Affirmative Action Essays (2154 words) - Social Inequality

Affirmative Action AFFIRMATIVE ACTION INTRODUCTION This paper was written to show how Affirmative Action took place. It deals with the idea that diversity management does not decrease ethnic and gender tensions while increasing profits, productivity and creativity, but it has served a general purpose to aware people of different cultures, and establish a justification to make everybody equal in opportunity not based in race, sex, nor culture. It also includes a history of the Affirmative Action. The different paths it has taken along the development it has undergone as time has gone by, from its beginning as a Civil Rights Act to the Affirmative Action it is today. Statement of Purpose The three members of the group are members of minorities and the purpose is to acquaint other minorities with what could be encountered in finding a job. Scope This paper contains arguments that stand for and against Affirmative Action programs with cases to substantiate the claims. It also contains a history of the Affirmative Action and its original purpose. Sources and Methods The material needed for this paper was gathered from several on-line resources and a book. Such sources were gathered by searching the Internet and the School's Library. Report Organization The paper starts by giving the reader the original purpose of the affirmative Action and its history. Then, it states several pros and several cons supporting each with a case. At the end of the paper a summary of the same is given together with the conclusions formed by the writers of the paper. WHAT IS AFFIRMATIVE ACTION? Affirmative Action is the name given to programs that try to correct past and ongoing discriminations against women, racial minorities, and others in the work force and in education. The principal goal of Affirmative Action is to create more diversity and equal opportunities in jobs or schools that used to be all or mostly male, white, or both. Affirmative Action programs have been in place only a little over thirty years throughout Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. There are three aspects of Affirmative Action. One, Affirmative Action in employment. It can consist of posting and publicizing job notices in locations that are likely to be seen by a wide rang e of people so that not only white people, but also minorities can see that there are job opportunities that they can apply to (Casul, 1). Two, Affirmative Action in contracting. This consists of highly regulated government agencies that help minorities to get jobs without haven to go through discrimination because of their background (Casul, 1). Three, Affirmative Action in education. This consists of various programs that schools have to be able to provide minorities with the equal opportunity of an education (Casul, 1). THE HISTORY OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION Affirmative Action was started in 1965 with the Executive order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. He stated that something else had to be done to move beyond the non-discrimination laws that were already enacted. At the same time something had to be done to enable women and minorities to move up in their jobs. After President Johnson, President Nixon implemented that same Executive order. With this done President Ford, a few years later the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Act of 1974. This acts assured that federal contractors had Affirmative Action regulations in hiring or firing employees. Again, some years later President Carter created a centralized office to handle all Affirmative Action cases named the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). Now, during his presidency, President Clinton has articulated four standards for all Affirmative Action programs: no quotas in theory or practice, no illegal discrimination of any kind, no preferences for people not qualified, and as soon as the program has succeeded it must be retired. THE CASE FOR AFFIRMATIVE ACTION Since the day that thanks to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 African-American civilians were able to attend school with everybody else; since the day that there was no difference between a ?white water fountain? and a ?black water fountain?, the achievements reached with the help of an Affirmative Action are evident. Affirmative Action has caused a debate and some tension to rise in the American society (Lewis, 1). The paragraphs that follow will be intended to show to the

Review of the movie Chicago essays

Review of the movie Chicago essays The 2002 movie Chicago was adapted from Bob Fosse's 1975 Broadway musical, Chicago. It featured A-list actors and actresses varying from Renee Zellweger who played the main character Roxie Hart to Richard Gere who played lawyer Billy Flynn. Some other main characters featured in the movie were Catherine Zeta-Jones who played Velma Kelly and Queen Latifah who played Mama Morton. Chicago was set in the roaring 20's, when tap dancing was a form of entertainment, especially for the rich. The movie begins with Roxie Hart (Zellweger) shooting her unfaithful lover. When she goes to jail she meets Velma Kelly (Zeta-Jones) and is in awe of her. Velma was and still is famous on Broadway, something that has always been Roxie's dream. Velma is in jail for murdering her sister, who also happened to be her partner on Broadway. Velma loves the media attention she is getting, and her infamous lawyer, Billy Flynn (Gere), is determined to get her out. He has never lost a case, and supposedly he can win any case for only 5000 dollars. When Roxie saw how much attention Velma was getting from having Billy as her lawyer, she sends her husband him. Once Billy takes over her case she finds herself in the spotlight, something that she has always dreamed of. At the end of the movie Billy sets up the prosecuting lawyer to get both Roxie and Velma off the hook. The final sce ne of the movie is the first performance that is not a daydream. It concludes with Roxie and Velma having a duet and Broadway, something that both of these murderers dreamed of. Throughout the movie Roxie dreams of being on Broadway. At some points the audience is fooled into thinking that her dreams are actually happening in the movie. One of the best scenes featured in the movie is when lawyer, Billy Flynn, performs a tap dance routine. One of the most obvious steps that he uses is the cramp roll. He made it look very easy, but now that Ive learned it I know that it is n...

