The Importance Of Being Earnest By The Victorian Era

The Importance of Being Earnest was written in the Victorian Era when many of the â€Å"religious, social, political, and economic structures were experiencing change† (Joshi). Many writers such as Oscar Wilde criticized Victorian morality and snobby social customs in their writing (Peltason). In his play, Wilde uses Algernon Moncrieff, a wealthy and witty gentleman with no morals, to satirize Victorian values and customs. The play opens with Algernon receiving Jack, or John, Worthing, his friend and fellow bachelor who is in love with Algernon’s cousin, Gwendolen Fairfax. Algernon has a philosophy called Bunburyism, which involves â€Å"inventing an invaluable permanent invalid called Bunbury† with â€Å"extraordinary bad health, whom he uses as an excuse to visit the country whenever he likes (1.294). Jack, similarly, invents a younger brother who â€Å"gets into the most dreadful scrapes† as an excuse to come up to town (Wilde 1.294). Under the name of Ernest, Jack wins the love of Gwendolen, who confesses she fell in love with his name and feels destined to â€Å"love some one of the name of Ernest† (1.300). However, he doesn’t win the approval of Lady Bracknell, who objects to his origins of being found â€Å"in a hand-bag †¦ [in] the cloak-room at Victoria Station† and refuses to let her daughter marry him unless he produces â€Å"a parent, of either sex, before the season is quite over† (1.306). When Jack returns to the country home where he lives with his ward Cecily Cardew and her governess MissShow MoreRelated The Importance of Being Earnest Essay1376 Words   |  6 PagesWilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is a timeless comedy of manners in which two young, light-hearted men, pretend their names are ‘Ernest’ in a bid to impress their love interests, who both believe the name Ernest bestows magical qualities on the possessor. Throughout the play, Wilde uses a mix of social drama, melodrama and farce to appeal to the audience. Through his gentle use of parody Wilde is able to ridicule his contemporaries and attack the values and attitudes of Victorian society, suchRead MoreThe Importance Of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde1642 Words   |  7 Pagesnda Beckwith AMU/APUS ENGL200 Professor Green 25 Oct 2015 Satire in The Importance of Being Earnest The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde can be termed as a complete satirical work because of the path it chooses on harshly, but at the same time humorously criticizing and ridiculing social issues, such as marriage, wealth and death. The author approaches these issues with absurd mockery evidently with the intention of tickling his audience while driving his point home. Regarded as one ofRead MoreThe Importance of Being Earnest Essay1439 Words   |  6 PagesA Trivial Comedy for Serious People Oscar Wilde mocked his audience while he entertained them. Perhaps his most loved and well-known work, The Importance of Being Earnest, satirises the manners and affections of the upper-class Victorian society. Satire is a literary tone used to ridicule or make fun of human vice or weakness, usually with the intent of changing or correcting the subject of the satirical attack. The play focuses on the elite, while making fun of the ludicrousness and extremityRead MoreThe Influence Of Victorian Society On Relationships And Marriage1642 Words   |  7 PagesThe Influence of Victorian Society on Relationships and Marriage Marriage was of utmost importance during the 1830’s to the 1900’s. The â€Å"ideal† relationship had been searched for by both men and women using the standards that the commonwealth had created. When reading Oscar Wilde’s â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest† and associating it to society’s expectations for both genders throughout the Victorian era, people are depicted as being very effected and influenced by the set rules and boundaries.Read MoreThe Effects Of Victorian Society s Unrealistic Expectations Of The Individual887 Words   |  4 PagesThis source is an essay examining how Wilde shows â€Å"the impact of Victorian society’s unrealistic expectations of the individual† in both The Importance of Being Earnest and The Picture of Dorian Gray. In the article, she talks about gender roles and societal expectations along with the ways characters in the play conform to or reject them. Although the essay is written by a stu dent at McKendree University, the writing is not difficult to understand. This essay is well-documented and seems unbiasedRead MoreThe Importance Of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde773 Words   |  4 PagesOscar Wilde â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest†, Wilde takes a comedic stance on a melodrama, portraying the duplicity of Victorian traditions and social values as the modernism of the twentieth century begins to emerge. The idea of the play revolves around its title of the characters discovering the importance of being earnest to their individual preferences. The author uses the traditional efforts of finding a marriage partner to illustrate the conflicting pressure of Victorian values and the changingRead MoreThe Importance Of Being Earnest Satire Essay1291 Words   |  6 PagesMaverick Yabut Professor Tina Regan ENGL 200 June 18, 2017 Satire in the Importance of Being Earnest Introduction Throughout Oscar Wilde’s play â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest†, Oscar Wilde routinely uses satire throughout the story amongst character dialogue and actions to scorn the Victorian society audience. Oscar uses satire to mock love, and the