Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Relationship of Virtues in the Epic Poem, Beowulf - 577 Words

According to the epic poem Beowulf, there is a close relationship between the virtues of a good king and the virtues of a good warrior and these virtues create Beowulf’s definition of courage, which is similar to Aristotle’s definition of courage. The close relationship in the definition of courage of Beowulf’s definition of courage to Aristotle’s is shown by the codes of the heroic world that guides a warrior’s life or in other words the Vikings heroic code, which is to have courage, glory, and selfless acts to protect the Lord as well as the people even when one is risking his or her life which displays loyalty. The virtues of a good warrior is described by the main heroic character, Beowulf, when he responds to King Hrothgar who has summoned him due to the fact that Grendel’s mother is now attacking the Dane’s to avenge for her son. When Beowulf, the son of Ecgtheow, speaks to King Hrothgar, he declares one of the Vikings heroic code that guides a good warriors life, which is to â€Å"†¦not grieve† but to have the courage â€Å"to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning† which is what Hrothgar is not doing (ll. 1384-1385). According to Beowulf, it is not right for a man as well as a warrior who is honored by many to grieve over loved ones deaths, but instead to take action by getting vengeance because if not then those who died will not be remembered and he will not gain a good and memorable reputation for he did not take any action of vengeance. Instead, a kingShow MoreRelatedBeowulf as Epic823 Words   |  4 PagesWhat makes an epic? Is Beowulf an ep ic? ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · What is an epic poem, and how does it differ from other kinds of poetry or storytelling? How have epic poems traditionally been transmitted from generation to generation? How do tellers remember these long and complicated stories? According to Robert Harris’s Glossary of Literary Terms, he defines an epic as the following: Epic. An extended narrative poem recounting actions, travels, adventures, and heroic episodes and written in a high style (withRead MoreBeowulf Is The Oldest Recorded Poem1328 Words   |  6 PagesThe epic poem, Beowulf, is the oldest recorded poem in English and at 3200 lines long, comprises roughly ten percent of the surviving poetry in Old English. Although written in this language, Beowulf focuses on the feats of the poem’s namesake Beowulf, a Geatish prince, and the invading Germanic tribes in Denmark. Understood early on in the poem, these tribes have a lengthy and powerful warrior culture; a culture heavily influenced by heroic virtues, blood vengeance, and paganism. Along with theseRead MoreThe Power and Importance of Treasure, in Beowulf882 Words   |  4 PagesThe power and importance of treasure, in Beowulf An epic, is a lengthy narrative poem concerning about social and political organization, and events significant to a culture or nation. In Fred Robinson words, much of Beowulf is devoted to show the Germanic heroic code, in different aspects, which values strength, courage, bravery and loyalty in warriors; hospitality, generosity, responsibility and political skill in kings; ceremoniousness in women; and good reputation in the inhabitants. Read MoreReligion in Beowulf1385 Words   |  6 Pagesin Beowulf Throughout the story of Beowulf, the concept of religion plays a significant role. The Christianity ideology views state that man can survive and do great things through the protection of God. A strong desire of pride is also represented in the form of a hero in Beowulf, which in a sense goes against Christian morals. This clash with Christian morals in Beowulf was in the context of pride vs. humility and selfishness vs. sacrifice. In the book, Hrothgar first explained to Beowulf thatRead MoreTheme Of Death In Beowulf1097 Words   |  5 PagesBeowulf is an anglo-saxon epic that details the life of Geat warrior Beowulf and his dealings with 3 monsters. The society surrounding this epic is one that values lineage, glory, and success. Although these values are perceived as positive, they are often the root causes of the more malicious aspects of this society: blood-feud and tribal war. It should be duly noted that the poem is bookended with two very meaningful deaths. At the beginning of the poem the death of Scyld Sheafson, founder of theRead MoreRoles Of Religion In Beowulf1369 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout the story of Beowulf, the concept of religion plays a significant role. The Christianity ideology views state that man can survive and do great things through the protection of God. A strong desire of pride is also represented in the form of a hero in Beowulf, which in a sense goes against Christian morals. This clash with Christian morals in Beowulf was in the context of pride vs. humility and selfishness vs. sacrifice. In the book, Hrothgar first explained to Beowulf that pride without humilityRead MoreEpic of Beowulf Essay1106 Words   |  5 PagesThe 8th century epic poem Beowulf illustrates a loss of community, cultural values and tradition. On the other hand, an elegiac passing of an extraordinary hero and the relationship between the themes of mortality and heroism are well discussed in Beowulf. Beowulf’s character exemplifies the German ic and the Anglo-Saxon ideals of the hero: strong, fearless, bold, loyal, and stoic in the acceptance of fate. Despite his lack of humility, Beowulf was the definition of a hero in his own time by hisRead MoreAnglo-Saxon Heroic Poetry5673 Words   |  23 Pagesof which are pre-Christian Germanic myth, history and custom; and the Christian. Heroic, or Epic Poetry belongs to one of these two types and refers to long narrative poems celebrating the great deeds of one or more legendary heroes, in a grand, ceremonious style. In its strict use by literary critics, the terms Heroic Poetry or Epic are applied to a work that meets the following criteria: such a poem must be related in an elevated style, and centered upon a heroic or quasi-divine figure on whoseRead More King Arthur Essay1428 Words   |  6 Pagesknights, or thanes, who swore allegiance in battle in exchange for gifts of gold, armor, and land. There are stories that depict Arthur in this role, similar to that of Beowulf an d Hrothgar in the poem Beowulf. However, later stories show Arthur in a different light. There are three basic character descriptions of Arthur. Arthur as epic hero The earliest depiction of Arthur is that of a fierce, feared warrior, capable of tremendous prowess in hand-to-hand combat. As described by a Welsh priest namedRead More Sir Gawain vs Beowulf Essay2076 Words   |  9 PagesAlthough Gawain and Beowulf share many similarities, their characters are almost complete opposites. Both aim for some sort of fame, one more than the other; differing in the way they attempt to achieve this success. Gawain remains true and looks to humility to guide him, whereas Beowulf is very prideful and selfish, loving nothing more than boasting about his virtues. Regardless, both go through tremendous changes throughout their quests, dealing with repercussions, and many challenging obstacles

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

The Distinguishment Of Religions Christianity Vs. Buddhism

The Distinguishment of Religions: Christianity vs. Buddhism It is evident that religion is considerably a controversial topic across the globe that seems to bring up futile disputes between people. From the many religious extremist groups that have been the world, such as the Crusaders, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS), Al Qaeda, the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS); it is apparent that this certain topic evokes controversial views from enthusiasts. So why is this topic so controversial? Religion has corrupted the minds of human beings with ideas of what is right and wrong, thus influencing the ways we view others. We develop different opinions of what the â€Å"right† way to live is in our own eyes, which leads up to us judging others; resulting in the disagreements and controversy. Our idea of what is right can be completely different from somebody else’s. People may think that their religion is the â€Å"right† religion, but are our religions truly distinguished from each other? I believe this phenomenon has transpired from the way different religions has continuously been modified over the periods of time. There are significant differences between religions, but if one takes a closer look into the topic, they would be able to see that different religions have just as many similarities as they do differences. I will be focusing on two religions in particular that possess what appear to be controversial differences: Christianity and Buddhism. In today’s society, there

