History of Human Services Essay

It is common for people to expect something in return for helping someone out or providing them with a specific service. It is also very common for people to expect to have to give up something in return for asking for help or specific services. While not everyone believes that those who are in need should be helped, there are opposing positions which feel that reform is a way to retract and counteract the situation the for the person in need. In order to get a better understanding of what is needed in the present time, we must first learn and understand how and why people of the western culture helped others through human services. As provided in The Introduction to Human Services: Policy and Practice, tracing back through history it shows how the western culture went through a difficult route of providing help for people in need. It shows how people in need were provided help from their families and the church or a benevolent feudal lord, later leading to receive help from the government, then eventually receive help from volunteers or trained professionals (Mandell & Schram, 2012). In the United States there are several helpful services which are no longer being made available due to the government’s decisions to strip away the programs or services for those in need and putting much of the burden on the volunteer and charity groups or churches. With the limited amount of resources and services available, these groups and churches are limited on what they can do to help. According to Garrow (2010), â€Å"nonprofit human service organizations located in a munificent environment can pursue multiple funding opportunities such as donations, fees for services, and other revenue-generating activities† (pg 447). There are several factors which have influenced our ability and willingness to help society members. Some people are just willing to help those in need because they have the means and are either empathetic or sympathetic to the needs of others. Many people who have gone through similar instances as those who are in need now are willing to try to help someone because they can feel their pain because they have been through the same tough times. While there are some that ant to help because they can, there are also those who can help but refuse to because of their survival of the fittest mentality because of their victim blaming point of view which sees and blames people for their own misfortune and not a circumstance due to social forces (Mandell & Schram, 2012). Reciprocity is a give and take type of situation. When there is someone receiving goods or services, it is expected that there is some type of benefit received back in return. In western cycles of giving and helping this same principle is put into place. There was once a time where people would help others because they want to or because it makes them feel good for doing so. Now in more modern times people expect a benefit received from the services they provide. Some consider the fact that people are in the situation they are in because of something they have done wrong or incorrectly. Mandell & Schram (2012) provide philosophies which clash with the methods of providing help. These philosophies include: * Deserving vs. Undeserving: This is where victim blamers are as the superior to the victims who need help which are put in discriminatory classification as higher or lower categories and some are considered to be more worthy of receiving benefits and services than others (pg 32). * Means-tested vs. Universal programs: This is where means-tested programs that are available only to the poor, whose assets fall below a certain set eligibility level as oppose to universal programs that provide income supports and social services to both the affluent and the poor (pg 32). Culture of poverty vs. Opportunity theory: This is where a system of self-defeating beliefs passed on from parent to child as oppose to the theory that people are prevented from getting out of poverty because of their lack of social opportunities rather than because of their individual defects (pg 32 & 35). There are four issues within the cycle of helping in the American society which connects to all types of situations and circumstanc es of people. The cycles consist of welfare reform, treatment of mental illness, juvenile justice, and criminal justice. With all of these issues, they prove the influence of human services which are of precedence of the spotlight and should be addressed accordingly. Welfare: * Welfare is considered as Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) and according to Mandell & Schram (2012) welfare provides a good example of the cycles of reform (pg 43). * Since welfare and other safety net programs were cut back, the criminal justice system expanded, causing the United States to have the highest incarceration rate on the planet which is five times the world’s average (pg 43). Mandell & Schram, 2012) Mental Illness: * Mental illness can be diagnosed only by observing. * The