concept of marriage as well as the Victorian-aristocratic class system and society mentality. The play is described as â€Å"A trivial comedy for seriousRead MoreThe Importance of Being Earnest Essay1237 Words   |  5 PagesAThe Importance of Being Earnest a play written by Oscar Wilde is set in England in the late Victorian era. Wilde uses obvious situational and dramatic irony within the play to satirize his time period. According to Roger Sale in Being Ernest the title has a double meaning to it and is certainly another example of satire used by Wilde. With a comedic approach, Wilde ridicules the absurdities of the character’s courtship rituals, their false faces, and their secrets. (Sale, 478) In theRead MoreThe Importance of Being Earnest800 Words   |  4 PagesOscar Wilde, the writer of The Importance of Being Earnest, celebrated the Victorian Era society while criticizing it in his play. Through his play, he utilized the humorous literary techniques of pun, irony, and satire to comment on the impact of Victorian Era society left on the characters themselves. These comedic literary devices also help to show how the members of this society in the Victorian Era live by a set of unspoken rules that determine politeness, as well as proper etiquette to liveRead MoreThe Influence Of Society On Victorian Relationships1411 Words   |  6 PagesInfluence of Society on Victorian Relationships Afraid of rejection in the Victorian Era, men and women sought after relationships that agreed with the expectations set by society. Victorian literature satirized and underscored these expectations and their effects on individuals. During the Victorian Era relationships were not focused on the emotional aspect of marriage but rather growth in reputation and status. The characters in Oscar Wilde’s works, The Importance of Being Earnest and The Picture

The Representation Of Human Population - 1498 Words

Movie directors predicting humanity coming to an end because of population density may not be as preposterous as society thought. Population is defined as the amount of same species sustaining in a certain region, for humans that would be Earth. The graphical representation of human population increase from the beginning of history was a slightly inclined horizontal line, however that all changed after the industrial revolution (more industry, jobs, sustainability, etc.) and from that moment on to present day it has changed into a slightly inclined vertical line. Just taking a glance at population numbers since 1997, where it was approximately 5.9 billion, to 2015 where it is approximately 7.3 billion, means an increase of 1.4 billion, in just eighteen years. At such an exponential increase rate, population density will have a negative impact on Earth. Using technology, it has been determined that Earth has the natural resources to sustain ten billion people before a resource crisis. The population increase only accounts for human population, if other species are accounted for including chickens, cows, pigs, etc. the sustainability number decreases. Furthermore, scientists have determined that if population continues to increase at such an exponential rate, by 2050 the population will have reached approximately 10 billion. The increase in population will effect water, food, and energy supplies. Although, Nobel Peace Prize honoree Norman Borlaug contributed to the grainShow MoreRelatedVoting Is A Staple Of Freedom949 Words   |  4 Pagesall inclusive representation and it seems that another has once again rose for decision. This battle manifests itself as SCOTUS case: Evenwel v. Abbott. The case’s conflict is based in redistricting, and it implores the court to decide whether representation based on voting population or physical population is a more constitutional process. It is in regards to this subject that People’s United beseeches the court to decide on the side of representation based on physical population. It is our beliefRead MoreEssay On The Election823 Words   |  4 Pagesdemocratic nation because it will continue to use proportional representation. Proportional representation is fair to democracy because it allows the people to have the power. Many democratic nations use proportional representation like: Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and Denmark. The people vote for a representative and whoever gets the highest amount of votes gets the most seats in the Knesset. The good thing about proportional representation is that it doesn’t leave the less popular groups out. That’sRead MoreAnalysis In A Canadian Context Essay779 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis in a Canadian context In a Canadian context, a representative bureaucracy has been in the making for the last four decades. In fact, management of human resources from the 1980s onward have been significantly based on Mosher’s first type of representative bureaucracy, passive representation. For example, amendments in the Public Service Employment Act in 1992 forbid discrimination in hiring or promotion on the basis of â€Å"race, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, age, sex, maritalRead MoreThe Constitutional Convention held in 1787 was a major step in America’s foundation. The700 Words   |  3 PagesCompromise. Representation was a major issue that needed to be addressed at the Constitutional Convention. The entire American Revolution was based on bad representation making it only natural that this issue be the first addressed. Going back to the idea of a private agenda, The Great Compromise is actually a combination of two other plans; the New Jersey Plan and Virginia Plan. The New