Monday, December 9, 2019

The Immortality of Ink free essay sample

Writing has been the most comfortable and artistic way I have found to communicate. Naked words, vulnerable and bold, show one’s honest voice; and stripped of confusing colloquialisms that often plague our ears, writing offers a rare clarity and permanence in a confusing and temporary world. I have come to feel at home when I’m writing; a time to quietly be alone with my reality and my imagination enabling a wonderfully intrinsic contrast. I have come to discover my greatest passion through a series of twists and turns in my life. Expression through writing, the power it holds and the beauty it can articulate, has allowed me to define my voice. My grandfather, the first man I ever really understood, died of pancreatic cancer several years ago and it wasn’t until his death that I realized through heartbreak, the inspiration of love and the power of the written word. We will write a custom essay sample on The Immortality of Ink or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page From as early as I can remember, my Grandfather was there; hidden softly in the background marked by his gentle humor and occasional anecdote. I can vividly remember the frequent visits he and my Nana would make, packing their car to the brim with toys and smiles that only genuine love could produce. I was a typical toddler, excited for their visits, not necessarily for their company, but instead to see what new toy car I would be adding to my tremendous collection. It went on for years, until one weekend in the brisk April air of 2005 it all stopped. My father quickened me into his car as the two of us made the trek up to my grandparent’s home on Long Island. I knew my grandfather was sick, but for some reason I insisted on masking it with a naive optimism, no doubt a subconscious mechanism to get my mind off of the grim truth. The very last time I saw my grandfather breathing life was that weekend. I was twelve years old. He was sitting in his favorite red reading chair, the whites of his eyes polluted with shots of yellow-green as his body began to raise the flag of surrender. I extended my hand out and he shook it wearing that soft, mysterious smile as he always did. I turned and my father closed the door. Two years went by, I was fourteen now and it was Christmas Eve – I had already begun my high school career, and while everyone around me was smiling I felt utterly lost. My family and I went to my Nana’s house for the holidays, a place I hadn’t been in some time, which I came to find featured two distinct parties. In one room, the adults drinking cocktails and hobnobbing, discussing politics and matters that I had no interest in and in the other, screaming, crying, resilient infants. I headed downstairs to be alone for a bit and collect myself. I was looking at the walls filled with old pictures of my father along with some articles my grandfather had written. He was a journalist, a profession I had deemed humdrum and uninspiring (for reasons I couldn’t recall). However, looking at the number of articles he published I thought to myself how busy and talented he must have been. Just as I began to leave, a big-framed article entitled, The Day I Forgot To Hu g My Grandson caught my eye. I paused to read it. It was about me, my Baptism to be more specific. The article began as most do, a general synopsis of the event and details about how beautiful the occasion was, but the bulk of the piece was his unique experience at the reception afterwards. Tucked away in a small T.V. den, he was charged with the task of watching me and, inevitably, the Giants game. The story emerged from his guilt — here he was watching television and saying a quick hello to the infrequent visitor (presumably someone over the age of forty who darted in to grab a pretzel and then slink out) then quickly getting back to the game — all the while forgetting me. The truth is, he never forgot to give me a hug; he hugs me every time I read the article. The piece hit me in a way that he or anyone else ever did; he was a natural journalist, a man who most effectively spoke his mind with a pen. That day when I first discovered the article, I finally understood his soft smile. That cold Christmas Eve night two years after his death, my grandfather taught me more than anyone else has. His writing is so clear and so innovative that his voice lives on and it always will. I have found myself to be inspired by him; to take risks, and not be afraid to explore my thoughts and write them down. There is a magic to the inked word, and while we live in a technologically advancing world, the truth is that like the framed articles on my Grandfather’s wall, words on paper will always last. It is my hope that, like my grandfather, I too, will write.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Rodgers And Hammerstein Changin Musical Theater History Essays

Rodgers And Hammerstein: Changin Musical Theater History There are many well-known lyricists and composers, but only a few leave such a mark as Rodgers and Hammerstein. This duo produced nine musical plays during their partnership and caused a profound change in musical comedy. They set the standards that are followed to this day in musical history. They created the modern musical that we all know and love. Before they became Rodgers and Hammerstein, they were simply Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, both of New York City. Hammerstein, born in 1895, was brought up in a theatrical family. His father was an ?operatic impresario?, otherwise known as an opera director or manager. He built the Harlem Opera House(1888) and the Manhattan Opera House(1906) and also introduced many new singers to the US. From a very young age Hammerstein II committed to the theater even though his family discouraged him. As soon as he was old enough to have a job in his father's theatrical business, he devoted himself to his duties and learned as much as he could about play production and the labors of the theater artist. Oscar eventually teamed up with author Otto Harbach and composer Vincent Youmans to produce Wildflower. With help from Harbach, Hammerstein began to create professional material for Broadway. Through Otto Harbach, Hammerstein was led into collaboration with Jerome Kern for Sunday. He al so worked with Herbert Stothart and George Gershwin on Song of the Flame, a very unsuccessful show. But despite the shows failure, it did lead Hammerstein to concentrate on creating operetta in order to integrate musical comedy with opera. With this in mind, he was able to achieve new standards for success in his career with his lyrics for The Wild Rose and The Desert Song. By 1927, after a few more productions, Hammerstein had achieved the technical skill that allowed him to provide a composer with a functional book and lyrics. This was best shown in Showboat, the first modern American musical. Showboat was the first show that indicated Hammerstein's great talent. Hammerstein was able to create a believable plot, situation,and characterization. At the forefront of this show was Hammerstein's concern for the southern blacks. This show contributed commentary on racial prejudice which Hammerstein would continually do. This was a big step for the 1920s and a huge victory when the show was so widely appreciated. Despite the promise indicated by Showboat, Hammerstein did not produce works of comparable success between 1928 and 1940. Some of his forgotten shows from that time are Free for All, Three Sisters, May Wine and several others. By 1941 it was apparent that except for Showboat, Hammerstein had not succeeded in creating a celebrated body of work outside the operetta form. Richard Rodgers , born in 1902, unlike Hammerstein, was not born into the theater, but his parents made sure he was cultured in the world of musical theater at a very early age. One of his earliest childhood memories was of his parents singing the full vocal scores from the latest musicals1. By age six, Rodgers had taught himself to play piano and was then given piano lessons by his proud parents. They also encouraged him to make a career in music. Like Hammerstein, Rodgers' devotion to the theater began early on in his life. Rodgers was especially influenced by Jerome Kern's shows and considered him a hero. When Rodgers was nine, he began to compose melodies of his own and eventually learned how to write them too. At fourteen he produced his first two complete songs, ?Campfire Days? and ?The Auto Show Girl?. While still in high school, he wrote scores for two amateur shows, One Minute Please and Up State and Down, after which he was encouraged to find a lyricist and begin a professional song-producing arrangement. Rodgers found Lorenz Hart. They met in 1918 and immediately hit it off. Both were very pleased with each others abilities and a creative union was made, as well as a close friendship. Their first show together was Fly with Me, which was performed for Columbia University. Broadway man Lew Fields saw the show and informed the duo that he intended to use some of their songs in his next Broadway

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Economic Changes in Medieval Times essays

Economic Changes in Medieval Times essays Until fairly recently, the middle ages have been recognized as a period of social and economic stagnation. The humanists of the Renaissance, whose ideal was inspired by the antique civilization, considered the medieval world as a period of darkness and influenced greatly the biased perception of future generations. Even though it is true that the middle ages were characterized by political and social instability, the institutions which emerged in Western Europe, were to be the foundations of the greatest social and economic revolution mankind has ever encountered. Indeed, the industrial revolution which followed the so-called dark ages, affected society in such a way that in a lifetime, a man could have seen more changes than all his ancestors combined. Throughout this essay, I will analyze the changes that began to change the medieval world into an early modern one. As I describe these changes, I will comment on their effect on future societies and whether, on balance, futures societies have gained or lost from these transformations. The economy of the medieval world was to a great extent agricultural. Even though the urban population grew steadily, especially in Italy and Nederland, it is the rural institutions which shaped the social, political, and economic landscape of the medieval world. After the fall of the Roman Empire, many barbarian tribes tried to established kingdoms in Europe but very few succeeded. The Francs did established somewhat of a comprehensive kingdom in France and later in other parts of Europe but lacked effective administrative organisation or financial means, and was only a pale reflect of the old Roman Empire . It is therefore in a context where no strong political power was able to dominate the majority of Europe that the seigniorial system emerged as the major social institution of the medieval world. In its simplest form, the seigniorial system had three very distinctive social classes: the ...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Informal Essay about Friendship