Writing Reflection Letter to future english professor Essay

Writing Reflection Letter to future english professor - Essay Example In the first essay (Tab 4 in black folder), Radiant Green Nuts: Adopting Healthier Eating Habits, the structure of essay was not written properly. The introduction did not have a thesis that made a claim about the ADS’ effectiveness for the specific audience and did not address how this AD targeted the specific audience for the magazine it appeared in. Not only the structure of essay was a mess but it had so many spelling errors and it showed my lack of attention when writing the essay. In the revised paper, I moved the first paragraph to 2nd paragraph and created a new introduction (Tab 2). Unlike the first draft, the new introduction explains the effectiveness to a specific audience and how the well-designed ad with detailed visual information impacted the specific target then connected to the original introduction. Instead of speeding through my essay writing, I paid more close attention on my revised paper by correcting the spelling, improving the structure, and connecting the thesis to topic sentences. Rather than rushing to finish my paper, I now take my time to read through it and look for necessary changes to make in order to improve it before finalization. In the second compare/contrast essay in Tab 4, I spent more time on making changes and putting my thoughts into the paper but again struggled with specifying topic sentences. Although the concept of my view of friendship as a quilt work in, The Quilt Work of Friendship: The Likes and Contrary, was original and attention-catching, my topic sentences again were broad. In the first draft, the topic sentences in second and third paragraphs were broad and I used the knowledge gained from my English 101 class to focus and enhance the topic sentences to be specific and to ensure that they were flowing well. Keeping the topic sentences specific and connected to thesis were the hardest tasks for me. In the final paper (Tab 3), I made my topic sentence more specific from, â€Å"As well as our

HUMAN GROWTH AND THE LIFE COURSE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

HUMAN GROWTH AND THE LIFE COURSE - Essay Example Sociologically, they have to cope with their changing roles. The aged are not only mothers and fathers they have to take on new roles as grandmothers and grandfathers. Most of them have exited their jobs because of retirement and are now unemployed. Because of the new roles that they have to assume they feel differently about themselves and so their attitudes towards life and towards others change (Tavris, 1991). This in fact indicates just how important income generating employment is to most individuals. Santrock (1999) emphasizes that biological, psychological and sociological processes are all interwoven as sociological processes shape psychological processes and psychological processes promote or restrict sociological processes, just as biological processes are impacting on psychological processes. Tavris (1991) has indicated in her papers that sometimes the sex drive does not slow down but there is no one around to relate to in a sexual manner. Based on my experience the males in the old aged homes see the females as fulfilling the role of sexual partners and so these institutions are not just where old people go to die but where life and intimacy is sometimes revived. Although this type of event is not part of what these institutions are about they happen sometimes without the knowledge of the caregivers. Developmental theories of the life cycle such as Erickson’s stages theory have often been used to explain aging. Erickson’s theory identifies three (3) stages of adulthood: the early adulthood – twenties and thirties, middle adulthood – forties and fifties, and late adulthood – sixties and over. However, there are those who have suggested that in recent times age has become a less effective predictor of human behaviour. Erickson sees early adulthood as a period of either intimacy or isolation. Intimacy he describes as the ability to develop relationships that are close and loving. If intimacy does not develop then the individual will feel isolated. Whatever, happens at one stage starting from childhood affects the next stage and so this Intimacy versus Isolation in what is Erickson’s sixth stage has been impacted by the adolescent years which might have been a vey tumultuous one for some adolescents as we will see in the next section. In his seventh stage Erickson sees it as a period of generativity versus stagnation. Generativity refers to shaping the next generation by assisting them to lead useful lives. Middle aged adults who have not been able to make some level of contribution would be seen to have been impacted negatively through stagnation. In the eighth and final stage which he describes as â€Å"integrity versus despair,† it is a time in which the older adults look back at what they have done with their lives. If the periods or stages that preceded this stage were positive then the individual would feel satisfied with some sense of integrity and if it was negative then the individual would have been dissatisfied and thus felt a sense of despair. According to Greenburg (1999, p327) A person who is not successful with this crisis is likely to be overcome with despair because the time left is so short, death approaches too quickly and there is no time left to try another route to gain some integrity. The person may then become bitter, depressed and paranoid as they use disgust to hide this despair. However, this is not the only time that individuals look back. Some

