous Denzel Washington, Laurence Fishburne, Morgan Freeman, and Wesley Snipes. Jackson offered a very humbled outlook on his life saying, l acted, made costumes, worked the lights, built the sets, everything I could do in theater. I was making a decent living. I had a good reputation. If Hollywood never called, I could still work in theater. Jackson clearly has an unmistaken passion for theater and would not let any obstacles get in the way of living out his dream, whether it were on the big screen or a small hometown play. Jackson made sure he ad an impact on lives through his acting career, through the television screen and even in real life while giving back to the community. He has appeared in many films since the year 1972, when he got his first big break after his The Mountaintop premiere. Jackson changed himself to be versatile while acting out his roles. He has played the angry black man, the drug dealer, the superhero, and even a self-hating slave. His ability to adapt to such characters only displays his undeniable talent. Jackson has explained several times that it isnt the money that keeps him acting, it is honestly Just the true passion for his craft, acting.