Robert D. Putnam Essays

  • Bowling Alone America's Declining Social Capital Summary

    714 Words  | 3 Pages

    debate in the social sciences over the last decade. Among many social scientists, Robert D. Putnam is one of the strong advocates of social capital paradigm. In his widely cited 1995 essay “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital”, Putnam defines social capital as “features of social organization such as networks, norms, and social trust that facilitates coordination and cooperation for mutual benefits” (Putnam, 1995). He argues that community life is easier when there is substantial amount

  • Elie Wiesel Speech Analysis

    715 Words  | 3 Pages

    Elie Wiesel was a motivational holocaust survivor, and a human rights activist who won the Noble Peace prize. During World War Two Elie Wiesel and his family was captured by the Nazi soldiers and sent the concentration camps. At some point in the concentration camp he lost both of his parents and sister. They were put in the crematorium. They were only being punished for being what they are. He witnesses many casualties, and sufferings. He felt that everyone abandoned him. The things that he went

  • Bridging Social Capital

    1577 Words  | 7 Pages

    American citizens has been undergoing a pattern of steady decline for decades, leading to a loss of what Robert Putnam calls “social capital”. While Putnam offers an extensive discussion on the negative effects of losing both “bridging” and “bonding” social capital, he does not work to draw a connection between social capital and America’s political landscape. Bridging capital networks as defined by Putnam are networks that “are outward looking and encompass people across diverse social cleavages”. The

  • Social Capital: Social Homeownership In The United States

    1572 Words  | 7 Pages

    capital is a concept in which certain features of social structures (norms, networks, and social trust) within a society facilitate certain actions of people that contribute to the achievement of their interests (Coleman, 1988). The sociologist Robert Putnam argues that the “erosions of social capital” in America are contributing to social isolation, a lack of social connectedness (one’s ability to connect to other individuals for beneficial resources) and civic engagement (one’s ability to be involved

  • Analysis Of Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital By Robert D. Putnam

    435 Words  | 2 Pages

    In his article “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital”, Robert D. Putnam argues that America’s once vibrant civil society has dissolved. This article was written in 1995. Putnam feels that there is a growing sense of civic disengagement and civic distrust. Putnam makes bold claims and supports them with statistics from studies and polls. An example of this is the data he provides about the decline in organized bowling leagues. He acknowledges its seemingly trivial nature but expands on

  • Comparing Carl Rogers And Maslow's Theories Of Objective Communication

    955 Words  | 4 Pages

    Communication expertise is the capacity of an individual to express information plainly. It is a method of expressing your point of view in a proper way that others could comprehend totally. Excellent communication skill is essential in health and social care context to communicate effectively and to create a good relationship with the service users. Effective communication includes active listening and understanding. There are different theories of communication, it includes: Cognitive theory:

  • Summary Of The God Delusion By Richard Dawkins

    822 Words  | 4 Pages

    In chapter seven of The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins discusses morality is not, in fact, rooted in religion, rather a part of a “changing moral Zeitgeist,” as the chapter title suggests. Throughout the chapter, Dawkins provides evidence from the New and Old Testaments to show the immorality of religion and how it is impossible that morals were a result of religion. Though constructive, Dawkins’ arguments fall weak to some extent. Firstly, he fails to define morality clearly, as it can be subjective

  • Summary Of Martha Nussbaum's Not For Profit: Why Democracy Needs The Humanities

    937 Words  | 4 Pages

    Martha Nussbaum has experiences in writing about education related topics such as liberal education, already publishing a book called „Cultivating Humanity”. However her inspiration to write her book entitled “Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities” came from a person of the Spencer Foundation named Mike McPherson but also because of the fact that she was resident fellow at the foundation. In addition to this, her association with the Cambridge school in Weston, Massachusetts helped

  • Personal Narrative: My Favorite Trip To Lagoon

    1708 Words  | 7 Pages

    My Favorite Trip to Lagoon... This memory was the first time I have ever been in Lagoon. This was around when I was about in 5th grade.The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the flowers were blooming; ‘Chirp, Chirp, Scream!’. During Summer School, in the middle of the day, my best friend Antonella didn’t come to school because she decided to take a break, and go to Lagoon. I was on the computers playing some games along with some of my other friends. All of a sudden, I was called down

  • Comparing Cathedral And A Small Good Thing By Raymond Carver

    1696 Words  | 7 Pages

    The short stories "Cathedral" and "A Small Good Thing" by Raymond Carver show the struggles of two American families and how the hardships brought new relationships and understanding to the families and those around them. "Cathedral" depicts the struggle to have a deeper connection not based on physical appearance. "A Small, Good Thing" shows the struggle to overcome the pain brought by the death of a loved one. Raymond Carver's texts work together to show that by accepting the help of others the