Jersey Plan wanted representation in Congress to be equally fair no matter the size or population of a state.Read MoreConstitutional Research Paper1011 Words   |  5 PagesDelaware was the first colony to be approved as a state by the Federal Constitution. Based on the census conducted in 1790, Delawares population consisted of 50,209 free people and 8,887 slaves. In proportion to other states, Delaware had a relatively low amount of slaves. As of the whole population including slaves, Delaware had a low whole population. The economy of the state was made up of fishing, agriculture, tobacco, and slave trade. Tobacco highly encouraged slave trade since tobaccoRead MoreUndocumented Immigrants And The United States1332 Words   |  6 PagesThere are many vulnerable populations within the United States. One of the many vulnerable populations are undocumented immigrants. Undocumented immigrants also known as illegal immigrants according to Wikipedia (2016) is defined as â€Å"the migration of people across national boarders in a way that violates the immigration laws of the destination country† (para 1). The United States of America has one of the largest population of immigrants. In this paper, I will be discussing the multiple stressorsRead MoreChanging Attitudes Of Aging Our Negative Images Of Old Age849 Words   |  4 PagesAs stated in No-one Expects Me Anywhere, Pamela Gibson states, â€Å"†¦above all we need to rethink our attitudes of aging†¦ our negative images of old age ar e constantly reinforced through film, television, and newspapers, where representation often resembles caricature (Gibson, 87).† By only accepting and representing one small portion of society, the media is setting up consequences for the rest of society who do not fall under the accepted standards. As a whole, Vogue represents women in a way thatRead MoreWhat Makes A Woman Feel Beautiful?956 Words   |  4 Pageslove the age she is. As stated in No-one Expects Me Anywhere, Pamela Gibson states, â€Å"†¦above all we need to rethink our attitudes of aging†¦ our negative images of old age are constantly reinforced through film, television, and newspapers, where representation often resembles caricature (Gibson, 87).† By only accepting and representing one small portion of society, the media is setting up consequences for the rest of society who do not fall under the accepted standards. As a whole, Vogue representsRead MorePeer Review On Object Recognition1154 Words   |  5 PagesThe current study examined the neural representations of faces and different objects in the human brain with a univariate analysis. The results demonstrate that unique distributed activation across the whole brain area conveys semantic categorical information. Further, it is revealed that faces evoke great activation in temporal occipital fusiform cortex, consistent with the notion that FFA is face-responsive and face-selective. Additionally, activation in motor cortex was only evoked by images ofRead MoreRorschach Measures Of Cognition And Social Functioning Essay1706 Words   |  7 Pageswith schizophrenia even though they only make up .4% of the population leading to the need for further study of schizophrenia (Moore et al., 2013). Three researchers from Alliant International University and two researchers from University of California San Diego; Moore, Viglione, Rosenfarb, Patterson and Mausbach, decided to look at the relationships between â€Å"thought disorder, psychological complexity, and interpersonal representations with daily and social functioning in people with schizophrenia†

Martin Luther King Jr. And Affirmative Action Essay Example For Students

Martin Luther King Jr. And Affirmative Action Essay Martin Luther King Jr. And Affirmative Action Essay According to the Merriam-Webster New World Dictionary, Affirmative Action is defined as an active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups or women. To put that definition in English, it means a program designed to help either minorities or women achieve equal rights, as with the rest of the population. In this case, the minorities are being discussed, or to be less broad, the African Americans. I have a dream today. This is a famous quote by one of histories most famous and influential civil rights activists of all time, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Being a civil rights activist, Dr. King wanted nothing more than for his people, the African Americans, to have equality. In the effort to gain equality, there were four steps he took. The first step was the collection of facts. In other words, this meant that they would identify the justices and the injustices. The second step in Dr. Kings plan was negotiation. To make that simpler, negotiation was actually a compromise on the part of the African Americans. The third step in his plan was self-purification. In doing this, the African Americans would get together in prayer and they would sing the psalms. The fourth and final step in Dr. Kings plan was non-violent direct action. Dr. King and his people tried each and every one of these steps, but sadly none of them were successful. Like Hillary Clinton and Howard Stern, in my opinion, Martin Luther King Jr. and Affirmative Action just would not mix. Dr. King wanted to earn civil rights he didnt want them handed to him. Thats why the term is noted as the fight for civil rights. The word earn in this sense is pretty vague. What Dr. King wanted was for his people to earn their rights. He would probably argue that affirmative action was a handout, which isnt what he wanted. Dr. King simply wanted the whites cooperation in the African American achievement of equal