imprecision of the diagnosis of schizophrenia, for example, is illustrated by a study done by thirteen psychology researchers where they all presented themselves at the doors of various mental hospitals telling them they heard voices, with the outcome of each being discharged with a diagnosis of schizophrenic on remission. There are an uneven number of people of color in mental hospitals due partly to racial discrimination and partly because an unequal numbers of them are poor. (Mandell & Schram, 2012) Juvenile Justice: * The child-saving movement was the efforts of reformers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to rescue children from unwholesome influences which led to the development of children’s institutions, foster care, and the juvenile court (pg 55). The juvenile court system was based on the belief that children who break the law should not be punished like adults (pg55). * Juvenile reformatories were supposed to protect youngsters humanely from the corrupting influences of adult criminals but youth were found guilty and was assigned to a reformatory without trial and with a minimum of legal protection because legal due process was assumed to be unnecessary since reformatories were intended to reform and not punish (pg 55). Now juveniles have the right to know the charges against them, the right to have their own lawyer, and the right to confront and cross-examine their accuser and witnesses (pg 56). (Mandell & Schram, 2011) Criminal Justice: * The U. S. is the world’s leader in incarceration with 2. 3 million people in the nation’s prisons or jails in 2010 (pg 58). * Even though most of the prisoners are men, the number of mothers in America’s state prison has reached a record high (pg 58). * Many of the mothers who have been sentenced to prison had previously received TANF (pg 58). Another reason for the increase in incarcerations has been the imprisonment of undocumented immigrants (pg59). * Prisoners have to put their lives on hold while prison and in many states cannot vote when they get out (pg59). * Some human service workers work with people who are on probation and parole or in rehabilitation programs in order to check for inaccuracies in their crime records, help children visit their parents to prevent termination of parental rights, or help released prisoners to find jobs (pg 60). Mandell & Schram, 2012) In my opinion I think that we are trying to do as much as we can to help with welfare, juvenile justice, mental illness, and criminal justice. There is only so much that can be done since government only allows so much assistance and resources to those in need. There are fortunately volunteers and charities which provide the much needed assistance and resources for those without asking for any type of payment or reciprocity in return. Just as it is stated by Oftelie (2011), â€Å"human services support our nation’s social fabric, economic competiveness and equity in the American dream. We have the strategies and technologies for increasing capacity and performance† (pg 15). We need to learn to reach out to help others to become better for themselves, their families, and society. While not everyone believes that those who are in need should be helped, there are divergent positions which point out that reform is a way to withdraw from and offset the difficult circumstances for the person in need. Throughout history there has been a list of challenges for changes which can attest for the reform within human services. Through reciprocity and other factors of societal circumstances shape the behavior for helping those in need. Even though there have been many changes in the cycles of helping in the American society, we can always use even more improvements in welfare, mental illness treatment, juvenile justice, and criminal justice systems. It is up to everyone to find a way to contribute to develop new approaches to human services.

Paikea’s Determination to Become the Chief

Paikea’s Determination to Become the Chief Whale Rider by Niki Caro is a story about a 12 year old girl who is the true heir to be chief of the tribe but her grandfather, following Maori traditions, believes that the role of chief is to be the first born son of the chief only. Throughout the movie, Paikea is determined to prove that she is the true heir and can be the chief of the tribe. This movie shows how she struggles to get her grandfather’s approval due to his beliefs and the tribe’s tradition which dates back to ancient times.By the end of the story he realizes that Pai is the one and only heir to be chief of the tribe. Throughout the story Paikea must prove to her grandfather that she has courage, determination, and that she has the ability to lead the people of the tribe. Pai cares about her tribe, their culture, and their traditions. Although she is only twelve years old, Pai shows leadership abilities and she is always right by her grandfather’s side. She wants to learn the traditions, so if her dreams of becoming the chief work out, she can pass them on to the rest