The harmful value of value meals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The harmful value of value meals - Essay Example For instance, Yum! Brands Inc., has established 38,000 restaurants globally; and McDonalds has set-up a total of 33,000 chains from all over the continent. Hence, it is no surprise why fast food is already served at restaurants, drive-through, schools and universities, bus stations, airports, and even at hospitals. People’s fast food preference may be due to the fact that it is served quicker; thus, allowing them to maximize their time and become more efficient in their daily tasks. Likewise, others opt to buy fast food for their meal because it is delicious and very affordable. However, little did they know that as they consume more and more fast food each day, they are putting themselves in high danger of acquiring various fatal diseases. Obesity Obesity (i.e. a body mass index of greater than or equal to 30) is one of the detrimental effects of too much fast food consumption. According to Brindal et al., fast food contains highly dense and high level of fats and calories pe r serving high (113). Thus, over-consumption of fast food makes people more susceptible to gaining weight, which usually exceeds the normal status. According to the World Health Organization (â€Å"Obesity and Overweight†), since the year 1980, the total number of global-wide obesity has doubled; and just recently, the total number of people who are obese has reached more than 500 million. Obesity makes people’s life more difficult and hassle because people with a very heavy weight cannot move freely, which makes less mobile. As an effect, they may develop other complications like being bow-legged (especially for obese children), sleep disturbances like sleep apnea, asthma, arthritis, and poor surgical and childbirth outcomes (for mothers) Clarke (â€Å"Health Risks†). The worst is, WHO (â€Å"Obesity and Overweight†) made it clear that obesity is more deadly than being underweight. Aside from the physical danger brought by obesity to people, it may also put them in a state of emotional crisis. Obesity may lead to depression because of the hormonal imbalance that happens inside the body as more fats are consumed (Bessesen, Hill and Wyatt). Aside from that, being obese, unfortunately, increases their chances of being the subject of negative judgment, severe bullying, and social discrimination. Considering the societal norm of beauty and ideal body structure, being obese does not qualify to the established standards. Thus, obese individuals need to handle those emotional and social challenges in which only few may endure. Some may resort to suicide because for them, it is better to end their lives than to continuously experience the trauma of being rejected. Apparently, this is how far fast food eating can throw people. By merely wanting to experience the comfort fast food offers, they need to carry the physical and emotional burden it brings. However, this is just one of the reasons why it is practical to abolish the practice of eati ng fast food. Type 2 Diabetes Type 2 diabetes is another health problem that may arise as a result of fast food eating. Fast foods such as soft drinks or soda, French fries, shakes, sandwiches, burger, pizza pies, etc. are rich in carbohydrates (Clarke â€Å"Why is Fast Food†). Too much carbohydrate intake increases the level of the blood component triglyceride, which results to either, failure of the pancreas to produce enough amount of insulin or body system’s improper insulin use (Clarke â€Å"Why is Fast Food†). This scenario exposes individuals to the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, for sugar in their body will build up in the bloodstream instead of being utilized for energy. For instance, in the