rights. No fights or handouts, just cooperation. King understood that racial power subverts moral power and he pushed the principles of fairness and equality, rather than black power because he believed those principles would bring blacks their most complete liberation. Shelby Steele. The opposition might argue that Dr. King wanted so desperately for his people to be free and equal that he would eventually back down and let affirmative action take its course. But that wasnt his style. Dr. King was all about equal rights for all people, peace and freedom. If you can say that allowing an African American to fight for his rights and not standing in his way is considered Affirmative Action, then that is the only kind Dr. King would have supported. Otherwise he would be strictly against it. A definition of reverse is the opposite to a previous or normal condition. If you put that word with racism, you have the product of Affirmative Action. Affirmative Action can easily be pinned as reverse racism. Say you were given two men, the same age, same education, and same qualifications. Qualifications means to fit by skill or training for some purpose. With affirmative Action, the black man would automatically get the job, simply based on his color. That is a problem with affirmative action, it judges a person on what they are, not who they are. This would totally contradict Dr. King. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by their character. Master Harold: Differing Influences On Fugard Essay Dr Martin Luther King Jr. We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It is very evident that Dr. King was a fighter. In fact, he fought until the day he died for his people. And all he fought for was the chance for his people to get a cup of coffee at the same lunch counter as a white man. Category: History .

The Relationship Between the Social Work Profession and Indigenous People Essay Example

The Relationship Between the Social Work Profession and Indigenous People Essay The relationship between the social work profession and Indigenous people has been a problematic one. Discuss with reference to Stolen Generations. Social work is a complex and broad field and the relationship between social workers and Indigenous Australians can be equally intricate and difficult to navigate. The theme of this paper will be; ‘understanding the relationship between the social work profession and Indigenous Australians’.A priority will be placed on analysing the historical relationship in reference to social work practice and related Government policy. Firstly, the history of social work and Indigenous policy will be discussed in relation to present work in the welfare sector. Historic Indigenous policy will be used to illustrate the paternal nature in which the Australian Government has related to Indigenous Australians. The experiences of the ‘Stolen Generation’ will then be outlined and the consequences detailed.It will be argued that the process of forcefully removing children from Indigenous families has resulted in distrust towards human service practitioners and institutions. Contemporary approaches to managing Indigenous disadvantage will be examined in reference to the Northern Territory Emergency Response. It will be argued that these latest efforts by the Australian Government continue in the punitive and strong-handed nature of previous strategies. In conclusion a summary of the findings of the paper will be provided.It is important to analyse the philosophical and ideological foundations of the Social Work profession when examining the role social workers have played in the implementation of the Protection Acts, the Stolen Generation, and the Northern Territory Emergency Response. An acknowledgment must be made that the profession originates from a Judeo-Christian and European perspective, and rarely takes into consideration Indigenous customs and traditions (Chenoweth amp; McAuliffe 2008).The history of so cial work is also important because it may identify reoccurring social themes, and provide you with an understanding of how history has shaped contemporary human services (Chenoweth amp; McAuliffe 2008). Chenoweth amp; McAuliffe (2008, p. 27) state that ‘at a fundamental level, many social problems are not new although they have manifested in different forms throughout history’. Ife (2008, pp. 164-166) argues that ‘the study of history is important to social workers’, and outlines four reasons for this importance.Firstly, that a historic perceptive emphasises that things can and do change. The second reason is that ‘the study of history can be seen as the study of the struggle for human rights’ (p. 165). This is important in that without a historical understanding people can lack the commitment to exercise human rights for which previous generations fought, and sometimes died for. The third reason is that a study of history assists in deconstru cting the ‘western enlightenment tradition within which the human rights discourse was framed’ (p. 65), and finally that history extends human rights practice onto issues of intergenerational justice, in that the present generation is responsible for preventing future human rights abuses, and also addressing past abuses. In order to gain an understanding of the relationship between Indigenous Australians and social workers we must examine the forms of contact they have had since 1788. Before the development of the social work profession in the 1920’s Indigenous Australians had already been in contact with European colonisers for over 120 years (Gilbert 2005, Chenoweth amp; McAuliffe 2008).Australia started looking at its social