Informal Essay about Friendship Informal Essay about Friendship Friendship can be defined as a personal relationship between two or more individuals, grounded in feelings of concern for one another and includes intimacy to a certain degree. Given that human beings are generally considered social, friendship is an important part of every individual’s life. Most people dedicate a portion of their day to interacting with friends, whether face-to-face or by phone or on the computer. Given the vital role that friendship plays in the lives of almost all human beings, it is prudent to friendship from different perspectives, including the nature of friendship. How does one know what true friendship is? Friendship is demonstrated through mutual care, acts of intimacy, and activities that individuals share with those whom they consider friends. Friendship is always valued and justified by examining both its individual importance and social worth. Individual value of friendship is gauged from the perspective of an individual who considers the amount of resources, time, energy that he or she is willing to invest in the relationship. The value an individual places on a friendship can also be measured from the perception of whether the friendship makes one’s life feel better or worse. Whether an individual appreciates the friendship of another, though, is sometimes tied up with how that person feels about himself. If one does not value himself, that person is less likely to value someone else or the friendship offered by someone else. People often form friendships based on what they have to offer each other. Sometimes they share a mutual problem or concern. Through collaborating with each other to solve the problem, they often form a mutual bond. Social factors can also significantly help an individual to determine the value of a friendship. For instance, if one’s friendship influences one to promote the general good and consideration for others, then that friendship can be considered to be of value. Moreover, morality issues can play a significant role in helping one to determine if a relationship is of significant value. Fighting a common cause can result in friendships forming. Finally, no one really knows who is true friends are except in times of trouble. Those who run away when needed cannot be considered true friends. On the other hand, individuals discover during difficult times new friends, individuals that perhaps they knew but did not previously value. Some informal essay writing tips: Since this is an informal essay which is written mostly for entertainment purposes, a few of the rules that guide essay writing can be skipped. These include a comprehensive introductory paragraph which ends with a comprehensive thesis statement. This essay began with a brief definition of friendship before delving into the various aspects of friendship. By examining the issue of friendship from different perspectives, this essay is designed to help its readers to understand the concept of friendship on a deeper level than perhaps they previously considered it. If you need a superior-quality custom informal essay about Friendship contact our essay writing service provided by professional paper writers.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Scholastic Methods in Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Scholastic Methods in Education - Essay Example The scholastic environment, including factors like a supportive school atmosphere and the classroom context as well as language barriers, was determined to be directly related to teacher satisfaction (Lam, 2006; Bai, 1995). As our understanding of how children learn has grown, the many ways we teach children has also improved. The scholastic environment is intended to act as a cushion and protects the psychological well-being of children as they develop (Lam, 2006). Research has indicated that a teacher’s effect on their students is often the result of the students’ psychological responses to the teacher’s behavior (Wei, Brok & Zhou, 2009). Studies have shown that children can begin learning from birth and as they age and grow, their ability to learn new ideas and concepts also grows (Sharp, Ward, and Hankin, 2009). The reputation of a school and its influence on the life of the community invariably depend on the kind of teachers working in it. Of many dimensions , the following facets for measuring Teacher Job Satisfaction include: professionalism, teacher learning, innovation, and interpersonal relations (Suryanarayana and Luciana, 2010) Professionalism relates to job security and social prestige, molding young minds, appreciation from others, and the ability to help students resolve their problems (Suryanarayana and Luciana, 2010). ...  Inter-personal relations are associated with relationships with colleagues, parents, students, higher authorities or any personnel relative to school (Suryanarayana and Luciana, 2010). Despite the establishment of these criterions, measuring the teacher’s level of job satisfaction remains a difficult task (Suryanarayana and Luciana, 2010). It is estimated that 157,000 teachers exit the field every year and an additional 232,000 others change schools in pursuit of better working conditions found in prestigious, higher-performing schools (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2008). Combined, this repre sents approximately 12% of the teaching workforce, excluding the teachers that leave due to retirement (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2008). The exit of teachers from the profession and the movement of teachers away from low-performing schools are costly phenomena in regards to the loss students in the value of being taught by an experienced teacher, schools and districts must recruit and train their replacements, and the overall costs financial of teacher attrition (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2008). Fiduciary repercussions can vary widely by district and may include signing bonuses, subject matter stipends, and other recruiting costs specific to the educational forum, totaling an estimated $7.34 billion to hire, recruit, and train the replacement teachers (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2008).

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Nursing research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 30

Nursing research - Essay Example On the hand, reading a report and critically assessing it will help an organization identify whether the research was evidence-based before utilizing the report. In effect, an organization will only implement a research report that was peer reviewed and its utilization will promote positive outcomes in an organization. The fundamental role of nursing research is to provide evidence-based practice that aims at improving the quality of care that an organization provided. However, improving the quality of care in a healthcare organization is only possible if an organization’s process of research utilization is in an approach that was both effective and efficient. To achieve a successful research utilization process, an organization should use the most effective research utilization model to turn the knowledge in research into practice. In line with this, nurses should identify a model that fit into an organization’s culture and structure in order to maximize the knowledge from research into practice. On the other hand, evidence based practice provide the approaches that the findings and knowledge from research will be utilized in an organization

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Policy Suggestions for Reopening Dual Language Essay Example for Free

