Female Infanticide

Imagine a world with no women. There as no wives, no sisters, no daughters, and no mothers. Unfortunately this world is on the brink of becoming a scary reality for Asian countries such as China and India. Due to attempts to control population and the low value associated with females in these societies historically and culturally, both China and India are now facing a serious gender imbalance. Female infanticide and sex-selective abortion are responsible for this gender imbalance.The two atrocious practices have led to problems such as elevated rates in female kidnapping and slave trade, as well as forced marriages. This paper will focus on the roots of female infanticide and sex-selective abortions as well as the problems these practices have presented. According to current statistics, there are approximately 1,338,299,512 people living in China (Cao et al. 2012). For every 120 males, there are only 100 females. A study published in the British Medical Journal found that China has approximately 32 million more males than females under the age of 20 (Cao et al. 012). In a 1999 Chinese census report, the imbalance between the sexes revealed that the imbalance is now so distorted that there are 111 million males in China – more than three times the population of Canada – who will be unable to find a wife (Hvistendahl 2008). As a result of this gender imbalance, the rate of female kidnapping and slave trading has increased. There are 8,000 women on average per year who are rescued by authorities from â€Å"forced† marriages (Cao et al. 1012). A major factor responsible for the distortion of this gender imbalance in China is the one child policy.In 1979, the Chinese Government implemented a new act under the family planning policy. This new act officially restricts married, urban couples to having only one child, while allowing exemptions for several cases such as rural couples, ethnic minorities, and parents without siblings (Hesketh et al. 2 011). Ideally, the act was implemented to alleviate social, economic, and environmental problems arising from the over-population issues in China. The one child policy offers couples that delay childbearing a longer maternity leave as well as other social benefits.Couples that have a second child without a permit are at risk of being fined thousands of dollars, and may also be penalized by suffering wage cuts and reduced access to social services (Hvistendahl 2008). Approximately 35. 9% of China’s population is subject to the â€Å"one child policy. † The policy is said to have prevented some 400 million births from 1979 to 2011 (Hesketh et al. 2011). The one child policy has been the source of conflict for a variety of reasons. The main focus has been the increased rate of female infanticide.Female infanticide is the intentional killing of baby girls due to the preference for male babies and is attributed to the low value associated with the birth of females (Weijing 2010). Poverty, famine, and population control are inter-related factors. Where safe and effective birth control is unavailable, infanticide is used to selectively limit the growth of a community. Infanticide allows for selection of the fittest or most desirable offspring, with sick, deformed, female, or multiple births targeted for disposal (Hvistendahl 2008).Males are viewed as more valuable to have as children in the Chinese society because they can work for higher wages and provide for their families. Females are viewed as a burden to the family because unless they live in a major city, they are expected to stay home with the family instead of pursuing an education or working (Hesketh et al. 2011). From the moment they are born, women are considered inferior to men. Women are viewed as submissive and weak whereas males were dominant and strong. Chinese women are taught from a very young age to look after the men in their households.They continue to live the rest of their lives a s subservient to males (Reed 2011). There is a principle of three obediences by which women are expected to live, obedience to their father while living under his roof, obedience to their husband and his family once married, and obedience to the eldest son once widowed (Caldwell and Bruce 2005). In the countryside, less than half a million out of a total rural population of eight hundred million were receiving pensions in 1981. Individuals and families who live in rural areas rely on their off spring to be part of their working staff.If such families are only allowed to have one child, they much prefer to have males because they believe they are of more use for jobs that require physical labor. (Hong, 1987) If a Chinese family who is not secure financially does indeed have a daughter than she will most likely not marry, Hong explains. â€Å"For economic reasons, families with daughters are unlikely to let them go to grooms villages to live because they will be needed not only for t he parents old age security but also to boost the life- long earning potential of the household. (Hong 1987 pg. 320) In Chinese culture, it is said, â€Å"a woman’s greatest duty is to have a son. † If a woman does not give birth to a son, her husband will often take another wife in hopes of another woman carrying his heir (Hvistendahl 2008). Women are viewed as so inferior, that often, poor families would sell their daughters as servants to rich families. Despite the egalitarian nature of Chinese society, many parents believe that having a son is a vital