of the tribe and be a good leader.Paikea is trying to show that she is a strong, courageous girl and she can be a good chief. One side of her wants to prove to her grandfather she can be chief and she wants him to love her even though she is a girl, and the other half wants to prove that a girl can be just as good of a leader as a boy. Paikea shows courage because even though her grandfather has his disbeliefs in her and being the chief, she does whatever it takes to prove to him that she was just as good as any boy in the tribe. Paikea is very determined to learn the ways of her people.She looks through the windows and into the classroom where her grandfather is teaching the boys how to fight since she is not allowed to participate and learn with them. She asks her uncle to teach her how fight like the boys, and soon she becomes very good at fighting and can s ay some chants that only boys are supposed to know. Although her grandfather does not want Pai to learn and know any of the male traditions of the tribe, learns them, and is better than the boys. She is determined to prove to her grandfather that she can be the chief and be better at it than any boy in the tribe can.At the end of the movie Paikea rides the whale out to sea; her grandmother gives the whales tooth to Koro that Pai retrieved from the lake when none of the boys could get it. After these two important events, he now knows that Paikea has the courage, determination, and the ability to become the chief of the tribe. Paikea inspires her uncle to teach her the taiaha, a stick used for fighting. Women were forbidden to board a waka, a fighting ship of the Maori tribe, and Paikea is able to sit in her dad’s waka with Koro at her side and she leads them off in a chant.As the waka leaves all the villagers gather around the beach with excitement and perform a ritual ceremo ny as the waka heads out to sea celebrating the new heir to the chief. None of this would have been possible had Pai not fought traditions and had the determination to become the leader of the tribe Throughout the movie Whale Rider, Paikea has many struggles; although she didn’t know them she lost her mother and brother when she was first born, her father moving to Germany because he is not able to care for her, and her trying to get her grandfather’s approval.Though she has these struggles she is still determined to prove to that she has what it takes to become chief of the tribe. Paikea is an inspiring young girl, she helps her uncle become a better person and she makes her family and the people of the tribe very happy by proving she has the courage to save the whales when her grandfather failed. By the end of the movie Paikea’s grandfather finally accepts the fact that she is the chief when her grandmother gives him the necklace of the with the whale’s tooth, which Paikea retrieved when none of the boys in her grandfather’s fighting class could do it.

Brand Failures

Companies don't blame the product, (but) they blame the brand. Brands also transformed the process of marketing into a process of perception-building. Image is now everything: consumers consider more important the perception of the brand than the real product. Why branding is everything? Because companies live or die on the strength of the brand: one mistake and the customer can break the loyalty bond RULES why brands fail l. Brand Amnesia. For old brands, memory becomes a problem. When a brand forgets its identity and try to create a new identity, like Coca-Cola with New Coke. Brand Ego. Brand overestimates its importance, believe to dominate the market alone (like Polaroid in the photography market) or enter new markets that don't fit (like Harley Davidson selling perfume) 3. Brand deception. Companies sometimes lie when branding, and today consumers are really connected via Internet and can't be cheated. 4. Brand paranoia. When the brand feels an inferiority complex, imitating the competitors and reinventing the brand every six months. 5. Brand Relevance. When a market evolves, the brands risk to become obsolete.There are some myths associated with branding: I If a product is good, it will have success. This is not always true, Because good products can fail exactly like bad products. For example, Bateman was better than VS., but failed. 2. Brands are more likely to succeed than fail. Wrong. Brands fail every single day, the 80 per cent dies when introduced, and 10 per cent within five years. 3. Big companies Will always have brand success. This is false, because famous brands are also weaker. For example â€Å"New Coke†. 4. Strong brands are built on advertising.Advertising can support brands, but not build them. There are many types of failures, one of them is Classic failures Reasons why brands fail: marketing errors: like setting the wrong price or name or getting paranoid about the competition or consumers can boycott the brand because of a scand al via internet or simply because they are bad ideas New Coke case In the case of New Coke, the brand forgot its identity.