Policy Suggestions for Reopening Dual Language Essay This empirical research will be presented to the Ministry of Education in Taiwan for the purpose of studying the possibility of reopening Chinese and English dual language kindergarten schools.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 2004, the Ministry of Education in Taiwan had forbidden the operation and establishment of bilingual and English kindergarten schools. English could only be integrated in songs, plays, and activities but it could not be taught in the Chinese and English bilingual format and use as a medium of instruction. Kindergarten schools are not also allowed to hire any foreign teachers. All kindergarten teachers must be a natural born Taiwanese citizen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the same year, the spokesman of the Ministry of Education cited three reasons for implementing this educational policy. First, they feel that at the preschool stage children should master their primary language. Second, they are so concern with the quality of teaching as they found out that most foreign teachers who worked as English teachers in kindergarten schools do not have sufficient knowledge on early childhood education. These teachers are only hired because they are native English speakers. Third, although Taiwanese students officially begin learning English on the third grade, they do not lag behind their counterpart in other Asian countries. However, there is not enough research to prove the positive effect of banning the dual language kindergarten. The research cited by the Ministry of Education to support their policy is discussed in the review of literature. Review of Related Literature Research Supporting the Policy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The research used by the Ministry of Education of Taiwan as a basis in supporting its policy was conducted in 2001 by Dr. Chuang Shiang Chuan and  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dr. Chaing Jen Ru. These professionals were invited to conduct a study on the possibility of integrating English in the kindergarten curriculum and hiring foreign teachers to teach in the kindergarten level. In this research, Dr. Chuang Shiang Chuan pointed out that language learning for children requires the use of both the expressive and thinking abilities. If the medium of instruction is strictly in English alone, the content of communication between the teacher and the students would be very limited. She also indicated that preschool children fail to accurately pronounce and comprehend a foreign language in comparison to the adult learners. Furthermore, she also stated that learning a foreign language could interfere in the learning of the mother tongue. In terms of hiring foreign teachers, Cheung (2001) felt that foreigners who are working as kindergarten English teachers do not have the required skills and knowledge on early childhood education. Their knowledge is only limited to the teaching of the English language. In addition, hiring of foreign teachers would result in the decrease of job opportunities for students who have completed their education degrees from the teacher preparation institutions. However, the findings of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dr. Cheung may not be objective and conflict of interest is evident as a result of her employment in one of the early childhood teacher preparation institutions. Besides, in the policy statement published by the Ministry of Education to the public on October 10, 2004, it was stated that the research was based on the neuroscience, linguistics and English education findings which indicated that learning English at an early age does not guarantee that children will learn better. The Ministry of Education also argued that teenagers learn a foreign language more efficiently than preschool children due to their more mature cognitive development. It is also stated that imposing the â€Å"No Chinese† kindergarten education would result in communication difficulty, emotional disturbance, conflict of values and problems in culture identity which could affect the development of Chinese language learning. Furthermore, the language barrier would limit the breath and dept of children’s learning.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lu Chen (2003) who are researchers in Taiwan also supported the previous findings and argued that it is inappropriate for preschool children to learn a foreign language and culture at an early age. They believed that China would be the strongest country in terms of economic stability and the Chinese language would be the next universal language. Hence, parents should not be anxious to have their children learn English at a young age. They further stated that there is no critical period in learning a second language so it is not necessary to start learning at preschool age. The researchers also believed that having a good command of the native language is the foundation for learning a second language. The absence of an American or British accent is not an important matter to consider in learning the English language. Therefore, it is unnecessary to study English at an early age to avoid speaking with a foreign accent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Besides the two researchers and one government statement above, the book â€Å"My Child Can’t Speak Chinese† (Cheung, 2004) is also frequently cited by people who are against using English as the only medium of instruction in the kindergarten education. In this book, Cheung depicted her daughter who tends to combine the English and Chinese syntaxes when speaking Chinese after attending an English only kindergarten school. In the book, the arguments to ban the English only teaching in kindergarten school is understandable considering that children in Taiwan speak Chinese at home and kindergarten is the first education that they have experienced outside their homes. The use of English as the only medium of instruction in their first school may give the children the wrong impression that English is the formal school language. They may also think that their Chinese language is less important. These thoughts could possibly lead to the confusion of culture identity and negatively affect the learning of the Chinese language.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As an international student who had studied in various classes with native English instructors and have worked as the sole foreign teacher in an American school, I understand the anxiety that a child may feel in an English only environment based on my personal experience.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Armed with a first hand experience in obtaining an education in an English only school under instructors who are native speakers of the English language and with an experience of being a foreign teacher in an international school, I can strongly understand and clearly see the point in the policy made in not allowing the operation of the English only kindergarten schools. However, in as much as I could empathized with the policy makers, I also felt the inadequacy of the study that was conducted before arriving at a recommendation to close and prohibit the existence of dual language kindergarten schools. There are many dual language kindergartens in the United States and I have taught in an English-Chinese dual lingual public school in New York, P.S. 184M, Shuang Wen School. This is the first dual lingual and bicultural public elementary school in the east coast. Children at Shuang Wen have regular English classes as other public school students and start learning Chinese from the kindergarten level and continue studying until the sixth grade.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the Shuang Wen’s website, there is a report cited that almost 100% of their students exceeded the required grade level standards of the New York State examination for Math and English. With Shuang Wen’s success, one could only ponder as to why American students are allowed to enroll in an English and Chinese bilingual program since kindergarten while the Taiwanese students in Taiwan have to be deprived of this opportunity. I went through literature reviews by searching and reviewing dual language related literatures on databases of ERIC, ProQuest, Education Full Text, Digital Dissertations taken from the Teachers College as well as the TC Catalog (EDUCAT). The summary of my findings are written below. Research on Dual Lingual Education   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The dual lingual education literature reviewed is presented here in the following sections: bilingual education has no harm, the benefits of bilingual education, the best bilingual education-dual language program, and the current situation of dual language programs. Bilingual Education Has No Harm   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Contrary to the findings of the researchers in Taiwan, Norbert (2005), Schambach (2006), Garcia (2006), and Pearson (2007) claimed that bilingual education has no harm to children at all. All the misconceptions were bias. For instance, Cheung’s (2003) worry concerning her daughter’s combined usage of English and Chinese is actually unnecessary. The combined usage of language was part of a learning process that children want to experiment in order to determine which of these two languages the listener’s â€Å"strongest language† is. This method would also enable the children to communicate effectively with their listener (Garcia, 2007). Moreover, the capability of switching between two languages could increase children’s cognitive flexibility (Steward, 2004). In terms of the concerns about the lost of identity and delay in the development of the children’s first language, it was discovered that bilingual children do not have any identity issues because in the bilingual education, children’s culture are respected and recognized (Farmer, 1998 Schambach, 2006). Some children may develop two identities since they are educated in using two languages and two cultures but this helps children to be more adaptable to the global world and prepare them better to be global citizens. Moreover, Schambach pointed out an example of an identity issue whereby an immigrant child, who emigrated from one country to another, felt totally lost when not being accepted in the new country and treated as a foreigner upon return to the country of origin for a short visit. This situation can happen to Taiwanese children if the government is not open to the education that the parents expect for their children in Taiwan. About 77% of parents in Taiwan hope that the government would allow the integration of English in the kindergarten curriculum (Wu Cheng, 2002). The main reason for the immigration to the United States of Taiwanese families is to provide better education for their children. If Taiwanese government fails to meet parents’ expectations, there is a strong possibility that Taiwanese family immigration would lead to a problem on the identity issue for the next generation. The Benefits of Bilingual Education   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After clarifying that bilingual education creates no harm to children, many researchers pointed out that bilingual education can enhance the development of children’s cognitive and social skills (Chan, 2003; Garcia, 2007; Norbert, 2005; Steward, 2004; Thomas, 2003). Chan (2003) compared 31 bilingual preschoolers and 29 monolingual preschoolers’ performance on 3 cognitive tasks and 4 theory-of-mind tasks. The results showed that the advantage of the bilingual learners in the theory-of-mind development hinges mostly in their cognitive development e.g., inhibitory control, reasoning and metalinguistic awareness. Garcia (2007) quoted the research of Peal and Lambert’s work with French and English bilinguals and English monolinguals and suggested that the intellectual experience of acquiring two languages contributed advantageously to mental flexibility, superior concept formation and a generally diversified set of mental abilities. She also cited Padilla’s reasoning that bilinguals are cognitively advanced because they are able to process information provided in one language and produce allied information in another language. Padilla used Keats and Keats’ report of a study as an example which German-English bilinguals, who did not demonstrate the ability to conserve weight in a Piagetian task, were trained to conserve in one of the two languages. Results from English and German post tests indicated that the concept was acquired in both languages. This suggests the possible increased in the flexibility of bilinguals during conceptual acquisition. Steward (2004) cited the finding of Willig who pointed out that students in the bilingual programs scored either the same or higher on the achievement tests in both languages in comparison with children in monolingual education. Steward also agreed with Cummings, Hakuta and Gold’s opinion that the bilingual program has increased children’s cognitive flexibility. Thomas (2003) further stated that the cognitive stimulus from the bilingual program led to enhanced creativity and analytical thinking. He also presented the result taken from Houston in 2002 that native English speakers, who had been in the two way dual-language programs for four years, scored between 63rd and 70th percentiles in total reading scores in the Stanford 9 whereas the scores of students in the monolingual English program hovered around the 50th percentile. This is a remarkable finding that could be used to infer that if Taiwanese children, who are native Chinese speakers, are educated in a bilingual program since preschool their intellectual capability might surpass students in a Chinese only program after four years. After reading all the benefits that bilingual education can bring to students, I continued to research for the definition of bilingual education and its best practice. The Best Bilingual Education Dual Language Education   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Barrera (2004) defines bilingual education as using two languages to learn. Schambach (2006) said a bilingual person means he can use two languages freely in any given situation. In terms of the best practice for bilingual education, Garcia (2007) pointed out that in teaching two languages, it would be best to separate them instead of combining them together. For example, at home each parent should speak a different language to the child and at school, different teachers should speak different languages. Children tend to learn the language in order to communicate. Norbert (2005) further strengthened the importance of separating two languages when teaching. Scofield (2007) specifically talked about the importance of a relaxed environment that is enriched with comprehensible language as well as the usage of gestures, mime, and real objects to illustrate speech and to provide input. He also suggested singing songs and rhymes and having group activities to create a conducive environment for the learners. In terms of time allocation for teaching each language, Steward (2004) cited Willig’s research result which showed that students in the alternate immersion program, wherein the day is divided into two halves each entirely in one language, have the best performance in the tests of both languages. This kind of program is also called dual language program. Current Situation of Dual Language Education   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Barrera (2004), there are more than 270 dual language programs in the U.S. and the interest in these programs keeps growing as fast as the waiting lists. In Barrera’s research, she concluded that the most successful dual language program resulted when students learn one language in the morning and another one in the afternoon. There must also be a continuing non-repetitive lesson in the morning. In the succeeding morning, students must proceed to the next lesson in the other language. The important characteristics of a good dual language program as suggested by Barrera includes: a minimum of six years instruction; a focus on the core academic curriculum; high quality language arts instruction in both languages; integration of the languages into the instructional thematic units; separations of the two languages for instruction with no translation and no repeated lessons in the other language; use of each language in 50 percent of the instructional time; an addictive e.g. adding a new language at no cost to students’ first language; bilingual environment that has the full support of school administrators, teachers and parents; and an active parent-school partnerships.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, regardless of all the benefits of dual lingual education as shown in the research, some politicians in California still think that English should be the one and only dominated language in United States. Hence, they brought up Proposition 227 to replace the bilingual and dual lingual education to total immersion method to help immigrant children learn English as fast as possible. Nevertheless, many researchers discovered that bilingual education has helped children learn English faster than the total immersion method (Krashen, 2005; Manyak, 2006; Monzo, 2005; Olson, 2007). Bilingual education has likewise helped students build more positive self identity by providing a sheltered learning environment (Monzo). Recommendation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After learning from the studies conducted by some researchers, the Taiwanese government must reexamine their educational policy that resulted in the total ban of bilingual kindergarten education in Taiwan. I recommend that the Taiwanese government conduct an empirical study on the possible effects of dual language kindergarten education in Taiwan and recruit volunteer participants to determine if the Chinese and English bilingual kindergarten education should be reopened as an educational option for Taiwanese children.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I would also like to suggest a research design which includes the preparation of the curriculum, teachers’ preparation, students’ selections and students’ evaluation. Curriculum   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Prior to conducting a research, the Education Ministry of Taiwan must initially design a Chinese and English dual lingual curriculum for kindergarten pupils. The easiest and most efficient way is to translate the current kindergarten curriculum into English. In this method, the traditional Taiwanese values are neither changed nor altered and the English language was only used as a medium of instruction. This consistent and continuing curriculum, which is part of the current dual language program, has been proven to be the most beneficial way for students’ learning. Teacher Preparation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Secondly, the government must prepare all the teachers who will be involved in teaching the dual language program. The selection of teachers who would teach the Chinese curriculum is not as difficult as selecting teachers who could teach the English curriculum. For the Chinese curriculum, experienced teachers can be selected among a roster of kindergarten teachers. Since the current law forbids the hiring of non-Taiwanese citizens, it would not be easy to immediately hire English instructors. There may be few Taiwanese people who could teach using the English fluently, have a solid background in early childhood education and fully understand the Taiwanese culture. Since learning the language while keeping the Taiwanese cultural background are two major purposes of the dual language program, I would suggest to the Ministry of Education in Taiwan to hire Taiwanese Americans or Taiwanese people who have studied abroad for a long enough period of time and have attained a good level of English fluency. The qualification to become a kindergarten teacher in Taiwan should not be based on the nationality but on the teacher’s English capability and understanding of Taiwanese culture. With regards to having a solid knowledge on the background of kindergarten education, I believe that teachers can be prepared within few months of extensive workshops as I became a primary teacher at an award winning independent primary school in Connecticut after a week of intensive training and continuing professional development throughout the school year. In my job, I performed well as a foreign teacher. Through experience, I personally felt that it is possible to prepare any teacher for the background knowledge. Further research on this issue could be conducted to be assured that only the most qualified teachers are selected for the program. Students’ Selection and Follow-Up Plan   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Participating pupils should be voluntary and the opportunity to be a participant should be well broadcasted to all the parents who have children who are about to be enrolled in kindergarten schools. Students should be chosen from families of a mixed social economic status to represent the common student population in public kindergarten schools. Plans must be undertaken for students who are currently attending kindergarten so a continuing dual lingual elementary education can be achieved until the fifth grade as suggested by Garcia. Garcia discovered that the positive effects of dual language education will be manifested after 6 years of continuous education. The greatest challenge here is that all dual lingual elementary schools in Taiwan are private schools and therefore the tuition fees are not affordable by every family. For this problem, the government could either give vouchers or subsidize the tuition fees of the children who have attended the dual lingual kindergarten so they could study in private dual lingual elementary schools. In addition, the government can also put an effort to open a public dual language elementary school in each grade level to accommodate the education needs of these students. Data Analysis   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Students’ cognitive development and academic performance will be assessed through standardized testing and observation from teachers and parents. Data analysis will focus on the findings to determine if advance cognitive development and better academic performance were achieved by students who were given the dual language program in comparison with the dual language students’ performance in the United States and Canada as studied by Barrera (2004) and Chan (2004). To avoid overstressing students, the test will be carefully designed and will be taken semi-annually. Likewise, students’ progress will be recorded for six years. Conclusions   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Education is the best investment for the future of a country. With the influx of globalization and stiff economic and business competition, it is time for people of Taiwan to be armed with an education that could be comparable not only to their neighboring Asian countries but also to the western countries as well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The progress of the country highly depends on its young citizens and the best way for the young citizens to be competitive is by providing them with an educational tool that will enable them to communicate with other people across the globe. English has been considered as the universal language in many parts of the world. There are no negative effects in learning a foreign language as shown in many research studies. Hence, it is time for the government of Taiwan, specifically the Ministry of Education, to study their policies and reconsider the option of reopening bilingual kindergarten schools in Taiwan. If the government intends to be the educational leader in Asia, it is time to open their doors to accept the teaching of English in preschool level. References Barrera, R., et. al. (2004). Profiles in culture. Scholastic Early Childhood Today, 19(3), 46-48. Chan, K. T. (2004). Chinese English bilingual’s theory-of-mind development. University of Toronto, Toronto. Cheung, S. C. C., Jen Ru (2002). The possibility of having english education and hiring foreign teachers in kindergartens in Taiwan. Ministry of Education, Taiwan. (T. Ministry of Education o. Document Number) Chuan, C. S. (2003). My child can’t speak Chinese. Taipei: New Parents. Farmer, M. (1998). Creating Montessori bilingual programs. Montessori Life, 10(2), 22-25. Garcia, E. E. (2007). Bilingual development and the education of bilingual children during early childhood. American Journal of Education, 95(1), 96-121. Krashen, S. (2005). Skyrocketing scores: An urban legend. Educational Leadership, 62(4), 37-39. Lu, H.-J. C., Tai-an. (2003). An evaluation on early childhood english education in taiwan-from the perspective of language policy. Transworld Institute of Technology, Taiwan. Manyak, P. C. (2006). Fostering biliteracy in a monolingual milieu: Reflections on two counter-hegemonic English immersion classes. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 6(3), 241-266. Ministry of Education, Taiwan (2004). Educational policy of preschool English education. Monzo, L. D. (2005). Latino parents `choice` for bilingual education in an urban California school: language politics in the aftermath of proposition 227. Bilingual Research Journal, 29(2), 365-386. Norbert, F. (2005). Research findings on early first language attrition: implication for the discussion on critical periods in language acquisition. Language Learning, 55(3), 491-531. Pajares, F. (2007). Elements of a proposal. Available from the author. Pearson, B. Z. (2007). Social factors in childhood bilingualism in the United States. Applied Psycholinguistics, 28(3). Schambach, J. (2006). Childhood bilingualism: problems and possibilities. Kansas. Schofield, A. (2007). An investigation into the practices of a class of field-based student educators working in linguistically diverse early childhood centres. Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 32(2), 23-27. Stewart, M. R. (2004). Phonological awareness and bilingual preschoolers: should we teach it and, if so, how? Early Childhood Education Journal 32(1), 31-37. Thomas, W. P. C., V. P. (2003). The multiple benefits of dual language: dual-language programs educate both English learners and native English speakers without incurring extra costs. Educational Leadership, 61(2), 61-64. Torrez, N. M. (2001). Incoherent English immersion and California proposition 227. The Urban Review, 33(3), 207-20. Wu, S. F. C., Jen Ru. (2002). Examine preschool English education from the perspective of critical study period. Human Education Journal, 158.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Faulkners Condemnation of the South in Absalom, Absalom Essay