element of providing for their old age.When a daughter is married off, she is no longer available to take care of her parents in their old age, as she is now responsible for her husband and his family (Hesketh et al. 2011). Historically, the way that women were viewed in Chinese society made it clear that with the one-child policy in place, couples would prefer to have a son rather than a daughter. It is for this reas on that rates of female infanticide increased in China. Female infanticide is not a problem that is new to Chinese culture. Studies have shown that evidence of female infanticide in China dates back to 800 B. C.E. Until the fourth century, infanticide was neither illegal nor immoral (Weijing 2010). Legal sanctions against infanticide were introduced in the fourth century as Christianity infused secular laws (Weijing 2010). â€Å"We feel it's a serious problem that everybody should be concerned about and aware of,† said Wanda Franz, president of the National Right to Life Committee. â€Å"This is a form of abortion that, from our point of view is especially egregious. Abortion is claimed to help women; obviously in these cases, females are the direct victims, because women in these cultures are not valued. Caldwell and Bruce 2005)† Another country that has high rates of infanticide is India. Unlike China, India does not have a one-child policy in place, but instead, par ents of daughters who are to get married, must pay a dowry. Although the dowry is illegal in most of India, in areas of poverty, most parents still struggle and are expected to pay the families into which their daughters marry (Mahalingam et al. 2007). The dowry consists of large amounts of money and valuable goods. For families with several daughters this can be a serious financial burden (Dube and Dube 1999).In India, the practice of female infanticide is even more common. As in China, the birth of a daughter is seen as a liability. In India the sex ratio is 93 women for every 100 men, but in some regions there are fewer than 85 women per 100 men (Ahmad 2010). According to a recent report by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) up to 50 million girls and women are missing from India' s population as a result of systematic gender discrimination in India. Another study showed that approximately 2,000 females are illegally aborted every day in India (Mahalingham et al. 2007).I ndia is known throughout the world for being a country of a large population, a diverse culture, and beautiful sites. A part of India that is coming out of the dark and being discussed rapidly by academics is the extent of female infanticide and sex selective abortion. Statistics show in a United Nations report, that India has a higher death rate of females under four years old than any other country in the world. Poorer nations such as Peru have a female death percentage compared to males of seventy three percent, where a more developed country such as Japan has a female death rate of eighty three percent.The national average in India has a death rate of one hundred and seven percent compared to the death rate of boys, and in the area of Rajasthan the death rate of females under four years old is one hundred and nineteen percent compared to boys of the same age. A percentage of these deaths can be contributed to the decreasing health of female toddlers in India. Verma explains, in most regions of India girls are only fed after the males in the family. If the mother of a family does not receive proper nutrition than the chances of her daughter receiving it are very slim.The other major reason for mortality rates of young female children is so high is due to the practice of female infanticide. Virma, while travelling through her homeland on a search of qualitative research about the practice of female infanticide, came to find just how common female infanticide is across India, particularly in rural areas. Virma explains throughout many villages the male head of the household orders the daughter to be killed. In a particular interview a woman was screaming and crying, her husband told his wife, if she did not kill the baby than he would smash her head in until she was dead. Virma, 2005) In the village of a Bihar, the killing of female infants is so common; the locals repeatedly state, â€Å"The killing of girls is not a sin. † Midwives who play a large r ole in rural societies of India openly admit how many female infants they have killed. One stated â€Å"I have killed at least sixty five female babies in the last ten years. † (Verma 2005 Pg. 29) In the same villages midwives are paid a fee of one hundred rupees if the baby is a boy, twenty-five rupees if the infant is a girl, and fifty rupees if the midwife kills, or disposes of the female child. Verma, 2005) There are many different ways in which the female infants are killed; two common practices include starving the baby to death, or poisoning her with tobacco or oil. Many midwives feel that they are â€Å"liberating the female infants soul by killing them. They believe the alternative, being a woman in many parts of India is much worse than being dead. (Verma 2005) Female children who are raised in India are aware of the way they are treated by society and within their own families.In many instances they understand the expense of their dowries, and in certain circumsta nces go to great lengths to bring honor to their families. In a northern rural village, three sisters had hung themselves, with a note explaining