Benefits Of Staying With Parents After Marriage Young People Essay

Benefits Of Staying With Parents After Marriage Young People Essay Every time you get off work and walk into that the community where your home is, you must overhear a lot of juicy news while you walk past those full-time housewives, sitting together and gossiping what happened recently in their neighbors home. It is true that the contents are mostly about the tough relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Even though you may not be interested about this, you cannot deny those things have happened to you, or, unfortunately, you are coping with it now. Well, to be honest, that is also the main reason why so many couples choose to live away from their parents-in-law. But, is that the right way to solve all the problems? And is that a good choice? For me, actually, to solve all these complicated problems are just staying with parents after married. Living with parents can make the relationship more stable, benefit childrens education and slow down the process of aging of parents. Firstly, living with parents leads to a happy marriage. I think it is not a solution but an excuse that living away from parents is for a harmony relationship with parents-in-law. Mostly, this kind of decision is made by young couples. There are some brides who insist on not living with her husbands parents. They dont want to change their own, as well as protecting their own living space from parents. Too many of them have already tired of the fierce competition from their career. All they want to do is just go back home to have a good rest instead of racking their brains to do something to please parents. Therefore getting away from parents-in-law can make it easier. That is what they say distance helps. We can see so many words, such as we, own, want. They just turn out to be nothing but selfish. Is that so bad as the couples describe ¼Ã… ¸ How can young people say that they are too tired to make effort to make an improvement? Family is the most important thing to everyone. People who care about us most are parents. Most of us can bear with the defects of others. However, when it comes to parents, they behave differently. It is like putting the cart before the horse. It is said that the divorce rate in China has increased by almost 20% over past year, with 1.4m couples filing for separation during 2007 (see the news published on Friday, 25 January 2008). It is also said that since Chinas one-child policy was established, in 1973. The number of people getting divorce has quadrupled. That policy has produced a generation of adults focused on their own needs and unable to sustain a relationship. To build a harmonious family relationship, living with parents-in-law can make sense, because the older generation can deal with problems much better. The new couples will learn from them, learn to compromise and cooperate to make a marriage work well. Obviously, the relationship will be more stable. Secondly, it can benefit childrens education to live with parents. So busy the young couples are, it is almost impossible for them to set aside more time for their own children. As a result, these children are sent to their grandparents. However, grandparents always spoil children more than childrens parents do, which cause the children to be selfish and moody. Moreover, for the lack of time with parents, it can be even worse after children grow up. Parents will not be able to communicate with their children well when there has been a barrier between them. If children can live with both parents and grandparents, doting grandparents will have the awareness of being strict to children, and children will enjoy more time with their parents. Being around by eldership and their children, couples will think twice before doing anything, which, at the same time, avoids being unfaithful to their partner. Growing up in a family with such a harmonious atmosphere, these children will be more like ly to get a happy marriage contributed by easygoing, optimistic, and responsible personalities. The last but not least, living with parents can also slow down their aging process. The rapid decrease in the birth rate, combined with improving life expectancy, has led to an increasing proportion of elderly people and an increase in the ratio between elderly parents and adult children. In China, the percentage of the population over the age of 65 years was 5 percent in 1982 and now stands at 7.5percent but is expected to rise to more than 15 percent by 2025(The Effect of Chinas One-Child Family Policy after 25 Years Therese Hesketh, Ph.D., Li Lu, M.D., and Zhu Wei Xing, M.P.H.). The mental health of senior is increasingly important. Company from families is the best doctor for them avoiding the feeling of loneliness. Living together can not only decrease the speed of being slow reaction but also let the young couples have a good knowledge of their parents condition. As a result, parents will gain a longer lifespan which is also a gift to couples. In return, taking good care of the old parents is a good example to their children. They will learn that from young couples on their own. Parents are always the best teacher to children. Even so, many newly married wives still get along well with their parents-in-law. That is reasonable. They dont have same living habit. Everyone in family will adjust themselves to the new situation. It must need time. Everybody knows that family is a cell of the whole society. We are obliged to make it work well. Marriage is not only about couples themselves. Trust me, rainbow comes after storm. A better understanding can be got after living with parents. To sum up, it can only have good results by living with parents, for it can lead to a happy marriage, benefit childrens education and slow down the process of aging of parents. Outline I. Topic: Talking about whether the couples should live with their parents or parents-in-law after married. II Thesis Statement: Living with parents can make the relationship more stable, benefit childrens education and slow down the process of aging of parents. III Antithesis: It is better for them to live separated with their parents 1. Couples do not have their own living space. 2. They have to make efforts to please parents after get off work. 3. Get away from parents can avoid misunderstanding. IV Reasons: 1. living with parents leads to a happy marriage. i. Now young couples are more selfish than before so that they dont know how to get along well with each other ii.The divorce rate are increasing rapidly because of the one-child policy. 2. it can benefit childrens education to live with parents. i. The young couples sent children to parents. The old always spoil their grandchildren. ii.Children can have more time with parents if family members live together. iii.Growing in a happy family, children will be more positive and responsible than others. 