Faulkner's Condemnation of the South in Absalom, Absalom       William Faulkner came from an old, proud, and distinguished Mississippi family, which included a governor, a colonel in the Confederate army, and notable business pioneers.   Through his experiences from growing up in the old South, Faulkner has been able to express the values of the South through his characters. William Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom offers a strong condemnation of the mores and morals of the South.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Faulkner's strong condemnation of the values of the South emanates from the actual story of the Sutpen family whose history must be seen as connected to the history of the South (Bloom 74).   Quentin tells this story in response to a Northerner's question:   "What is the South like?"  Ã‚   As the novel progresses, Quentin is explaining the story of the Sutpen myth and revealing it to the reader.   Faulkner says that the duty of an author, as an artist, is to depict the human heart in conflict with itself.   This attitude is revealed in the conflicts that Henry Sutpen undergoes in Absalom, Absalom.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thomas Sutpen is the son of a poor mountain farmer who founded the Sutpen estate.   Thomas Sutpen stands for all the great and noble qualities of the South, and at the same time represents the failure of the South by rejecting the past and committing the same types of acts that his ancestors did (Connelly 34).   He rejects his own father to adopt a plantation owner as his surrogate father, who acts as a model of what a man is supposed to be.   When the plantation owner tells Sutpen to use the back door instead of the front door, Faulkner is using ... ...).    Works Cited    Aswell, Duncan. "The Puzzling Design of Absalom, Absalom!" Muhlenfeld 93-108    Bloom, Harold, ed.  Ã‚   Absalom, Absalom! Modern Critical Interpretations.   New York: Chelsea.  Ã‚  Ã‚   1987.    Connelly, Don.   "The History and Truth in Absalom, Absalom!" Northwestern University, 1991.    Faulkner, William.   Absalom, Absalom!   New York: Vintage, 1972    Levins, Lynn.   "The Four Narrative Perspectives in Absalom, Absalom!"   Austin: U of Texas,   1971.    Muhlenfeld, Elizabeth, ed. William Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom!: A Critical Casebook. New York: Garland, 1984.    Rollyson, Carl. "The Re-creation of the Past in Absalom, Absalom!"   Mississippi Quarterly 29 (1976): 361-74    Searle Leroy. "Opening the Door: Truth in Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom!" Unpublished essay. N.d.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Holmes v South Carolina Essay

Facts: Holmes was charged with first degree murder, first degree burglary and robbery in connection with an incident involving an 86 year old woman, Mary Stewart. Holmes was also charged for the rape and murder of Stewart. At the trial court, Holmes was convicted by the South Carolina Supreme Court. The United States Supreme Court denied certiorari. The petitioner had appealed and the court granted a new trail. During the new trial the prosecution introduced new forensic evidence including palm prints and blood that was found at the scene of the crime. At the new trial, the petitioner also sought to introduce proof of another man named Jimmy McCaw White. The court excluded the third party evidence of guilt because the grounds of the evidence were not admissible. The evidenced only implicated that the third party and did not exclude the defendant. The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari Issue: Is evidence of a third party’s guilt admissible if it only implicates the third party and does not exculpate the defendant? Rule and Rationale: Yes. Under the Constitution of the United States, a defendant in a criminal case has to be given the opportunity to present a complete defense. The defendant also has the right and opportunity to present evidence of innocence, and only the evidence of guilt of a third party. Excluding evidence and only hearing the prosecutions evidence in the case did not give the court the right to make a conclusion based on the evidence at hand. The evidence against the prosecution supported that the defendant was guilty but did not automatically exclude the evidence of the third party as weak. Holmes was entitled to introduce the evidence of Whites guilt. The exclusion of that evidence violated Holmes’s right to have the opportunity to present a complete defense. Standard Relied On: State v. Gay, 541 S.E.2d 541, 545 (S.C. 2001). The case gave clear meaning by bringing to light that the strength of one party’s evidence has no logical conclusion that can be reached regarding the strength of the contrary evidence from the other side to cast doubt. The rule from Gay was arbitrary and violated a criminal defendant’s right to have a meaningful opportunity to present a complete defense Case Significance: The case clarified the Constitutional validity of rules of admission for third party guilt evidence. Just because the evidence against the prosecution supported the defendant’s guilt, this did not automatically exclude the third party’s evidence. Additionally, no logical conclusions can be made based on contrary evidence that cast doubt on the defendant.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Northanger Abbey Transformations