the financial freedom their parents would have without them. (Verma 2005) The Chinese government has taken a number of steps to combat the practice of female infanticide, as well as promote and protect women's rights. The Marriage Law and Women's Protection Law prohibit female infanticide, and the latter prohibits discrimination against women who give birth to daughters (Hvistendahl 2008).The Sex Selective Abortion Law and Maternal Health Care Law of 1994 were created to put an end to sex selective abortions, and the latter prohibits the use of medical technology to determine the gender of a fetus (Hesketh et al. 2011). Unfortunately, however, the practice continues in China despite these efforts. The availability of modern ultrasound technology is a major contributing factor to sex-selective abortion. The technology was introduced to Chin a in the 1980’s for diagnostic purposes, however, the opportunity to use the technology for sex selection was soon exploited.In 1994, the Chinese Government banned the use of ultrasound technology for the use of sex selection in 1994 in an effort to elevate the number of females born per year and decrease the rate of sex-selective abortions and infanticide (Hesketh et al. 2011). In 2003, the Indian Government implemented the 2002 amendments to the PNDT (Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques) Act, explicitly recognizing the responsibility of manufacturers and distributors, such as GE Healthcare India, to protect against female feticide.Manufacturers must confirm that their customers have valid PNDT certificates and have signed legal documents stating that the equipment shall not be used for sex determination (Mahalingham et al. 2007). Female infanticide is a horrible manifestation of the anti-female bias that continues to pollute societies throughout the world. Even in technological ly advanced and educated societies, the brutal practice continues. The successful eradication of the practice of female infanticide seems an arduous task. In order to combat the phenomenon, careful consideration of the location-specific and cultural factors leading to the practice is necessary.The education of both men and women, social strategies to improve the status of women, and access to family counseling and healthcare may provide means of eliminating female infanticide, as well as elevating the value assigned to women around the globe. In countries such as China and India where the preference of male children has been a part of their cultures history and tradition, one of the only ways to prevent the acts of female infanticide and sex selective abortion is through education. In the early 1990’s less than forty percent of India’s three hundred and thirty million females aged seven and older were literate.Approximately ten years later the numbers improved with six ty five percent of the female population being able to read or write. â€Å"Numerous studies show that illiterate women have high levels of fertility and mortality, poor nutritional status, low earning potential, and less autonomy within the household. †(United Nations 2002) Although there are many schools within India whose curriculum is outstanding and where the student’s performance out does primary schools in the global north there are still many areas where improvement must take place. The government of India must start with setting up more schools and classrooms and providing more teachers at the grass root levels. †(UNICEF) The second step that needs to be taken is to ensure quality teacher training and a solid planned out curriculum for each school to follow across the country. Along with a solid curriculum there needs to be more encouragement of education for girls. If encouragement means giving families incentives to keep their daughters in school, then the government should seriously consider them says the president of the Kanchan Foundation.With an outstanding number of children in upper primary schools across India many girls either drop out or there is not enough space for them so they are forced to leave. By increasing the number of upper primary schools many more girls in India would have the chance of a formal education. Overall the two most populous countries in the world, China and India, are facing what has been described as something close to genocide.With China attempting to control their population size, and India’s historical and cultural preference of male children, both countries are in dire need for daughters in their societies. Between female infanticide and sex selective abortion both countries are running out of potential marriage partners for their male children. With female infanticide and sex selective abortion on the rise the number of kidnapping, and forced marriages of females has also been increas ing. Research shows the answer to the problem is increased education for both male and females throughout both countries.Encouraging girls with their education, and teaching boys and men that women should be valued in society are the first steps in stopping such practices. Although sex selective abortion has been against the law in China since 1994, the practice has been on the rise, particularly with advancing technology. Authority does not watch the practice closely and more recent policy needs to be put in place. It should be both China and India’s goal to give infant females, the same celebrations of life as their male counterparts and to give all women in both countries gender equality.

