The Sociological Imagination, By C. Wright Mills - 799 Words

The sociological imagination, a concept used by C. Wright Mills, is essentially the ability to perceive a situation or act in a much larger social context as well as examining the situation or act from many perspectives. In particular, it plays a paramount role in Donna Gaines Teenage Wasteland. It is a tragic story of 4 teens who together, committed suicide. The teens were deemed as â€Å"dropouts, druggies† [Teenage Wasteland 8.2] by newspapers and were still treated with disdain even after their deaths. However, using the sociological imagination, Gaines argues that this is not simply a suicide committed by â€Å"troubled teens† but other underlying themes are present. One of the first instances where Gaines incorporates the concept of the sociological imagination is when she describes how she reacted to how the people of Bergenfield acted after the death of the 4 teens. Gaines mentions â€Å"even after they were dead, nobody cut them slack†¦ they were referred as troubled losers †. [Teenage Wasteland 8.5] Gaines is clearly frustrated at how her community treats the dead teens with disdain. However, through the sociological imagination, Gaines mentions a much greater setback for society as a result of this experience. Gaines mentions â€Å"the Bergenfield suicides symbolized a tragic defeat for young people†. [Teenage Wasteland 8.6] Essentially, Gaines employs sociological imagination by explaining how the death of the 4 teens is only tragic because they were treated with disdainShow MoreRelatedThe Sociological Imagination By C. Wright Mills857 Words   |  4 PagesThe sociological imagination is simply the act of having the capacity to think ourselves away from the commonplace schedules of our day by day lives keeping in mind the end goal to take a gander at them with a new perspective. C. Wright Mills, who made the idea and composed a book about it, characterized the sociological creative ability as the clear attention to the connection amongst encounter and the more extensive society. The sociological imagination is the capacity to see things sociallyRead MoreSociological Imagination By C. Wright Mills969 Words   |  4 Pages C. Wright Mills defined sociological imagination as the awareness of the relationship between personal experience and the wider society. Understanding and being able to exercise the sociological imagination helps us understand the relationship between the individual and society. Mills focuses on the distinction between personal troubles and public issues. Having sociological imagination is critical for individual people and societies at large to understand. It is important that people areRead MoreThe Sociological Imagination : C. Wright Mills907 Words   |  4 Pagesindividual s life a person will experience what C. Wright Mills refers to as the trap. The trap alludes to a person that can only see and understand their own small scope of life. Their frame of reference is limited to their day to day life and personal experiences that are directly related to them, they cannot see the bigger picture. They do not yet know that the sociological imagination can set them free from this trap and as C. Wright Mills said, In many ways it is a terrible lesson; in manyRead MoreThe Sociological Imagination By C. Wright Mills1315 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"The sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society. This is its task and its promise.† C. Wright Mills writes about the sociological imagination in an attempt to have society become aware of the relationship between one’s perso nal experience in comparison to the wider society. By employing the sociological imagination into the real world, individuals are forced to perceive, from a neutral position, social structures that, inRead MoreThe Sociological Imagination By C. Wright Mills986 Words   |  4 PagesMills Chapter Summary â€Å"Yet Men do not usually define the troubles they endure in terms of historical change and institution contradiction.† Stated from chapter one of â€Å"The Classic Readings in Sociology† which was based on â€Å"The Sociology Imagination† by C. Wright Mills. As our Sociology 131 class study the works of C. Wright Mills, we learn and examine his views. We learn how he view other things such as marriage, war, and the limitations of men. His view of war is that both sides playRead MoreSociological Imagination By C. Wright Mills942 Words   |  4 PagesSociological imagination according to C. Wright Mills (1959) â€Å"enables its possessor to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals† (p.5) Mills in this book of The Sociological Imagination explains how society shapes the people. Mills wants people to be able to use sociological imagination to see things in a sociology point of view, so they can know the difference between personal troubles versus personal issuesRead MoreSociological Imagination, By C. Wright Mills Essay1611 Words   |  7 PagesI SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION CONCEPTUALIZATION As conceived by C. Wright Mills, sociological imagination is the mental ability to establish intelligible relations among social structure and personal biography that is observing and seeing the impact of society over our private lives. Sociological imagination helps an individual to understand on a much larger scale the meaning and effect of society on of one’s daily life experience. People blame themselves for their own personal problems and they themselvesRead MoreThe Sociological Imagination : C. Wright Mills1822 Words   |  8 PagesC. Wright Mills defines the sociological imagination as, â€Å"what they need, and what they feel they need, is a quality of mind that will help them to use information and to develop reason in order to achieve lucid summations of what is going on in the world and of what may be happening within themselves†. Mills also says that the sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two w ithin society. When I read Chapter One: The Promise from C. WrightRead MoreThe Sociological Imagination, By C. Wright Mills1692 Words   |  7 Pagesentire life, can be determined by examining his or her intellect, high school performance, and talents. However, C. Wright Mills proposes a new approach to this idea in his work, â€Å"The Promise.† Mills presents an idea known as the sociological imagination, which examines society on a larger scale to better grasp an individual’s life circumstances (Mills 2). The sociological imagination examines the role of social forces on the lives of individuals (Butler-Sweet, September 5, 2017). For example,Read MoreSociological Imagination, By C. Wright Mills1762 Words   |  8 Pages 10/11/2017 ID 100602667 Soc. 1 FY40 Sociological Imagination The Sociological Imagination, by C. Wright Mills, was a statement that questioned the developing field of sociology, challenging sociologists and the public to take seriously the rise of elites and the decline of American democracy, American community, and American equality. Mills argues that the sociological imagination is a quality of mind necessary to the understanding of the human condition