policy around the time of Federation and Indigenous peoples has already suffered constant human rights abuses, had their children removed, been dispossessed of their lands, and moved to missions (Gilbert 2005). The protectionist approach a dopted by the Australian Government in the 19th and early 20th Century resulted in the establishment of missions, reserves and institutions in all states and territories, with the clear purpose of ‘controlling Aboriginal people and their movements’ (Gilbert 2005, p. 64, Commonwealth of Australia 2011).Policy then moved towards more assimilationist strategies in which attempts were made to convert Aboriginal Australians into ‘responsible citizens’ (Gilbert 2005, Haebich 2000). The protectionist and assimilationist policies share the core values that Aboriginal culture is inferior and on its way to an ‘evolutionary end’ (Gilbert 2005, p. 64). The predominately Anglo-Saxon values present in the welfare system have resulted in a lack of understanding of Indigenous disadvantage as well as cultural values and traditions (Chenoweth amp; McAuliffe 2008). Chenoweth and McAuliffe (2008, p. 8) state that Indigenous populations have handed down by word of mouth, rather than writing down, their own ways of addressing these notions of â€Å"helping†, and this has resulted in a lack of understanding or an reluctance by human services organisations to attempt to understand them. The historical relationship between indigenous Australians and social workers has a major effect on social work practice. History has the ability to feed life into contemporary social work through reflection on the past, through knowledge of where the profession came from, and through considering past mistakes (Chenoweth amp; McAuliffe 2008).An example of the importance of studying social work history can be shown through the ‘Forgotten Australians’ and ‘Stolen Generation’. These are survivors of the institutional care system in Australia up to the 1970’s, with many of them being Indigenous Australians. They experienced many forms of abuse such as; separation, abandonment, deception, neglect, sexual assault, brutality and m uch more, along with a lack of post-care support (Harrison 2008, Haebich 2000). The historic abuse of these rights is linked to present issues such as; mental health problems, substance abuse and family violence (Harrison 2008, HREOC 1997).There is also a direct correlation between the removal of Aboriginal children and a loss of connection to Indigenous culture. As Aboriginality has not been positively affirmed many children experienced contempt and denigration for their Aboriginality, and even developed a sense of self-contempt (HREOC 1997). Although many would consider that discriminatory laws are long gone, the act of removing Indigenous children from their family’s remains through the child welfare and juvenile justice system due to entrenched disadvantage (Pugh amp; Cheers 2010).The historic treatment of Indigenous groups was not to pursue values that might lead to self-determination or independence, but to assimilate them into mainstream society (Gross 2003, cited in P ugh amp; Cheers 2010, p. 60). Haebich (2000) states that ‘Aboriginal child removal emerges as constituent with the processes of dispossession, depopulation and destruction of Aboriginal societies and cultures’. The Alliance for Forgotten Australians (Harrison 2008, p. 13) states that ‘involving Forgotten Australians and their families in the design of programs aimed at assisting them will show respect, reassure and not re-victimise them’.It’s important that social workers acknowledge how prior events influence present issues and understand that members of the ‘Stolen Generation’ may be apprehensive about connecting with welfare services (Harrison 2002). There may be fear of being institutionalised once again. Even if a worker/services approach is ‘pleasant or friendly’ the memory of their powerlessness and abuse is likely to provoke resistance and fear (Harrison 2008, p. 14). Social workers must work with them and their fami lies to deal with their fears, remain attentive to their history and needs, and involve them in decision making processes (Harrison 2008).Contemporary policy regarding the management of Indigenous disadvantage exhibits a similar approach in which the Government attempts to control Indigenous Australians lives, and assimilate them into mainstream society. Following the Little Children are Sacred Report to the Northern Territory (NT) Government in 2007, the Australian Government implemented a policy in response to evidence of the abuse and neglect of children in Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory (Northern Territory Gov. 2007, FaHCSIA 2009).This was the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER) policy, often referred to as the NT Intervention. To intervene in these issues the Federal Government implemented a range of measures to, ‘protect children and make communities safe’, and ‘create a better future for Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory ’ (FaHCSIA 2009). These measures include but are not limited to changes to law and order such as more Police presence and the ban of alcohol and pornography in designated areas, as well as changes to Indigenous land rights. Increased support for families through additional services and welfare workers.Welfare reform including compulsory income management of half of peoples welfare payments, as well of measures to improve health and enhance education (FaHCSIA 2009). People from many backgrounds, including Indigenous representatives agreed that an emergency response was necessary