Fast Food Nation

The fast food industry has been growing in America rapidly in the past decades. In â€Å"Fast Food Nation†, Eric Schlosser talks about the dangers of the fast food industry. Schlosser also explains the â€Å"distinctively American way† Americans view the world because of the fast food industry. I think the â€Å"distinctively American way† people view the world that Schlosser is trying to explain is that Americans care about money and power.Due to the growth and success of the fast food industry, the owners of these big fast food companies are starting to care more about power and they’re willing to use their power to control over Congress and their employees. Schlosser also feels that fast food companies are willing to have harsh working conditions, use cheap labor, and misuse government subsidies just for capitalism. He feels that fast food companies’ main goal is to gain profit and they’re willing to harm their employees and consumers just for the profit.Another â€Å"distinctively American way† people view the world due to fast food is that they’re starting to value convenience, speed, and cheapness. The fast food industry uses these attributes to help gain more profit because they know this will attract customers. Americans are starting to learn a new philosophy: bigger is better. Inhumane Working Conditions: Schlosser’s Argument- Schlosser argues that the fast food industry has many inhumane working conditions. In â€Å"Fast Food Nation†, Schlosser explains all the inhumane working conditions in the slaughterhouses and the effects of these working conditions.He explains the inhumane working conditions by showing his experience as he visits a slaughterhouse. As he visits the slaughterhouse, he sees the meat cutters working and how horrendous their job is. Schlosser explains the process of cutting the meat, â€Å"They stand at a table that’s chest high, grab meat off a conveyer be lt, trim away fat, throw meat back on the belt, toss the scraps onto a conveyer belt above them, and then grab more meat, all in a matter of seconds,†(170) The workers in the slaughterhouse do the same task repetitively throughout the day.Not only are the workers doing the same task repetitively, they’re working in extreme temperatures and with disgusting smells of blood and manure. The workers are also working with sharp knives that give them injuries such as lacerations. Repeating the same motion continuously also gives the workers back problems, shoulder problems, carpal tunnel syndrome, and â€Å"trigger finger†(a syndrome in which a finger becomes frozen in a curler position). The worst slaughterhouse job is cleaning the slaughterhouse at night. These workers deal with heat, fog, and fumes.The fumes make the workers throw up and they feel the fumes inside their bodies. Industry Defense- The fast food industry might defend themselves from these attacks about their inhumane working conditions by saying that they have these working conditions so production can be fast. Workers must perform the same task repetitively so that the meat could be cut as fast as possible. If production were to be slow, this will lead to less beef for the fast food industry and this will eventually harm the fast food industry.If the fast food industry is harmed this may lead to the rise of unemployment because the fast food industry will slow down and might not need as much employees working at branches. The fast food industry is one of the biggest industries and it provides the most jobs for young adults and people in the lower economic class. We need the fast food industry so there could be enough jobs for people and this will overall benefit our economy. My Argument- I agree with Schlosser about how the fast food industry does have inhumane working conditions.People are getting injuries and dying because of these horrible working conditions and that shouldnâ €™t be acceptable. Even though production will be slower if they didn’t have these working conditions, we could make it possible for the fast food industry to work without the inhumane working conditions. Slaughterhouses can hire more employees so people could get more breaks and they don’t have to continuously cut meat for hours. They could also provide air conditioning and get some ventilation for these workers so they don’t have to work in the heat and smell.There are many alternatives so these workers don’t have to suffer through these inhumane working conditions. Manipulation of Children Through TV: Schlosser’s argument- In â€Å"Fast Food Nation†, Schlosser argues that advertising companies are specifically attacking and manipulating children. After seeing the success of Walt Disney and Ray Kroc through their interest in selling to kids, advertisers started to attack children even more. The growth in advertising aimed at children h as been driven by efforts to increase not just current, but also future, consumption.Advertisers have an immediate goal; it’s to get children to ask for a specific product. Advertisers know children are easily influenced and they can easily persuade their parents to buy them products so companies’ advertisements are revolved around children. Children also have different types of nags to ask for these advertised products. Schlosser also explains how advertisers manipulate children by influencing them through advertisements, â€Å"Before trying to affect children’s behavior, advertisers have to learn about their tastes.Today’s market researchers have not only conduct surveys of children in shopping malls, they also organize focus groups for kids as young as two or three† (44). Advertisers study the lives of children so they could apply their interests into advertisements. For example, Dan S. Acuff did a study and found out that roughly 80 percent of