Communism And Capitalism And Communism Essay - 2038 Words

Introduction: Political Science has left its scholar an extremely wide ocean, filled with endless studies and undone debates about Political Sciences theories. All through the past ages, political scientists have rose from diverse cultures, examining their ideologies based on only their culture, and in outmost cases their perception about other cultures. Political ideologies are the concepts that ease the complex social world that we live in so that it can make more sense. The ideologies are applied by means of offering what is named as an intellectual map, which helps people know their positions in a society and help create a-well organized state of a social landscape, targeting one thing; an ideal society. Regardless of any reviewed ideology, this paper discusses two of which have been so controversial; Communism and Capitalism. In political and social, communism is a social, political, and economic ideology and movement whose ultimate goal is the establishment of the communist, which is a socioeconomic order structured upon the common ownership of the means of production and the absence of social classes, money, and the state. However, Capitalism is defined as an economic system based on private ownership of the means of production, and their operation for profit. Capitalism centralized characteristics include private property, capital accumulation, wage labor, voluntary exchange, a price system, and competitive markets. Nevertheless, some questions remain unansweredShow MoreRelatedCommunism : Communism And Capitalism1237 Words   |  5 PagesUnion, but in reality it was a struggle between two, distinct ideologies: Communism and Capitalism. Communism was supposed to be the scepter against all the evils that the old world contained. The people of the world would be freed from the oppressive chains resulting from the few in power, and be lifted from the brutal, unfair world of capitalism. Millions of people across the world saw the enticing, heavenly lure of communism and seized the opportunity to revolutionize their communities. To the millionsRead MoreCapitalism And Communism : Communism Essay852 Words   |  4 PagesCapitalism Communism Communism The theory of communism was designed by German Philosopher Karl Marx. In 1848, he wrote a book of his ideals known as The Communist Manifesto, which later served as the inspiration for the formation of the Communist Party. Communism is also known as Marxism. Marx believed that an ideal society must be classless as well as stateless. His main idea and aim +was simple- to allow the poor a fighting chance and free the lower class from poverty. In order to extricateRead MoreCapitalism Vs. Communism And Communism1266 Words   |  6 PagesRaia Creative Writing 1 5 May 2015 Capitalism vs Communism Throughout history, people have tested many different political systems have a better society. The most common political systems that people have tested are monarchy, oligarchy, theocracy, aristocracy and democracy. I will talk about capitalism and communism in this research paper. Both those systems are created to change the economic situation. There have been a huge debate about Capitalism vs Communism. Throughout this research paper, IRead MoreCommunism vs Capitalism992 Words   |  4 PagesIs Communism a better economic system than capitalism? By Michael Kujawski Since the beginning of the 20th century many countries have favored the economic system of communism over capitalism many political partys around the world that are communist based have the term â€Å"workers party†incuded in their name because communism is a system for the working class and capitalism is a competitive system for the upper class society to benefit. Read MoreThe Impact Of Communism And Capitalism1694 Words   |  7 PagesStephanie LeBlanc Professor Wesley Austin Economics 201 16 October 2016 The Impact of Communism There are faults within both communism and capitalism, but sometimes one can even effect the other. This paper will explore what the possible connection is between North Korea’s communistic economy and how it may have impacted South Korea’s capitalistic economy. At the end of the World War II in 1945, two separate regimes emerged on the Korean peninsula to replace what was once the colonial governmentRead MoreCommunism, Democracy, And Capitalism3017 Words   |  13 Pagesclashing of ideology, communism was battling with democracy. It was one of the most emotionally charged war, and time, in American, and possible the globes history. There was great fear of a global nuclear conflict, that would leave thousands dead, and essentially ending the world as we had ever know it. I will cover the history that is the cold war, and delve into the philosophies of the two main nations involved. I will be comparing the ideas behind communism, democracy, and capitalism. When World WarRead MoreCommunism, Capitalism, and Socialism Essay652 Words   |  3 PagesThree different types of economic systems used by governments are Communism, Capitalism, and Socialism. Each type of system is unique in different ways. Each has distinct aspects that make it what it is. In communism, the government runs everything and there are no social classes. The government in capitalism doesn’t interfere with any businesses and lets the citizens own and operate them. Socialism is basically a mixture of the two economic systems. The government runs certain businesses,Read MoreThe Cold War : Communism And Capitalism997 Words   |  4 Pagespeople that thought it was caused by the conflicts of communism and capitalism, so who was right? Well we only know what we read in our history books which says that it was caused by the conflicts of communism and capitalism. Was this the real reason for the cold war? In my essay I will give details about the cold war and tell why the war was started, who started the war, what doctrines were put in place to keep the Soviet Union from spreading communism, and how the Cold War impacted the foreign and domesticRead MoreCapitalism Versus Communism1257 Words   |  6 PagesSome may argue that capitalism is a cruel economic system that has been known for the corruption, exploitation of poor people and where greed overcomes anything good. However, the majority will agree that capitalist system is best system in the world of economics. It drives people to do better, as the certain amount of effort will bring the same level of result. There are examples in the history where individual’s wealth was affected by the corporate greed, but with the government regulations historyRead MoreAmerican Capitalism And Soviet Communism1344 Words   |  6 Pages American capitalism and Soviet Communism were incompatible systems; Washington shouldn’t have been surprised to hear this in George Kennan’s long telegram. But the tensions were not always this high between the two word powers. In the end of world war two, â€Å"Stalin s empire was won with reservoirs of soviet blood†(cite 1). The thought to be never ending Soviet army was not limitless anymore. The estimated cost of the war was at 2.6 trillion(cite 4), with most of the population wanting to focus