3. living with parents can also slow down their aging process. i. Living with children and grandchildren can make them feel they are younger. ii.Children can know the condition of old parents very well. iii.It is a good way to teach children how to be good children. Strategies: Use Tactful, Courteous Language; Point Out Common Ground; Acknowledge Differing Viewpoints. Introduction: For me, actually, to solve all these complicated problems are just staying with parents after married. Living with parents can make the relationship more stable, benefit childrens education and slow down the process of aging of parents. Conclusion: To sum up, it can only have good results by living with parents, for it can lead to a happy marriage, benefit childrens education and slow down the process of aging of parents Body: Firstly, living with parents leads to a happy marriage. I think it is not a solution but an excuse that living away from parents is for a harmony relationship with parents-in-law. Mostly, this kind of decision is made by young couples. There are some brides who insist on not living with her husbands parents. They dont want to change their own, as well as protecting their own living space from parents. Too many of them have already tired of the fierce competition from their career. All they want to do is just go back home to have a good rest instead of racking their brains to do something to please parents. Therefore getting away from parents-in-law can make it easier. That is what they say distance helps. We can see so many words, such as we, own, want. They just turn out to be nothing but selfish. Is that so bad as the couples describe ¼Ã… ¸ How can young people say that they are too tired to make effort to make an improvement? Family is the most important thing to everyone. People who care about us most are parents. Most of us can bear with the defects of others. However, when it comes to parents, they behave differently. It is like putting the cart before the horse. It is said that the divorce rate in China has increased by almost 20% over past year, with 1.4m couples filing for separation during 2007 (see the news published on Friday, 25 January 2008). It is also said that since Chinas one-child policy was established, in 1973. The number of people getting divorce has quadrupled. That policy has produced a generation of adults focused on their own needs and unable to sustain a relationship. To build a harmonious family relationship, living with parents-in-law can make sense, because the older generation can deal with problems much better. The new couples will learn from them, learn to compromise and cooperate to make a marriage work well. Obviously, the relationship will be more stable. Secondly, it can benefit childrens education to live with parents. So busy the young couples are, it is almost impossible for them to set aside more time for their own children. As a result, these children are sent to their grandparents. However, grandparents always spoil children more than childrens parents do, which cause the children to be selfish and moody. Moreover, for the lack of time with parents, it can be even worse after children grow up. Parents will not be able to communicate with their children well when there has been a barrier between them. If children can live with both parents and grandparents, doting grandparents will have the awareness of being strict to children, and children will enjoy more time with their parents. Being around by eldership and their children, couples will think twice before doing anything, which, at the same time, avoids being unfaithful to their partner. Growing up in a family with such a harmonious atmosphere, these children will be more like ly to get a happy marriage contributed by easygoing, optimistic, and responsible personalities. The last but not least, living with parents can also slow down their aging process. The rapid decrease in the birth rate, combined with improving life expectancy, has led to an increasing proportion of elderly people and an increase in the ratio between elderly parents and adult children. In China, the percentage of the population over the age of 65 years was 5 percent in 1982 and now stands at 7.5percent but is expected to rise to more than 15 percent by 2025(The Effect of Chinas One-Child Family Policy after 25 Years Therese Hesketh, Ph.D., Li Lu, M.D., and Zhu Wei Xing, M.P.H.). The mental health of senior is increasingly important. Company from families is the best doctor for them avoiding the feeling of loneliness. Living together can not only decrease the speed of being slow reaction but also let the young couples have a good knowledge of their parents condition. As a result, parents will gain a longer lifespan which is also a gift to couples. In return, taking good care of the old parents is a good example to their children. They will learn that from young couples on their own. Parents are always the best teacher to children. Even so, many newly married wives still get along well with their parents-in-law. That is reasonable. They dont have same living habit. Everyone in family will adjust themselves to the new situation. It must need time. Family is a cell of the whole society. We are obliged to make it work well. Marriage is not only about couples themselves. Trust me, rainbow comes after storm. A better understanding can be got after living with parents. Prewriting Every time people get off work and walk into that residence community, we must overhear much juicy news when you pass by those full-time housewife sitting together talking about the things happened recently in their families. It seems that they know everything there. However, most of them are the tough relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Even you may not be interested in that, but you can not deny those things have happened to you, or, unfortunately, you are in that now. Well, to be honest, that is also the reason why so many couples choose to live separated with their parents-in-law. I always think that is not a solution but an excuse to live alone for a good relationship with parents-in-law. Living separated with parents-in-law is a choice made by young couples. There are some new wives who insist not live with her husband parents. They dont want to make a change to their own, as well as protecting their own living space from parents. To many of them, they are t ired of the fierce competition of their career. All they want to do is just go back home to have a good rest. They dont want to rack their brains to do something to please parents. So getting away from parents-in-law can make it easier. Distance helps. We can see so many words, such as we, own, want à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦They just turn out to be nothing but selfish. Is that so bad as the couples describe? How can young people say that thing they are too tired to make effort to make a improvement? Family is the most important thing to everyoneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦The people who care us most are families. Most of us can bear with defects of others, but when it comes to parents, it is another thing. It is putting the cart before the horse. Divorce rate in China has increased much. The number of people getting a divorce has quadrupled. That policy has produced a generation of adults focused on their own needs and unable to sustain a relationship. To build a harmonious family relationship, living with parents-in-law can make sense, because the preceding generation can deal with problems much better than them. The new couples will learn from that, even do as their parents do. Obviously, the relationship will be more stable. It is difficult for them t o set aside more time for their children. As a result, these children are sent to their grandparents. However, grandparents always spoil children more than childrens parents do. And the lack of time with parents will make problems after they grow up. If children can live with both parents and grandparents, the parents can reduce that spoiling, and children will get more happiness with their parents. Growing up in a family with such a harmonious atmosphere, children will have a great advantage to have a happy marriage depending on their optimistic and responsible personality. Marriage does not only involve two people. It influences almost everything. Living with parents after married can be a good solution to many problems we face today.