children’s dreams are about animals. Since children seem to be interested in animals, companies such as Disney use characters based off animals such as Mickey Mouse in their advertisements.The manipulation of children through these television ads was controversial and in 1978 the Federal Trade Commission tried to ban television advertisements directed to children. The government defended the advertisement industry because different broadcasting groups lobbied the Congress to prevent restrictions on children advertisements. Industry Defense- The fast food industry might defend themselves from these attacks about their manipulation of children through TV by saying the advertisements do not make these children nag their parents for a certain product.Schlosser just assumes it does because children tend to ask for the product after seeing these advertisements; it could merely just be a coincidence. They might also say it’s the parent’s choice to let the children watc h these advertisements. The fast food industry is solely just advertising their product and it’s not the industry’s fault that children are watching these advertisements and asking for these products after watching the advertisements. If parents are so concern about they’re children wanting fast food because of these advertisements, they don’t have to let their children watch these advertisements.My Argument- I agree with the fast food industry about the manipulation of children through TV. I feel that Schlosser can’t really prove that advertising companies are really manipulating children. Even though it’s true that they’re aiming their advertisements toward children, I feel like they’re solely just doing their job of advertising. Their job is supposed to sell the product and advertisement companies are just doing what they’re supposed to do. It’s also under the parent’s control if they want their children to see these advertisements. Food Poisoning: Schlosser’s argumentSchlosser argues in â€Å"Fast Food Nation† that the fast food industry poison consumers everyday. The pathogen E. coli 0157:H7 has been one of the main pathogens that have gotten people sick. He explains how the fast food industry is poisoning consumers with E. coli 0157:H7 and other food pathogens, â€Å"But the rise of huge feedlots, slaughterhouses, and hamburger grinders seem to have provided the means for this pathogen to become widely dispersed in the nation’s food supply. American meat production has never been so centralized: thirteen large packinghouses now slaughter most of the beef consumed in the United States.The meat-packing system that arose to supply the nation’s fast food chains—an industry molded to serve their needs, to provided massive amounts of uniform ground beef so that all of McDonald’s hamburgers would taste the same—has proved to be an extre mely efficient system for spreading disease†(196) The foodborne pathogens are carried into the meat because of the way the meat is processed. These pathogens tend to be carried and shed by â€Å"healthy† animals. The food that is tainted has most likely come in contact with an infected animal’s stomach or manure during slaughter and food processing.The fast food industry is basically serving consumers food that has been in contact with shit. In â€Å"Fast Food Nation† Upton Sinclair describes a long list of practices in the meatpacking industry that threated the health of consumers, â€Å"the routine slaughter of diseased animals, the use of chemicals such as borax and glycerine to disguise the smell of spoiled beef, the deliberate mislabeling of canned meat, the tendency of workers to urinate and defecate on the kill floor†(204) The fast food industry is harming their consumers and they’re trying to hide the fact that they are.In January of 1993, children were getting food poisoning and it all traced back to the undercooked hamburgers served at Jack in the Box restaurants. This incident received a lot of attention about the dangers of these food pathogens such as E. coli 0157:H7. The meatpacking industry refused to implement an inspection system and they paid their way to cover the dangers of these meat. Industry’s Defense: The fast food industry might defend themselves from these attacks about food poisoning by arguing that these meats are inspected before serving to their customers.They might say that people could’ve gotten sick from the meat they have cooked at home. People also have a choice to eat these fast foods. If consumers feel like they’re going to get sick from the fast food they don’t have to eat it. Eating fast food is the consumer’s choice and they’re not forced to eat it. My argument: I agree with Schlosser about the fast food industry poisoning consumers. I fee l that slaughterhouses and feedlots should watch how they slaughter and process the beef to make sure they’re not mixing the meat with any type of manure.The fast food industry is also trying to hide the fact that they’re beef could be spoiled. The fast food industry should get an inspection system so that they’re meat could be fresh for consumers. This could prevent food poisoning and attract more customers because the consumers will trust what they’re eating more. Overall, I feel that the fast food industry is an industry that we need but it should be fixed.I feel that the government should take over and control how the fast food industry works. The fast food industry needs to stop caring about capitalism and start caring more about their consumers and employees. They need to change their working conditions and how they process the meat. They also need to stop using their subsidies for themselves and stop cheating the political system. We need to revolu tionize the fast food industry so that everyone could have a safer and healthier living.