Dart and Go Fishing Essay Example For Students

Dart and Go Fishing Essay Alice Oswalds Dart and Ted Hughes Go Fishing are two poems about nature and water, but about experience as well. Their relation is then based on these concepts which can both be seen as an endless source of life, of energy. But these poems do also mention roots and identity, time passing, discovery, evolution, learning, and so much more. Dart starts by giving an identity concept: a walker is physically and psychologically discovering himself. The expression â€Å"moving alive† shows a detailed exploration of life; but does it show us the illogical logic of the poet -in this case unmoving but alive and moving but dead- ? I personally think the poet wrote this to emphasize the visual aspect of the man, what she sees when looking at him. In fact, the voice of the poem itself stands for identity: â€Å"summoning itself by speaking†. We notice, in parallel, the contrast between life and death through several words: â€Å"alive† and â€Å"bones† for example. The notion of time is as well remarkable, but in a few different ways; firstly we can see a contrast between the youth of the river and the old age of the man -and this can be related to the metaphorical word couple â€Å"morning† and â€Å"evening†. Secondly there is a notion of personal time, which is the walkers sense of time: â€Å"an hour in the morning is worth three in the evening†. We can literally understand through this quotation that there is a preference for mornings and this can be linked to tiredness as the man is qualified as â€Å"old†. Thirdly, the poet mentions an idea of eternity, and this suggesting cycles of life from generation to generation; it is life issuing from nature, from earth. Concerning the water, the river, we notice many sides if it which are expressed through positive aspects: reality and dream, as well as pragmatism and poetry; but also through a negative aspect: it is that a river is calm at the source of it but it can become dangerous later on and kill. There is a complicity, a union, a relationship between men and nature. And this is what Alice Oswald is trying to show us. The only contrast is that nature is benign, condescending, while men sometimes use the water and the nature for his personal needs, not caring for the natures personal comfort; men own, control, dominate and even pollute rivers and nature. For short, men disturb the peace of nature. So we have here two sets of voices: one poetic -where the man respects the nature-, and one pragmatic -where the man disturbs the nature. Through this whole first part of the poem, we notice shifts of voice and of point of view: it starts with the point of view of the poet who sees the old man and describes him and his acts (â€Å"He consults his map†), and then, at â€Å"An old man†, it switches to the walkers point of view. The subject changes from â€Å"he† to â€Å"I† with which it seems easier to understand why this man here for is. But nevertheless we dont, because he actually doesnt: â€Å"I dont know, all I know is walking†. We therefore share a feeling of ignorance and blindness while moving forward the path and the poem. Because of some changes, the poem seems sometimes disconcerting: we notice a lack of clear links between sections that are describing nature. For example when we move from full lines to a range of one-word lines.