The Poetry of Simon Armitage Essay -- Papers

The Poetry of Simon Armitage Simon Armitage was born in Marsden, West Yorkshire in 1963. He studied Geography at Portsmouth, and Psychology at Manchester, qualified as a social worker and worked for six years as a probation officer. He has also worked as a shelf stacker, disc jockey and lathe operator. He is now a freelance writer and broadcaster. His work includes song lyrics, plays and scripts for TV and radio. Armitage's first collection, Zoom, was published by Bloodaxe in 1989. Subsequent poetry books, all published by Faber, include Kid (1992), Book of Matches (1993), The Dead Sea Poems (1995), Moon Country (1996) and CloudCuckooLand(1997). Untitled Poem: "I am very bothered when I think..." This poem comes from Book of Matches, 1993. It appears to be based on memories of Armitage's schooldays. He says that: "most poetry has to come from personal experience of one kind or another." The first two lines actually come from a probation service questionnaire, but Armitage has chosen to use them in a different context. Here he tells the story of a science lab prank that went wrong. The person in the poem heated up a pair of tongs and then handed them to another person, presumably a girl. This girl innocently slipped them onto her fingers and was badly burnt. The doctor said that she would be "marked for eternity" by the ring-shaped scars. The narrator claims now that he was using this as a way of attracting her attention: "that was just my butterfingered way, at thirteen, of asking you if you would marry me." The language in stanza two emphasises this idea of a marriage proposal with words such as ... ... * What was the final demand? * What did the note of explanation say? From all these details we can guess what might have happened, but we cannot know for certain. But this does not matter: it's the thought processes involved that are more important. The structure of the poem is a series of rhyming couplets, although some of them are not complete rhymes. The opening couplet sets up a steady, regular rhythm. This is orderly and satisfying and perhaps suggests the "regularity of police methods". The longer lines have four beats and the shorter ones have two beats, until the last two lines, where the regular rhythm seems to break down. "That was everything" is ambiguous: it could mean that the list has finished, or it could mean that the ring is the item that was most important. It finishes off the poem.