Being and Becoming: Becoming by Being Essay

Pre-Socratic era was marked by periods from Thales of Miletus until that period when Socrates philosophy was yet to be born.   It was during this period when the fundamentals of science (both natural and social were being founded using scientific research and inquiry, and where philosophy and practical science were still married.   Sophos tried to understand and explain the origin, nature, elements, development and workings of the universe by way of argumentative reasoning, critical inquiry and justifications. Pre-Socratic philosophy was mainly characterized by its elements such as essence, change/absolute, harmony and its effort to understand the essential substance of a thing that caused its existence and the dynamic movement it undergoes (changes) to be known as what it is today.   Among the famous thinkers of this period were Thales, Heraclitus, Anaxagoras, Empedocles, Democritus and Parmenides. Whereas pre-Socratic philosophers have had formulated a common line of thought, disparity was inevitable.   Among the arguments that showed differences of the philosophy of that period was Parmenides’ theory of Being and Heraclitus’ theory of Becoming.   Heraclitus argued that the existence of everything was brought about by nothing and that it continuously exists through constant change or by undergoing a dynamic transformation.   What is more striking about the concept of change for Heraclitus is the concept of change within. According to him, it is that contradiction of elements/substance within the object that caused it to transform and that to cause its change, an external intervening need not to be imposed.   Accordingly, for Heraclitus, the world is a continuous struggle and strife, hence it needs change. In contrast, while the internal aspect of an existing element undergoes alterations, the process by which an element transforms is ever constant. Through the understanding of the nature of an element, Heraclitus recognized that the fixed states of being are all part of the varied state of perpetual becoming1.   In humans, the processes of giving birth, living, dying and rebirth are all changes that a person passes through.   However, such pattern is a never-ending cycle, after all.   What will â€Å"become† of a matter is a product of the dynamic development it subjects itself through a never ceasing rhythm. Contrary to Heraclitus’, while Parmenides likewise argued that an object exists because it does exist (that no other factor that may explain the causality of its existence), he failed to recognize if it ever underwent an evolutionary state, thus making it the â€Å"being† as it is today.   Because Parmenides believed – and apparently refuted Heraclitus – that the universe was already at the state of stability, why should it be basking on the process of modification? Everything is what it is because it is what it is and it cannot become what it is not. Both arguments are of much interest specifically in understanding how do we â€Å"become† or what make us came to â€Å"being†.   Later on during Plato’s time, both arguments could be reconciled by proposing that, what might â€Å"become† is caused by a â€Å"being†. However, unlike the foregoing arguments of Heraclitus’ and Parmenides, it is apparent that the reconciliation of the arguments were based on the thought that, indeed, there is a â€Å"first cause† that is never changing but rather causes the â€Å"second being† to become what it is today.   Note that both the initially mentioned thinkers do not believe on something that might have caused on object to exist. What could be more difficult in the understanding of this discourse is the process of analyzing concepts that flourished centuries apart and merging them into one critical explanation such that conflict resolution could be gained. References: __________. Philosophy Pages. In Britannica Internet Guide Selection. Retrieved April 11, 2008, from http://www.philosophypages.com/dy/p.htm#parm __________. (April 16, 2002). Pre-Socratic Era. Posted to http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=628825 Ballantyne, Paul F., Ph.D. History and Theory of Psychology: An Early 21st Century Student’s Perspective. (2008). Retrieved April 10, 2008, from www.comnet.ca/~pballan/section1(210).htm Goodman, Len E. (1992). Avicenna:Arabic Thought and Culture (pp 53-54). Routledge. Retrieved April 12, 2008, from http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=VJ6x-pcqMicC&pg=PA51&lpg=PA51&dq=resolving+the+argument+of+being+and+becoming&source=web&ots=gctA47HxTQ&sig=R0YNJ23QzZlvTpaLA5XclFgdKfY&hl=en#PPR5,M1 Rose, Jake. Being and Becoming. In Ezine Articles. Retrieved April 11, 2008, from http://ezinearticles.com/?Being-and-Becoming&id=148729   

Recreational Drug Use Negatively Affects Society Research Paper

Recreational Drug Use Negatively Affects Society - Research Paper Example From the report it is clear that recreational drugs include many kinds of drugs which can be legal or illegal. The use of recreational drugs in a society can cause several economic effects as people commonly start spending about one-fourth of their income in drugs, and utilize their savings, thus lowering their standards of living. In recent years, the overall economy of the American society has tremendously lowered as there is an increase in the usage of recreational drugs. The drugs industry is making high profits and it surely benefits their market as some drugs are highly expensive and once people are addicted to them, they buy them excessively to fulfill their needs. The more profits the drugs industry makes, the more risks of drugs smuggling, illegal selling and possession of drugs, and access use of controlled drugs will increase causing social, economic, and psychological problems. This paper highlights that people often start taking recreational drugs to divert their minds from their life problems or to gain some pleasure. Drugs are often successful in providing peace to the disturbed person and allowing him to forget all his worries for a while. This attracts people to use them more often, hence creating an addiction. Most people first get addicted to this feeling, then physically addicted, as it becomes a need for the body to calm down and feel good. Drug addicts are fifty percent more likely to commit crimes such as robbery and stealing, only for the purpose of buying more drugs.