Model Answer free essay sample

Sample exam question and model response p. 19, from â€Å"And the Baths †¦Ã¢â‚¬  to â€Å"the water is absolutely dangerous to use, either internally or externally. † Question: How does Ibsen portray the Baths is this extract, and for what purposes? This extract occurs in Act I, during a conversation between Doctor, Petra and Mrs Stockmann with Hovstad, Horster and Billing. The subject of the conversation is the town Baths, and their poisoning by effluent from Morten Kiil’s tannery at Molledal. This discussion foreshadows the action in the remainder of the play, where Dr Stockmann discovers that the corruption of the waters feeding the Baths is also in the minds of the townspeople who oppose the closure of â€Å"the town’s life-blood†. The fact Stockmann and Billing refer to the Baths as the â€Å"main artery of the town’s life-blood†, â€Å"the nerve centre of the town† and â€Å"the town’s pulsating heart† metaphorically links the Baths to vital organs in the human body, an appropriate image for a doctor whose job it is to assist the health of individuals in any community. We will write a custom essay sample on Model Answer or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Of course, this metaphor on one level simply means the town is very dependent on the Baths for its material prosperity. On another level, however, it connects with imagery throughout the play of moral health and corruption, whereby the Baths become a symbol of what taints the community – that is, their leadership’s dishonesty in dealing straightforwardly with Dr Stockmann’s scientific evidence that the Baths are in fact contaminated, and the people’s materialistic fears for the loss of their livelihoods. Ibsen, by linking the Baths to the body, links them to health and illness, so they reflect the moral as well as physical wellbeing of the town.