â€Å"Explore the theme of Transformations in â€Å"Northanger Abbey† In â€Å"Northanger Abbey† Austen crafts from start to finish a perfect paradigm of her own satirical wit and burlesqued humour, which go to all lengths imaginable to disguise and embed her novel’s transformations. These demonstrate her great skill as a satirist in making the reader dig for their own enjoyment.Her meaning is drenched in multiple interpretations causing even complete opposites like the transformed and unchanged to blur together, leaving as Fuller says, â€Å"The joke on everyone except Austen†; whose sophisticated â€Å"meta-parody† carries on transforming and confusing the reader (Fuller, Miriam 2010). Craik first contrived how to delve into Austen’s satire, and that was by realising that â€Å"The literary burlesque is not incidental, nor integral† (Craik, W A 1965).In my essay I am therefore going to delve deeply into the satirical, and reveal the true transformations Austen intended to present. The first line of the text identifies Catherine Morland as the novel’s central figure for transformation â€Å"No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy would have supposed her born to be an heroine† (Austen, Jane â€Å"Northanger Abbey† 2003 PP. 5). Austen then ironically, and ambiguously, decks her out to be a burlesqued parody of the heroic archetype, thus transforming the perspective of what constitutes a heroine.Traditionally they were thought of as intelligent, beautiful and isolated like Eleanor Tilney, but we are told Catherine is â€Å"Occasionally stupid†¦almost pretty†¦and (her father) was not in the least addicted to locking up his daughters† (PP. 5 – 7). Austen reverses the polarity of Catherine’s character transforming her into a more modern heroine, her point being that anyone can be a heroine as long as they evolve as opposed to stagnating like tradit ional gothic figures such as Emily St Aubert (Radcliffe, Anne 2008).Already Austen is choosing transformation and change over self-stagnation, while with feminist intentions breaks down the barrier that portrays women as self-reliant on the patriarchal strength of men by encouragement to live life on their own terms like Catherine Morland â€Å"Let me go, Mr Thorpe†¦. do not hold me! † (PP. 73). Austen introduces the unchanged character of Eleanor Tilney to highlight â€Å"Catherine’s subconscious refusal to be helpless and passive† (Fuller, Miriam 2010).Eleanor unlike Catherine relies on men for support throughout her life first her father, and then through a â€Å"man of fortune and consequence†, which shows â€Å"her real power (to be) nothing† (PP. 185), in the light of Eleanor’s lack of transformation Catherine’s transformative nature is apparent by direct contrast. By deviating from this generic norm Austen sets up Catherin e’s own transformation from innocent, naive girl to blossoming, self-reliant woman. However many critics have debated whether or not Catherine in fact changes at all.This is the case for her intuition, which is part of what Fuller called â€Å"Catherine’s defences† (2010), which according to Schaub: â€Å"Catherine’s romantic temperament, her â€Å"intuition,† is right in all her basic judgments† (2000). Schaub is referencing Catherine’s interpretation of individuals such as General Tilney which all turn out to be correct â€Å"in suspecting General Tilney of either murdering or shutting up his wife, she had scarcely sinned against his character, or magnified his cruelty† (PP. 183). A true transformation however does occur in Catherine abandoning her gothic unreality for â€Å"objective reality† (Butler, Marilyn 1975).Her change is illustrated in the fading out of Austen’s free indirect narrative, observed in volu me one, for the true direct narrative perspective of Catherine herself, heard strongly in her condemnation of Isabella â€Å"she must think me an idiot, or she could not have written so†( PP. 161). This narrative change shows the growth of mind that Austen observes in her own character, and she allows her the freedom to use it which has Catherine; through transformative mistakes; gain a greater perspective on the world â€Å"Nothing could shortly be clearer, than that it had been all a voluntary, self-created delusion† (PP. 46). Lastly a final sign of her ultimate growth is a change in her setting of choice after marrying Henry Tilney. Instead of the sublime gothic grandeur of the abbey she chooses the simplistic pastoral setting of the parsonage â€Å"In her heart she preferred it to any place she had ever been† (PP. 156). The abbey of Northanger, that Catherine rejects, is traditionally seen as the key location for all gothic goings on. However it is my joint assertion with Fuller, that â€Å"the social codes of Bath are as labyrinthine as he passageways of Udolpho are to Emily†, and according to Drabble â€Å"like a minefield† (2010) for the young Catherine Morland. Austen uses satire once again to confuse and camouflage the full roles these two settings play, making for a clever and shocking juxtaposition as settings now transform along different lines. This is done through almost frequent and obvious references to the gothic in the anti-gothic setting of Northanger â€Å"Darkness impenetrable and immoveable filled the room† (PP. 124) while contrasting it to more subtle and less noticeable gothic in Bath â€Å"Mr Thorpe only laughed, smacking his whip† ( PP. 2). If we follow Fuller’s argument that â€Å"Northanger abbey† is part of what she terms the â€Å"Domestic Gothic† (2010); a genre that highlights the sexual threat to young women; the then humorous misadventures of Catherine in Ba th turn into events that closely resemble sexual abuse. Particularly in the character of John Thorpe who transforms from a bawdy, comic figure, stumbling over himself to marry Catherine, into a sadistic sexual predator. This is seen in the simple contrast when he abducts young Catherine on a trip to â€Å"Blaize castle! † (PP. 0), and Austen transform the light comedy of deception into a â€Å"gothic abduction scene† (Fuller, Miriam 2010). In which Thorpe â€Å"lashes his horse into a brisker trot† and takes her â€Å"into the marketplace† (PP. 62) thus turning Catherine into a â€Å"commodity† to be owned (Fuller, Miriam 2010). In her sudden character transformations Austen shows how she can rework any of her characters in an instance, making them comic one moment and frightening the next, and it is also a warning to young women of the â€Å"powerful and opportunistic members of society† that reside in Victorian resort towns like Bath (Full er, Miriam 2010).Austen’s satire, as witnessed, goes to great lengths to confuse and mask her meaning. Her reasoning behind it is simply her own enjoyment, and her desire to praise her medium of choice: the novel. Her complexity and ambiguity are merely part of an elaborate, and in itself satirical complement to novels which she believes display â€Å"the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of its varieties, and the liveliest effusions of wit and humour† (PP. 24). Bibliography: Austen, Jane (2003[1818]) Northanger Abbey, Lady Susan, The Watsons and Sandition (Oxford, Oxford University Press) †¢ Fuller, Miriam (2010) â€Å"Let me go, Mr Thorpe; Isabella, do not hold me! : Northanger Abbey at the Domestic Gothic† Persuasions: The Jane Austen Journal (Jane Austen Society of North America) †¢ Craik, W A (1965) â€Å"Jane Austen The Six Novels† (W & J MacKay & Co ltd, Chatham, Great Britain) †¢ Schaub, Melissa (2000 ) â€Å"Irony and Political Education in â€Å"Northanger Abbey† (Jane Austen Society of North America) http://www. asna. org/persuasions/on-line/vol21no1/schaub. html Accessed (27/0/2012) †¢ Butler, Marilyn (1975) â€Å"Jane Austen and the War of Ideas: The Juvenilia and â€Å"Northanger Abbey† (Clarendon Press, Oxford) †¢ Radcliffe, Anne (2008) â€Å"The Mysteries of Udolpho† (Oxford, Oxford University Press) †¢ Keymer, Thomas (2011 [1997]) â€Å"Northanger Abbey and Sense and Sensibility† â€Å"The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen† (University Press Cambridge, Cambridge) †¢ Bush, Douglas (1978[1975]) â€Å"Jane Austen† (The Macmillan Press LTD, London)

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Teenage Alcoholism essays

Teenage Alcoholism essays I am a senior at Plainview High School and I was a part of the sit-in on Thursday the 11th and I was suspended for nine days for my involvement in the act. I am very disappointed in the way this matter was presented to the public and the major part of the information was missing from the article in the Post-Bulletin and on KTTC. First off the major concern of the sit in was not about the loss of a vacation day. The major concern was the destruction of our student council. The student council has gone through a lot this year. They lost an advisor to some unmentionable controversial issues involving the school board and high administration members. Then they lost their authority to be the decision makers of most of the school sanctioned student events. We were also infuriated about the fact that one of the Student council members attended a school board meeting in which when she presented her report they asked everyone in attendance to leave the room and they closed the doors which is against policy to close a school board meeting (when it doesnt have to do with personal business) In the room she was being almost being verbally harassed by the school board for 31 min. The next subject on hand is the so called meeting with select students today (Friday the 12th). They did have a meeting with very select students. In all truth they selected the students who agreed or did not have a feeling either way on the issue. In fact they were so good about selecting students only about 3 of the dozen or so students actually were involved with the sit in. This has lead many students to believe that the school is just trying to push this off till the summer break when we (the seniors) leave and the underclassmen have a whole summer to forget about it. It makes me wonder what else is going on in the school system when the administration is so worried about press being involved that when KTTC showed up Thursday morning, after being allowed ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