  • Community Identity

    1801 Words  | 8 Pages

    Grand Mound and Davenport are two places with a strong sense of community identity. Community identity refers to how people define themselves by social interactions, values, religion, and other norms among their neighbors. In today’s age, fitting in appears to be an escalating desire, and keeping up with the Joneses is a modern developed habit in which residents keep the same appearances as their neighbors. This is typically noticeable in higher income neighborhoods, as wealthier people have the

  • The Elements Of Power In Homer's The Odyssey And Forest Gump

    825 Words  | 4 Pages

    Forrest’s momma always told him, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you 're gonna get.” A person should not be judged as stupid because of his IQ, but a person who does something stupid can be classified that way. In The Odyssey and Forest Gump, the protagonist had a purpose that led every decision they made; this shows that both were epic. Forrest, however not very popular himself, happened to be born into a very infamous family. He was born into the family of Nathan Bedford

  • Summary Of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    1341 Words  | 6 Pages

    Of Mice and Men is a novella written by John Steinbeck in 1937. Steinbeck gave us in this story a vivid view of the style of life after the world crises on ninety twenty-nine; People were trying to survive by working in ranches. Even Steinbeck was a traveler who was working in ranches at the time. The story in this novella is about two characters who traveler together, which was uncommon at the time. George and Lennie were totally opposites in character and their size of body and their capacity of

  • Wen Zhengming's 'Clearing After Snow'

    1265 Words  | 6 Pages

    The painting Clearing after snow in a wintry grove of trees is a masterpiece of the Ming dynasty painter Wen Zhengming (1470-1559). This painting depicts a peaceful scene of mountains and trees after snow, with the inscription of Wen’s close friend, Wang Chong (1494-1533). By analyzing the imageries and allusions of the poem and the pictorial meaning of the painting, this short essay will interpret the identity of Wen Zhengming as a virtuous scholar, a hermit and an amateur painter. This painting

  • George's Waller Im Shnee Poem Analysis

    1132 Words  | 5 Pages

    George’s Waller im Schnee starts with “Die steine die in meiner strasse staken”, which like all poems in the season collections of Das Jahr der Seele has no title. The poem describes a landscape in winter and a speaker who wanders alone in the cold. It addresses the speaker’s death wish and his will to find shelter once again as hope might be closer than expected. Its rhyme scheme and content divide the poem into three parts. In George’s literary magazine Blätter für die Kunst, it was printed with

  • Of Mice And Men Foreshadowing Analysis

    1024 Words  | 5 Pages

    “What consumes your mind, controls your life.” (Unknown). This quote perfectly describes how Author John Steinbeck foreshadows Lennie’s death in his novel Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck was touched to write this distinctive book after his childhood experiences as a farm worker and his observation of migrant laborers. He noticed the poor workers lived an inadequate life of constant travel from one place to another. In fact, this novel is about just that. Published in 1937, Of Mice and Men tells a story

  • My Last Duchess Thomas Hardy Analysis

    763 Words  | 4 Pages

    that heartbreak attaches with the tenderness that love is suppose to bring? The romance, the affection, and the intimacy is something both Robert Browning and Thomas Hardy endured, however so is the heartbreak. From the first stanza to the last Browning and Hardy use similar images and metaphors to create two poems that are so alike yet so different. In Robert Browning’s poem, My Last Duchess, the speaker of the poem is the Duke and he tells the audience that he is speaking to an ambassador who has

  • Animals In Of Mice And Men

    861 Words  | 4 Pages

    Following the Great Depression in 1929, John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, narrates the story of two migrant workers, George and Lennie, and their pursuance of the American Dream. Under entirely different historical backgrounds, Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident is a mystery novel narrated by Christopher, a fifteen-year-old mathematician with some behavioral difficulties. Steinbeck and Haddon both use animals to develop their respective story characters; however, while the use of animals

  • The Manipulative Characters Of The Duke Of Ferrara

    814 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Duke of Ferrara is the main of this poem as he gives description of his last wife. He is telling this story to a messenger who came from another country. The Duke was planning to marry the princess of that country. The poem starts with the Duke pointing towards a painting of the Last Duchess made by Fra Pandolf. Although the speaker, the Duke of Ferrara, is speaking of this servant in a negative manner, he wishes his wife not to be bossy towards him. He wishes to have total control. He emphasizes

  • Why Does John Steinbeck Introduce Characters In Of Mice And Men

    945 Words  | 4 Pages

    How does steinbeck introduce the main characters in the novel? John Steinbeck is the author of Mice and men, a novel about two men set in the 1930´s.George and Lennie.They move from farm to farm for jobs,is a very lonely life for them they only have each other they move through the country following “The American dream“.George is strict and responsable, and in charge of Lennie, Lennie is childish, strong and not very bright.This characters are very opposite but they take care of eachother. Steinbeck