in the NT (ANTaR 2010), however The NTER has been criticised in two main areas. Firstly, that there was a lack of engagement with Indigenous peoples in the development and implementation of the policy, and secondly that there are distinctly discriminatory aspects to the policy (Anaya 2010, ANTaR 2010).Government action to address the situation in NT communities may certainly be needed, but those critic al of the NTER argue that it was implemented without negotiations with the Aboriginal people it affected, and that the voice of Aboriginal people had not been heard (ANTaR 2010, Mazel 2009). It is argued that to ensure racial equality, the protection of human rights and any possibility of a sustainable community development strategy, the Government must prioritise the inclusion of Indigenous peoples in the development and control of these policy outcomes (ANTaR 2010, Mazel 2009, Phillips, Franklin amp; Viswanathan 2011).ANTaR claim that the NTER ‘has created additional barriers to self-determination for Aboriginal people and organisations’ (ANTaR 2010, p. 6). This separation of Indigenous people from the policy development and implementation processes links with a history of systemic exclusion dating back to the time that ‘white people’ settled in Australia (Anderson amp; Perrin 2006, Attwood 1992). There can be no doubt of the way in which our history has and continues to influence Australians identities of ‘self’ and ‘other’, as well as the relationships between the two (Coates 2004). Mazel (2009, p. ) describes ‘the way in which the dynamic of difference, or the understanding of difference as otherness which lies at the heart of colonialism, continues to prevail in Indigenous affairs and underlies the latest efforts of the Australian government in the Northern Territory’. United Nation reports found that the NTER legislation; ‘limits the capacity of indigenous individuals and communities to control or participate in decisions affecting their own lives, property and cultural development, and it does so in a way that in effect discriminates on the basis of race, thereby raising serious human rights concerns’ (Anaya 2010, p. ). The fact that the Racial Discrimination Act was suspended to allow this legislation to pass shows that discrimination was occurring (Anaya 2010, Phillips, Fra nklin amp; Viswanathan 2011). The Federal Governments own review in 2008 found that ‘experiences of racial discrimination and humiliation’ were common and should be of ‘great concern’ (Australian Government 2008). Whilst analysing the discourse and implementation process surrounding the NTER, it can be seen that the paternal and punitive nature of the policy can be understood as continuing the historically Anglo-Saxon ideals of the Australian system of welfare.It can be argued that forcing these ideals upon indigenous communities will perpetuate the existing relationship of apprehension, doubt and mistrust between Indigenous Australians and Social Workers, as well as Indigenous Communities and the Federal Government (Anaya 2010). Indigenous people have expressed their concern that the heavy-handed Government response in the NT may result in another generation of children being removed from their families and communities (Dodson 2007). Dodson (2007, p. 5) ar gues that these fears of a new ‘stolen generation’ are legitimate ‘especially for those people who live and survive as members of the stolen generation’. This paper has explored the relationship between the social work profession and Indigenous Australians. The philosophical and ideological foundations of the Social Work profession have been examined and it was found that the Judeo-Christian and European perspective of the profession have left little room for Indigenous customs and traditions.It has been argued that reflecting on the historical approaches of welfare services and Government policy increases the likelihood of making informed and ethical choices in a contemporary context. A brief summary of historic Indigenous policy has been used to illustrate the heavy-handed and paternal nature in which the Australian Government relates to Indigenous Australians. The experiences of the ‘Stolen Generation’ have been outlined and the consequences detailed.It was found that the ‘Stolen Generation’ were subject to a range of human rights abuses that have had negative consequences both for the victims, as well as on the relationship between Indigenous Australians, social workers, welfare services, and Government institutions. Due to the experiences of the ‘Stolen Generation’ Aboriginal people are likely to be resistant and fearful towards welfare services and Government institutions.The NTER has been used to demonstrate that contemporary policy shares similar values to historical Indigenous policy. In that, Aboriginal culture is inferior to mainstream society and it is the role of Government to intervene, and control in an attempt to make improvements based upon Government set benchmarks. It has been argued that the Governments approach in the NT perpetuates the distrust between Indigenous people and social work practitioners.In the hope of successful outcomes, and improved relationships social worker s must be considerate of Indigenous peoples’ history and needs, work with them and their families to deal with their fears, and involve them in decision making processes. References Anaya, J 2010, Observations on the Northern Territory Emergency Response in Australia, United Nations, viewed online 4 April 2012, lt;http://www. un. org. au/files/files/United%20Nations%20Special%20Rapporteur%20-%20Feb%202010. pdfgt;| Anderson, K amp; Perrin, C 2006,