Understanding Surveys and Samples Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Understanding Surveys and Samples - Essay Example a hypothesis as â€Å"a tentative explanation of the research problem, a possible outcome of the research, or an educated guess about the research outcome† (Hatch, 2002). Thus, a hypothesis is a temporary prediction about the nature of the relationship that exits between two or more variables. The study has developed the following two hypotheses that take both the null and alternative approach. The analysis of two or more variables together makes it important for the researcher to point out the relationship between the two variables involved in the study. Two variables are independent if a change in one does not consequently cause a change in the other. In the case that one of the variables causes a change in the other then the first variables is known as an independent variable and the latter a dependent variable (Sharp, Peters, & Howard, 2002). In the two questions identified above, domestic violence in the first question is the independent variable while psychological consequences are the dependent variable. In the second question, the independent variable is psychological problems while the dependent variable is the normal development. The following definitions will act as operational definitions for the following variables used in the study. These are based on the various understandings by different scholars on the meaning of the terms and how they are used in day to day interactions. Domestic violence will be taken to mean developed pattern of assaultive and coercive behavior which could take the form of physical, psychological, emotional or economic coercion that is seen to occur between a couple (Champion, 2000). This definition will thus focus on the family where children exist and not any other adult relationship. The definition will only consider what the children can see happen in the family and not what they are not able to observe. Psychological problems will be taken to represent patterns of behavior or psychological symptoms that have an effect

Genetics, environment, general biology, evolution, plants, etc. and Article

Genetics, environment, general biology, evolution, plants, etc. and provide a one-page Review, Critique, Relate summary using general writing style and format for each source - Article Example In fact, these long non-coding genes â€Å"might play a major role in regulating the activity of other genes† (â€Å"Human genome†). The information above is taken from the article entitled â€Å"Human genome far more active than thought,† which is published by BiologyNews.net under an anonymous writer. However, despite the absence of the writer’s name, the article cites Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute as the source of the information. The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute is a charitable institution registered in England and performs research into genetics and disease, as well as the study of the human genome for the purpose of improving understanding of the principles that govern how the human body reacts to diseases. The reliability of the information in the article â€Å"Human genome far more active than thought† is therefore reliable and verifiable. The news on the discovery of 9,277 long non-coding genes using new, sophisticated technology, as well as the potential discovery of 10,000 more of these, has a profound significance on the medical field. As stated in the article itself, these newly-discovered genes and those about to be discovered may serve as the key to the cure of several incurable or hardly curable diseases that beset humans. Certain genes may, for example, be found to produce chemicals that help cause a disease or prevent it. Those genes known to trigger a disease should then be silenced, and those that prevent disease must be studied. The protozoa that causes malaria – Plasmodium vivax – has undergone the same genetic variations regardless where it is found and despite the distance among continents. This so-called â€Å"microbial globe trotter† protozoa which is harbored by mosquitoes is believed to have spread worldwide because of the tendency of people to travel despite the dormant protozoa in their liver (â€Å"Genome of

Self esteem development in the classroom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Self esteem development in the classroom - Essay Example Initially acknowledged by James (1890), self-esteem is defined as a ‘belief and self-confidence in your own ability and value.† Thus, self-esteem is increasingly becoming better described and might be understood as an evaluative process by which individuals assess the differences between self-image (how we are) and, the ideal-self (how we want to be). Figure 1 The Structure of Self-Esteem Defining Self-Esteem Coppersmith (1967) considers self-esteem to be "the evaluation that the individual makes and customarily maintains with regard to him/herself. It expresses an attitude of approval or disapproval and indicates the extent to which the individual believes him/herself to be capable, significant and worthy". The definitions described above illustrate that an individual's level of self-esteem is determined mainly by the feedback received from the social environment, including home and school. It is important to note that all the beliefs and images which individuals possess as an essential part of their self-concept are not an innate element of an individual's self concept. Individuals are all born with certain observable physical attributes and untouched capability, but no one was born with