Long-Term Investment Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Long-Term Investment Strategy - Essay Example Again, the savings have to be an equal amount of money that I get from my security fund every month. I really want that when I retire, I have enough money that can enable me to build a bigger and expensive residential home and also have business premises in the city. Therefore, in addition to saving for my children, I’d like to save close to $6 million for the premises project. To be able to achieve all these goals, my monthly retirement savings must be put into an investment that will enable this money to multiply. This will help me to both save and invest at the same time. By saving, I will be able to earn an interest every month and when I invest, there are proceeds that I will benefit from in form of profits. My retirement savings per month is $1,000. I’ll be able to take this fixed amount of money monthly and invest it in appropriate investment. The low-cost mutual funds and ETFs that attract popular market indexes will be preferable for this strategy but dollar co sting can be done for any investment. This has two benefits, first by putting aside the same amount every month; one builds the habit of saving and investing at the same time. Secondly, one would buy more shares when they are cheap and when prices shoot, one ends up with the same shares hence investing the same amount. Averagely, I will be able to buy more when an investment is cheap than when it is expensive. To buy cheaply is a way of generating long term profits and by using dollar-cost averaging, one is able to take advantage of changing prices and add it to your gains. In investing, I’ll be looking for two things majorly, my current income and long-term investment. To be able to achieve these, my future prospects will be to invest into dividend stock. This will give me the best choices paying reliable and growing dividends while I’ll still be able to share in the prospects of the company underlying the business. I’ll have to keep checking with my broker to know what services it offers. Give that there are hundreds of high quality blue chip dividend stock, together with many ETFs and mutual funds specializing in dividends, it will never be hard for me to find promising candidates for my investment portfolio. As good investors say, successful investment does not rely on the picking of great stocks and other investment, but it also depends on hanging onto as much of what you earn as possible. This investment strategy will be able to consider ways of keeping the IRS at bay as capital gains taxes can get into my investment returns. I realize that I’ll even be able to take advantage of tax benefits which are available for retirement savings by investing in employer sponsored-retirement plans. Much income is normally sheltered from taxes as long as the money stays in the account, depending on how much growth one can get from the retirement savings. However, for some retirement accounts, one has to pay taxes when they have to withdraw money in retirement, but IRAs and 401 (k)s make the income tax free. When one wants to invest, having a solid strategy makes his investment plans less intimidating than if the strategy is not strong to make the investment to be nerve wracking. My strategy will depend largely and be based largely on market efficiency. This is where I will have to keep on watch with my broker to monitor when the shares are sold cheaply in the market for me to buy them. This will enable me to purchase a lot of shares and dividends cheaply. Then when the prices shoot, I will be

An Experiential Anthropology Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

An Experiential Anthropology - Dissertation Example Cultural anthropology or socio-cultural anthropology is the study of culture (Delaney, 2004). Cultural anthropology centers on ethnography, which refers to either the methodology or the product of research i.e. a book or monograph. Ethnography is largely inductive, relying on participant observation. Under cultural anthropology lies the ethnology technique that focuses on the systematic comparison of various cultures. Ethnography utilizes the process of participant-observation. Cultural anthropology focuses on the study of kinship and covers other areas such as political and economic organization, conflict resolution and law, consumption patterns, technology, material culture, infrastructure, ethnicity, gender relations, religion, myth, socialization, values, etiquette, language, festivals, recreation, and sports among others. Biological or physical anthropology, on the other hand, refers to anthropological research centered on the examination of human and non-human primates within t heir evolutionary, demographic, and biological dimensions. In essence, biological anthropology examines the social and biological influencers of the evolution of mankind and primates which create, sustain, or alter physiological and genetic variations. Biological anthropology involves the study of primatology, which involves the examination of non-humans within their geographical environments to learn about the abilities and behavioral patterns of primates (Delaney, 2004). Biological anthropology also involves the study of human biology, which involves examining human diversity, non-cultural adaptations with regard to environmental elements, and genetic inheritance patterns. Archaeological anthropology refers to the examination of human records by examining its artifacts. This study involves the examination of material remains of human beings to discover how people lived. For instance, pieces of artifacts like tools and pottery provide evidence of cultural and social lives of past s ocieties. Archaeological anthropologists are typically detectives who uncover evidence through excavating, dating and analyzing material remains of past societies. This means archaeologists have a deep comprehension of the expansion of human civilizations and societies by analyzing human ancestors. Linguistic anthropology or anthropological linguistics aims at understanding the development of human communication, language variations through space and time, verbal and non-verbal communication, social functions of language, and the link between culture and language. Linguistic anthropology links linguistic analysis and methods to the interpretation of sociocultural processes. In order to do this, linguistic anthropologists draw on fields such as cognitive linguistics, discourse analysis, sociolinguistics, semiotics, narrative analysis, and pragmatics.  