An Overview of Pontiacs Rebellion

An Overview of Pontiacs Rebellion Beginning in 1754, the French Indian War saw British and French forces clash as both sides worked to expand their empires in North America. While the French initially won several early encounters such as the Battles of the Monongahela (1755) and Carillon (1758), the British ultimately gained the upper hand after triumphs at Louisbourg (1758), Quebec (1759), and Montreal (1760). Though fighting in Europe continued until 1763, forces under General Jeffery Amherst immediately began working to consolidate British control over New France (Canada) and the lands to the west known as the pays den haut. Comprising parts of present-day Michigan, Ontario, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, the tribes of this region had largely been allied with the French during the war. Though the British made peace with the tribes of around the Great Lakes as well as those in the Ohio and Illinois Countries, the relationship remained strained. These tensions were worsened by policies implemented by Amherst which worked to treat the Native Americans as a conquered people rather than equals and neighbors. Not believing that the Native Americans could mount meaningful resistance against British forces, Amherst reduced the frontier garrisons as well as began to eliminate ritual gifts which he viewed as blackmail. He also began to restrict and block the sale of gunpowder and weapons. This latter act caused particular hardship as it limited the Native Americans ability to hunt for food and furs. Though the head of the Indian Department, Sir William Johnson, repeatedly advised against these policies, Amherst persisted in their implementation. While these directives impacted all of the Native Americans in the region, those in the Ohio Country were further angered by colonial encroachment into their lands. Moving Towards Conflict As Amhersts policies began to take effect, Native Americans living in the pays den haut began to suffer from disease and starvation. This led to the beginning of a religious revival led by Neolin (The Delaware Prophet). Preaching that the Master of Life (Great Spirit) was angered at the Native Americans for embracing European ways, he urged the tribes to cast out the British. In 1761, British forces learned that the Mingos in the Ohio Country were contemplating war. Racing to Fort Detroit, Johnson convened a large council which was able to maintain an uneasy peace. Though this lasted into 1763, the situation on the frontier continued to deteriorate. Pontiac Acts On April 27, 1763, the Ottawa leader Pontiac called members of several tribes together near Detroit. Addressing them, he was able to convince many of them to join in an attempt to capture Fort Detroit from the British. Scouting the fort on May 1, he returned a week later with 300 men carrying concealed weapons. Though Pontiac had hoped to take the fort by surprise, the British had been alerted to a possible attack and were on alert. Forced to withdraw, he elected to lay siege to the fort on May 9. Killing settlers and soldiers in the area, Pontiacs men defeated a British supply column at Point Pelee on May 28. Maintaining the siege into the summer, the Native Americans were unable to prevent Detroit from being reinforced in July. Attacking Pontiacs camp, the British were turned back at Bloody Run on July 31. As a stalemate ensured, Pontiac elected to abandon the siege in October after concluding that French aid would not be forthcoming (Map). The Frontier Erupts Learning of Pontiacs actions at Fort Detroit, tribes throughout the region began moving against the frontier forts. While the Wyandots captured and burned Fort Sandusky on May 16, Fort St. Joseph fell to the Potawatomis nine days later. On May 27, Fort Miami was taken after its commander was killed. In the Illinois Country, the garrison of Fort Ouiatenon was compelled to surrender to a combined force of Weas, Kickapoos, and Mascoutens. In early June, the Sauks and Ojibwas used a stickball game to distract British forces while they moved against Fort Michilimackinac. By the end of June 1763, Forts Venango, Le Boeuf, and Presque Isle were also lost. In the wake of these victories, Native American forces began moving against Captain Simeon Ecuyers garrison at Fort Pitt. Siege of Fort Pitt As fighting escalated, many settlers fled to Fort Pitt for safety as Delaware and Shawnee warriors raided deep into Pennsylvania and unsuccessfully struck Forts Bedford and Ligonier. Coming under siege, Fort Pitt was soon cut off. Increasingly concerned about the situation, Amherst directed that Native American prisoners be killed and inquired about the potential of spreading smallpox among the enemy population. This latter idea had already been implemented by Ecuyer who had given the besieging forces infected blankets on June 24. Though smallpox did break out among the Ohio Native Americans, the disease was already present prior Ecuyers actions. In early August, many of the Native Americans near Fort Pitt departed in an effort to destroy a relief column which was approaching. In the resulting Battle of Bushy Run, Colonel Henry Bouquets men turned back the attackers. This done, he relieved the fort on August 20. Troubles Continue The success at Fort Pitt was soon offset by a bloody defeat near Fort Niagara. On September 14, two British companies had over 100 killed at the Battle of Devils Hole when they attempted to escort a supply train to the fort. As settlers along the frontier became increasingly worried about raids, vigilante groups, such as the Paxton Boys, began to emerge. Based in Paxton, PA, this group began attacking local, friendly Native Americans and went so far as to kill fourteen that were in protective custody. Though Governor John Penn issued bounties for the culprits, they were never identified. Support for the group continued to grow in and 1764 they marched on Philadelphia. Arriving, they were prevented from doing additional damage by British troops and militia. The situation was later diffused through negotiations overseen by Benjamin Franklin. Ending the Uprising Angered by Amhersts actions, London recalled him in August 1763 and replaced him with Major General Thomas Gage. Assessing the situation, Gage moved forward with plans that had been developed by Amherst and his staff. These called for two expeditions to push into the frontier led by Bouquet and Colonel John Bradstreet. Unlike his predecessor, Gage first asked Johnson to conduct a peace council at Fort Niagara in an effort to remove some of the tribes from the conflict. Meeting in the summer of 1764, the council saw Johnson return the Senecas to the British fold. As restitution for their part in the Devils Hole engagement, they ceded the Niagara portage to the British and agreed to send a war party west. With the conclusion of the council, Bradstreet and his command began moving west across Lake Erie. Stopping at Presque Isle, he exceeded his orders by concluding a peace treaty with several of the Ohio tribes which stated that Bouquets expedition would not go forward. As Bradstreet continued west, an incensed Gage promptly repudiated the treaty. Reaching Fort Detroit, Bradstreet agreed to a treaty with local Native American leaders through which he believed them to accept British sovereignty. Departing Fort Pitt in October, Bouquet advanced to the Muskingum River. Here he entered into negotiations with several of the Ohio tribes. Isolated due to Bradstreets earlier efforts, they made peace in mid-October. Aftermath The campaigns of 1764 effectively ended the conflict,  though some calls for resistance still came from the Illinois Country and Native American leader Charlot Kaskà ©. These issues were dealt with in 1765 when Johnsons deputy, George Croghan, was able to meet with Pontiac. After extensive discussions, Pontiac agreed to come east and he concluded a formal peace treaty with Johnson at Fort Niagara in July 1766. An intense and bitter conflict, Pontiacs Rebellion ended with the British abandoning Amhersts policies and returning to those used earlier. Having recognized the inevitable conflict that would emerge between colonial expansion and the Native Americans, London issued the Royal Proclamation of 1763 which prohibited settlers from moving over the Appalachian Mountains and created a large Indian Reserve. This action was poorly received by those in the colonies and was the first of many laws issued by Parliament that would lead to the American Revolution.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Developed Countries ( listening and reading, with vocabulary ) Assignment

Developed Countries ( listening and reading, with vocabulary ) - Assignment Example What is more surprising is the fact that the economy of the world is controlled by the developed countries since they have the power over global financial institutions such as the World Bank and the international Monitory Fund (IMF). Less developed countries are not given the same opportunity to make decisions that can shape the global economy. I therefore, chose this topic to gain a clear understanding of the major roles played by the developed countries in running the world economy and the role played by the other less developed countries. 2 What was it about? The video is about the outlook for US economic growth which is a developed country and its economy is used as a yardstick to measure the performance of the economy of the world at large. On the other hand, the story seeks to highlight how the developed countries such as USA and other European countries have been monopolising the global financial institutions such as World Bank and the IMF for their own benefit with regards to economic development. The story is clearer about how the developed countries are abusing their power to control the world economy while there are other countries with strong economies like China but have little influence over the decisions made by the developed countries at the World’s biggest financial institutions. 3 Did you read or listen first? Why? Do you think the order you chose helped you or not? How many times did you need to read & listen before you felt confident about understanding the topic and vocabulary? How do you feel about this topic, e.g. positive or negative feelings? Do you agree/disagree with the ideas?† I watched and listened to the video at least two times to gain a clear understanding of why the developed countries such as USA have more power to determine the state of the economy in the world. I think this helped me since the video explained more about the IMF’s predictions of the US economy which is a developed country. After reading th e story, I came to grasp the meaning of some economic terms that have been used and I gained confidence about their meaning after reading and listening to the story and video for at least two times. I feel positive about this topic because the developed countries are mainly concerned with economic activities that will benefit themselves at the expense of developing countries which are given less power to influence the decisions made by institutions such as World Bank and IMF. 4 Did you learn anything new from this reading & listening? What? I learnt a lot of things from listening to the video. I leant that the price of oil is the major determinant of the economic status of developed countries like USA and the world at large. If oil prices increase, there is likely to be a general increase in the prices of many commodities and job losses can be witnessed. In the story, I also leant that if developed countries continue to control the IMF and World Bank, they will suppress other develo ping countries given that the economies of emerging economies like India and China are developing more that America at the moment by they have no controlling stake in these institutions. 5 Was this topic connected in any way to your future studies and if so, how do