King Lear Act 3 Scene 7 Essay Example

King Lear Act 3 Scene 7 Paper In act three scene seven of the Shakespeare play of King Lear Shakespeare creates a dramatic impact for the audience. Shakespeare creates this impact by using characterisation, language and different ideas. In this scene of the play is the plucking out of Gloucesters eyes. The plucking out of Gloucesters eyes creates a dramatic impact on this scene. In the Elizabethan times, when this play was written, this was a common thing that would have happened. The common punishment for a dukes crime, which Gloucester committed, was beheading. So instead of this looking like an evil action, to an Elizabethan audience this would be entertainment. In the past and present this scene has attracted many people to watch this play, with the features of good against evil which contains blood and violence. Many of the audiences watching this scene feel discomfort watching the plucking out of Gloucesters eyes. The language that is being used by Shakespeare enhances this discomfort. An example of this language is when Gloucester says In the hell black night, which shows evil in the language, this evil language used by Shakespeare enhances the discomfort of this scene, evil is also shown when Regan had no hesitation when telling Cornwall to pluck out Gloucesters eyes. The discomfort from this scene helps the audience understand how the characters are feeling when Gloucester is having his eyes plucked out. The play of King Lear is a story of tragedy, which means that the people who are in the audience will have come to see violence, pain, death and suffering. The first death in the play of King Lear is in this scene. The character who dies is the servant. The servant is killed because he challenges Regan who was of a higher class than the servant was. In Elizabethan times challenging someone of a higher class than you was considered a bad crime. However, challenging someone of a higher class than you is not considered as bad now because of freedom of speech. So an audience watching this play now would think that a person being killed for challenging someone as shocking, whereas an audience watching this in the Elizabethan times would watch the play and think that the killing was a common thing to happen. Shakespeare uses the theme of Gloucesters eyesight in this scene. This is used a lot in this scene to show what a fool he has been, and that he should have realised what had been happening to him behind his back. This shows how alike Gloucester and Lear are, because Lear also was a fool and could not see what Gonerill and Regan had been doing to him behind his back. Before the plucking out of Gloucesters eyes he could not see what Edmond had been doing to him. When Cornwall plucks out Gloucesters eyes, Gloucester can not physically see what is happening, however he could then see what a fool he had been and how he had been used when his eyes had been plucked out by Cornwall. This shows that Gloucester could not see what Edmond had been doing, until ironically Regan reveals Edmonds treachery just as his eyes are taken from him. Then when Cornwall had plucked his eyes out he recognises the symbolic irony of his previous blindness to the facts until after his physical blinding. We will write a custom essay sample on King Lear Act 3 Scene 7 specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on King Lear Act 3 Scene 7 specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on King Lear Act 3 Scene 7 specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Shakespeare uses the theme of eyesight in other parts of the play as well as this, to show foolishness. Gloucesters foolishness is shown when he says, I stumbled when I saw. Lears foolishness is shown when he says to Kent Out of my sight, then Kent says to Lear see better, Lear which identifies the lack of Lears knowledge and again is symbolised by blindness. Shakespeare likes to use blindness to show the foolishness of the characters. Shakespeare shows this in act 3 scene 7 when Cornwall plucks out Gloucesters eyes and after his eyes have been plucked out he realises his foolishness. The manhood of the male actors plays an important part in this scene. This is shown when Regan plucks Gloucesters beard, in the Elizabethan times doing this to someone was an insult, especially if it was a woman who did it to a man. This was an insult because having a beard showed manhood. If a beard of a man was plucked by someone this was showing that the person plucking the beard thought that the person who had his beard plucked is less of a man; this was more insulting if a woman did this to a man. Gloucester takes this as a terrible insult, which is shown when he says, Naughty lady, these hairs which thou dost ravish from my chin. The importance of manhood is also shown when the servant says, if you did wear a beard upon your chin, Id shake it on the quarrel, this means that he is saying if you were a man then I would fight you. For the audiences watching this play in present times there is a language barrier because the audiences watching this play would have to translate the play into Modern English. The audiences watching this play in Elizabethan times would not have to translate the play into Modern English. This would mean that the audiences watching the play in Elizabethan times would see the play from a different perspective than audiences watching the play today. Throughout the play of King Lear, Gloucester and Lears lives run parallel to each other. The lives of Gloucester and Lear are shown as being alike because both of them did not realise how other characters in the play were betraying them. Lear eventually realised how much of a fool he had been, giving his kingdom away to Gonerill and Regan and not to Cordelia, when Gonerill and Regan had lied to him but Cordelia had loved him and received nothing from Lear. Now Gloucester had been betrayed by Edmond his life was now very similar to Lears life because Lear had also been betrayed. They both realised how foolish they had been and not to have noticed what had happened to them. They were also similar when Gloucester had his eyes plucked out by Cornwall because Gloucester could then see how Edmond had betrayed him when Lear realised how Gonerill and Regan had betrayed him. In this play the evilness of women is shown. This is shown by the evil things that Regan would do to other people to get power. Regan also commits the first murder in the play when killing the servant and then when Gloucesters eye has been plucked out she taints Gloucester by saying that Edmond has betrayed him when she says, It was he that made the overture of thy treasons to us. Lear describes Regan as tender-hefted, in act 2 scene 4, yet she takes part in barbaric maiming and kills a servant. The theme of this scene is evil, which is shown throughout the scene by Regan and Cornwall. The theme of this scene shocks and disturbs the audience and portrays the evilness of the characters. Regan shows how evil she is in this scene by saying, before killing the servant, Give me thy sword; Regan says this without any hesitation or thought. This shows that she has no thought for anyone or anyones life, which shows how evil she is in this scene. Another theme in this scene is good against evil, which many people find exciting to watch in a play, which may be one of the reasons why King Lear is a very popular Shakespeare play. In act 3 scene 7 the evil language, theme and characters are used, however in the quarts version of the play, this scene closes with two other servants who decide to assist Gloucester and soothe the pain that he received when his eyes were plucked out. In theatres the interval is often placed at the end of this scene because this scene could be used as the end of the play because it is one of the most dramatic scenes of the play.