Norse Religion and Mythology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Norse Religion and Mythology - Research Paper Example This mythology is the study of the Germanic myths (Iceland, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Faroe Islands and Denmark). The Norse societies later adopted Christianity because the Norse religion was not as strong as other religions. Lindow says that this mythology developed slowly over the years and the importance of different heroes and gods kept varying with time and place (45). They worshipped different gods and did not have any proper organization, as religion was not institutionalized. The absence of priests and temples meant that religion was part of their ordinary lives as they could worship from anywhere they wanted. The Gods and Goddesses of the Norse Religion The Gods and Goddesses of the Norse religion were divided into two major categories: the Vanir and Aesir. The former were referred to as the Earth Gods and symbolized fecundity, riches and fertility. They controlled the earth and the sea and had to be consulted on everything that falls in this category. The most important gods in this category are Freyr, Freya, Njord and Aegir. The Aesir on the other hand were the gods of the sky and they symbolized wisdom, power and war. They lived for relatively long periods and were very powerful but mortal. People could therefore pray to different gods when faced with different situations and their prayers were answered and their wishes granted. Odin Odin is the son of Bor and Bestla; he is the father and leader of all the other gods and men. He is the king of Asgard (the great citadel of the gods) and the ruler of Aersir. He had magical skills and could travel to all the nine Nordic worlds to exert his powers. He had two ravens, Huginn and Munin that could traverse the world on daily basis and inform him on everything that is happening in Midgard. He has magic, wit and wisdom that help him in making key decisions. He is also the lord of knowledge, war & death and could travel the world without being noticed. He rides on an eight legged horse during battles and has unrivalled military intelligence (O’Donoghue 24). He only has one eye because he traded the other one for wisdom. He is married to Frigg but occasionally flirts with Rind and was the god of poetic inspiration. Together they have three children namely, Thor, Baldur and Vali. He interfered a lot in the affairs of men and was believed to be the cause of the occurrence of many misunderstandings between people. These misunderstandings often led to war as men differed on different issues that were of strategic importance to all parties. Therefore, they turned to him for prayers during wars so he could help them win and humiliate their enemies (Lindow 78). He won his wars mostly through his cunning ways and not force because his wits, guile and stratagem were unequalled on earth. This made him to be a very important member of the god family and could be consulted by kings and other leaders for help before they could venture into any war. His willingness to accept both pain and loss made him gain advantage over men and other gods as he could venture into anything he was interested in. For example, he had to part with one of his eyes in order to be allowed to drink from the Urd. This shows that he could offer to do anything in order to get what he wanted in order to gain advantage over all the others. Through this, he was able to gain wisdom, and became a lot wiser than the others, making him to outwit them with ease (Skye 14). Everything he did was therefore for a purpose and with specific objectives that were of strategic importance to him as a god. He gained knowledge through pain as he was forced to hung and be