completely developed understandings that s/he is gifted or stupid, ugly or good looking, extrovert or introvert. Most of the images and beliefs which one possesses about oneself as adults are acquired before adulthood. The source of an individual’s self-concept starts from how others treat them and what they tell them about the individuals. Newborns develop an overall impression in relation to whether they are cherished or not based on the extent to which they are treated. In early childhood, the development of children's self-concept is effected to a large extent by non-verbal communication. In adolescence, when the language skills are developed, they begin to decipher those general expressions into words and expressions (O’Toole, 1995). Childrenâ⠂¬â„¢s self-concept is further formed when they enter school. At this level children become alert of the fact whether they are approved by others and are included in activities or because they are disliked and are often left alone. Children also become conscious of their talents and limitations from the feedback they get from teachers and fellow students (O’Toole, 1995). Two psychological processes deal with the evaluation of social feedback that includes self-evaluation and self-worth. For each person, the real-self and the ideal-self are different because the ideal-self includes what a person would like to turn into. This difference is vital, however, because without some level of goal, children and adults become inadequately adjusted. It is normal, and in far praiseworthy, for a person to be constantly working hard. Yet, the smaller the difference between the real-self and the ideal-self, the greater confidence the individual will have, and the greater will be his/her abil ity to attain a high level of self-esteem. On the other hand, when there is a huge difference between the real-self and ideal-self, the individual is more prone to have a low self-esteem (O’Toole, 1995). Global Self-Esteem Global Self-Esteem Academic Non-Academic English Math Science Other Social Physical Parents Others Appearance Skill Figure 2 The Self-Esteem Hierarchy Global self-esteem is a person’s total feeling of self-esteem which becomes steady as the child grows (Marsh et al., 1984). Tasks that do not

Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx - Essay Example It would be easy to read Brokeback Mountain as the story of gay men, situated in a time and place that had yet to come to terms with homosexuality. They are right, if possibly for the wrong reasons. Proulx does not idealize rural Wyoming; on the contrary she presents a textured picture of its beauty and its cruelty, its contradictions. Brokeback Mountain completes Proulx's emotional journey into the psyche of the macho Wyoming male by ripping away the masque of masculinity and revealing a sense of tenderness and longing to love that comes as a surprise even to the men who experience it. Male psyche is the central theme that focuses â€Å"Brokeback Mountain.† It is a very real and compassionate tale of two cowboys who unexpectedly found love in each other. The pain experienced by every character is believable as is the anger. Proulx is the narrator of â€Å"Brokeback Mountain†. The point of view of the story is third person omniscient. The narration is real in tone and e mploys description and dialogue to examine the actions, emotions and thoughts of the characters. Sentimental and Nostalgic Sides of Outwardly Tough Characters Male psyche is a predominant and recurrent theme of â€Å"Brokeback Mountain.† It nevertheless registers as a touching illumination of the sentimental and nostalgic sides of outwardly tough characters. In the story of a man whom she called â€Å"large, white, stumbling along, going nowhere,† she forged an endearingly sweet love story between unlikely partners, and against a backdrop of sudden violent deaths, insanity, and incest. She refines this ability to mix a poignant and unexpected romance with her trademark rough-mannered characters and unglamorous settings in the best story â€Å"Brokeback Mountain.† They part at the end of the summer, and both marry and start families soon thereafter, but over the next twenty years they rekindle their fierce erotic bond with increasing affection and emotional longi ng on infrequent â€Å"fishing trips.† Emotional journey of male psyche can be traceable everywhere in this short story. When Jack meets Alma, he announces that he too is married and has a baby boy. They talk of how they missed each other and Jack suggests that he married his wife, Lureen, because she came from a wealthy family. After a while, Ennis and Alma begin to grow apart and she starts to resent him for not finding a steady job, and always going with Jack on fishing trips. Eventually, they divorce and Alma remarries but stays in touch with Ennis and lets him visit their children. Proulx passes male characters through an emotional journey throughout the story. The protagonists of the story are Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar. Proulx gives a good description of both stating â€Å"They were raised on small, poor ranches in opposite corners of the state, Jack Twist in Lightning Flat, up on the Montana border, Ennis del Mar from around Sage, near the Utah line, both high scho ol drop out country boys with no prospects, brought up to hard work and privation, both rough mannered, rough spoken, inured to the stoic life"(Proulx 74.) The antagonist of the story would be the locals and society for killing Jack because they didn’t find it acceptable for a man to be living with another man. Both Ennis and Jack changed because they were both very masculine,