Essay about Beauty, the True Beast

Essay about Beauty, the True Beast Essay about Beauty, the True Beast Beauty, the True Beast Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. As such, beauty is not so easy to define. There are many definitions of beauty based on shape, size, age or even color, as beauty can describe inanimate objects, sounds, or just plain sights such as landscapes as well. Because art comes in many different forms, it is hard to classify any one person or thing as beautiful, as it truly is up each individual person to decide whether or not beauty is present. Any usage of art can bring a form of emotion to the recipient. The emotions felt are a formed by the beauty of the art itself. A canvas has no limits, and any strokes of a paint brush could be described as beautiful, in one’s eyes. A picture of a sunset over the horizon of a lake on a warm crisp summer evening, a homeless woman shielding her child from the tear gas of an oppressive government officer, or something as simple as a dog rolling in the grass can create an aesthetic feeling that some would call beauty. Seeing as how music is a form of art as well, it is not surprising that the voice of an artist belting out the notes of an emotionally driven song can bring out the tears in the listener. Or the familiar groove of a bass line unconsciously forcing a dancer to move their body, while the guitar solo brings a feeling of hopefulness with its arrangements of notes. Even abstract ideas of art can be considered beautiful. A string of events, whether it be a life itself can b e beautiful, or the life of another can be just as artistic and beautiful. Even fictional lives can be beautiful as well. Plots in stories, the thoughts of characters, their outlooks on lives, or even the personalities given to them can be just as artistic, and bring a longing feeling to them. Art in itself can invoke emotion, and make the viewers or listeners feel an overwhelming sense of true beauty radiating from the piece of art. Besides art, many find beauty in other human beings. In the United States for example, most would portray women like Mila Kunis, or Emma Stone as the ideal of beauty. They are slim, curvy, well dressed, and famous. However, the media is the one to credit the public’s belief that this is true beauty. Hollywood creates fantasy worlds in which men fall head over heels for women with â€Å"these† ideal physical traits, and create a false image in their viewer’s minds that is more toxic than most like to admit. Not all women have to appear like Megan Fox to be considered beautiful though. Most times, you find true beauty in the one you love. They don’t need make-up, money, clothes, fame, or the lifestyle of the rich and famous in order to cast a spell of love on somebody, just their pure inner beauty. Sometimes, just one’s personality, or the way that they treat you can be beautiful. To trump an old clichà ©, true beauty is NOT skin deep. In some Africa n cultures, beauty is portrayed in a different way. For instance, the day

Hypertension Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hypertension - Essay Example This is not a condition which can be treated lightly. If you have Hypertension, you have to get it treated. You ignore it only at your peril. Doctors think that many things combine to cause Hypertension2. Hypertension can be caused by other illnesses and it is often cured once the original medical problem is cured Essential hypertension indicates that no specific medical cause can be found to explain a patient's condition and the symptoms just show chronically high blood pressure. Secondary hypertension indicates that the high blood pressure is a result of another condition, such as kidney disease or tumors, Being overweight, drinking too much alcohol, and eating too much salt, stress ,genetics, older age, family history of high blood pressure , chronic kidney disease and adrenal and thyroid disorders are risk factors because they raise your risk of having hypertension. They do not cause it directly but they can contribute to it and if not watched can aggravate it.. It is interesting to know, that while you cannot accuse a disease of being racist or sexist, if you are an African American you are more likely to get Hyperte nsion. If you are a pregnant woman you are again more susceptible to it. These are things which can't be ignored and many times these risk factors can add up and can be even more dangerous. A pregnant African American woman may need to look at the possibility of hypertension with that much more care. Now it does not mean that if you have any of these you are likely to get hypertension and that if you have none of these, that you won't get hypertension. It just means that if you have any of the above risk factors, you should make an effort to take precautions. Statistics on Hypertension The number of people suffering from Hypertension in the United States is staggering. In reports given by the department of Health, the percent of non-institutionalized adults ages 20 and over is 29% (2001-2004)3. That is more than one out of every four adults has Hypertension. This is a staggering number. And this is not some benign number either. This is a number which directly translates into fatalities. The number of deaths in 2004 was 23,076. In other words deaths per 100,000 populations are 7.9. These are real and frightening numbers. Symptoms of Hypertension Now, how would one know if they have hypertension There are usually no symptoms or signs of hypertension. In fact, nearly one-third of those who have it don't know it. The only way to know if you have hypertension definitely is to have your blood pressure checked regularly. If your blood pressure is extremely high, there may be certain symptoms to look out for, including, Severe headache , Fatigue or confusion , Vision problems , Chest pain , difficulty breathing , Irregular heartbeat Blood in the urine . People often think that High Blood Pressure is dangerous and while very often it is true, we deal with high blood pressure constantly on a daily basis. Blood pressure goes up in all people during periods of stress or exercise. But avoiding stress will not prevent high blood pressure. You can have High Blood Pressure even though you are usually a calm, relaxed person. High Blood pressure is fairly common and that is precisely why, everyone