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Shangrila Hotel Singapore Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Shangrila Hotel Singapore - Assignment Example   Luxurious hotels were only visited by designated group of people in a given class. Shangrila Hotel has evolved into the most viable and profitable hotel in Singapore due to the presence of major changes in the hotel management. Shangrila Hotel has provided services available to people in all classes irrespective of income levels. In 2009, Shangrila Hotel acquired several hotels in Malasyia a step that made the organization increase the number of customers. In addition, the hotel management owned 80% of the hotel in Puteri Harbour, Johor a strategy that allowed Shangrila Hotel to increase its share stakes by 20% (Yeap 2013). Secondly, Shangrila Hotel had a significant change with her managerial roles. According to Tracy (2008), the hotel industry is undergoing rapid change in management through hiring technologically advanced and socially responsible managers. In an effort to cope with the global competition, Shangrila Hotel hired new managers who were proficient and competent in the hotel industry. In addition, the organization hired managers in charge of finance, marketing, and human resources in order to ensure accountability of all employees and company revenues. Customers are the source of profit for an industry, which means their environment should be well viewed at carefully to avoid certain incidences, which might be of risk to them. In the present environment, hotel customers seek humble and human places where people have respect for visitors irrespective of backgrounds. (Kotler and Armstrong 2011). The hotel has practiced a strong corporate culture and personnel that ensured visitors from all corners of the earth receive quality treatment irrespective of culture, race, or denomination. Holding a strong corporate cultural responsibility has increased Shangrila Hotel competence through contributing to the high achievement. Shangrila Hotel is ranked among the top hotels in Hong Kong for quality hospitality. Moroever, the hotel has undetaken employees training programs to educate them about corporate culture and how to maintain loyalty towards customers. Relevant changes and trends in the macroenvironment  (PESTEL Analysis) Organizations undergo significant changes and trends in the macroenvironment that assist in wining the competitive advantage. The following changes have taken place in Shangrila Hotel macroenvironment. Political The hotel has changed from the older strategies and adapted the newly acceptable methods in line with Singapore constitution. In addition, Shangrila Hotel has many tributary hotels aroung the globe and the management ensures every hotel operates accoring to the country’s political requirements. Economical Shangrila Hotel has changed its economic climate has changed into a more economic methods of operations. The company has a group of economic experts who provide the necessary information on the expected risks in the economic world. The hotle managment has resulted into a new

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Analyze and asses the economic effects of regulation on passenger vs Essay

Analyze and asses the economic effects of regulation on passenger vs. freight transportation - Essay Example This is when aspects of comparison are enforced in the market and the targeted performance by the airline companies. This paper analyzes and assesses the economic effects of regulation on passenger versus freight transportation. In the field of economics, once supply is reduced the tendency for price increase to be introduced is always very high. Regulations that inhibit airlines from taking a certain route within a timeline result in choked supply of the goods that are required. This means that there are people that want to travel and transport their goods from one area to the next. They are not able to do so because government regulations restrict them. The people and the goods have to be transported within set timelines. This results in so many people wanting to travel. In other cases, the flow of goods is hampered especially if the goods are perishable in nature. At this point, it is the mandate of the airline company to increase the air fares thus reducing the demand for the service. This means that if governments allowed airline companies to travel to regions as many times as they would want to, the demand would be evenly spread. This will also translate to cheaper airfares for anyone using the servic e (Abramowitz & Brown, 1993). In many instances, regulation has been viewed as a form of any government’s effort to reduce the number of people and goods using air transport. This is because many of them do not have the structural capacity to deal with the ever emerging need for transportation. Economically, this results in over congestion of other forms of transport and reduced revenue generation from the air companies. The aspect of coordination and relationships is greatly affected by the fact that regulations have been perceived as a form of dictatorial governance. This is a headache for very many governments and their transport systems. It is necessary to note that regulations affect economic relations between nations by stipulating the terms

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Movie Review Of Fargo Film Studies Essay

Movie Review Of Fargo Film Studies Essay Fargo, the first time that I heard that name, I could not see how the name had anything to do with the movie. At first I thought maybe it was the name of a character in the movie but after watching the movie I came to learn that it was the mane of where most of the movie was based around; Fargo North Dakota. Fargo is a 1996 movie done by the Coen Brothers. This movie is also based on a true story which, after you watch it, you feel terrible for the victims. I would say that this movie is a dark comedy. I say this because the plot and the form of the movie have this dark but comedic aspect. The Brainerd accents have a very unthreatening way to the way it is used and due to the innocence of the accents; it throws off the seriousness of the situation. A main character in the film who gives off more of a comedic aspect is the seven month pregnant chief of police from Brainerd Minnesota Marge Olmsted. I doubt the director(s) were going for a comedic aspect to the film, but with the accent s, and constant use of the word Yaa, you couldnt help but laugh occasionally. The movie Fargo is about a nerdy, mild mannered, shady Executive car salesman named Jerry Lundergard who falls heavily into unexplained debt and comes up with a seemingly genius idea to hire some criminals to kidnap his wife. The reason for the pre conceived kidnap is to retrieve a ransom for her safe return, and get the money from her father who is a wealthy businessman. In the process of Lundergard and his accomplices going forth with their plan, things start to get out of control and eventually Marge Olmsted, the Brainerd Minnesota chief of police gets involved and starts investigating three coincidental murders that occur in her city. Marges character is a likeable polite character who seems after a while to be one of the only competent people in the whole town. The main characters in this film to pay attention to were Jerry Lundergard; a seemingly unstable character, he is shown to be desperate and insecure and there was even a scene after his wife was kidnapped where he practic es his distress call to make it seem believable. Predictably, as the murder investigation broadens and starts to lead back to him, he starts to break down emotionally. Throughout the movie they never explained what exactly his debt was for. Marge Olmsted; Brainerd Chief of police; Carl plays the small time crook who is described literally as the smaller, funny looking kind of guy by all those who came in contact with him and lived. Carl is a very talkative and vulgar kind of guy but seems to have some emotion for murder. His partner on the other hand, Gaer is of European decent. Seemingly quiet but composed character although he commits most of the murders showed in the film. He is a heavy smoker and is shown until towards the end to be more like Carls back up with muscle. This movie housed a couple of big named actors of their time. Some of which I know to still be in the acting business. Carls character and Jerrys character were played by Steve Buscemi, and William H. Macy, which to me, were the only two recognizable stars in the movie. Carl is known for such movies as Reservoir Dogs, and William is known for movies like Cellular, Wild Hogs, and Thank You for Smoking. This movie does a good job in showing the gender role differences in Marges growing family. In her introduction scene where she and her husband first come into the picture, they show how the gender roles are reversed. Usually, it would be the man who is the chief of police and his wife is the stay at home parent who takes care of the backup stuff. In the Olmsted household, Marges husband Norm is the reversed gender role character. He is never shown to be at work or ever even doing any kind of work for that matter, and she is the one with the seven month pregnancy. He makes her breakfast in the morning, brings her lunch to work, and always talks about his painting but somehow their relationship seems to work. Marge is also shown to have a pretty big appetite which is totally understandable due t o the fact that she is eating for two and always makes the joke can I have a seat?, I;m carrying quite a load here. The movie as based on true events starts to get a lot darker and grittier than the expectations of a dark comedy. The ransom exchange scene where the father gets killed semi brutally is a turning point of how serious and out of control things got; He was shot numerous times unnecessarily, and even the ending scene where the European criminal is shown grinding up his partner in a wood chipper and blood is being sprayed everywhere. This movie did not rely on scenery or music to help tell the story. In fact, the scenery was mostly white and snowy because it seemed to be shot in the winter time. There was music, but the music was not done in such a way that it would give away parts of the story. The directors claim that out of respect for the dead, the film was depicted as is. Names were changed though to protect the identities of those who survived. Overall, this movie wa s beyond my expectations but still was able to hold my interests enough for me to really enjoy the movie while giving my regards to those who unfortunately lost their lives.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Matilda :: Essays Papers

Matilda Squinting her eyes and concentrating very hard, Matilda managed to tip the glass of water over onto Miss Trunchbull, this being only the beginning of what was to happen next with her new found powers. Matilda, by Roald Dahl was creative and fun. I recommend it to anyone who is in for a little youthful adventure. It tells the story of a little girl with a horrible life. Her parents have no interest in her, and the Headmistress at her school is monstrous. Matilda deals with her problems by reading and learning mathematics. She is very bright and clever for a five year old. She soon discovers that she is able to move objects with her mind alone. Matilda’s parents are Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood. Being completely involved in the â€Å"Tele,† Mrs. Wormwood pays no attention to Matilda and what she has to say about anything. Mr. Wormwood, on the other hand, does nothing for Matilda except chastise her every move. Feeling unloved, Matilda turns to reading to keep her busy. Thinking that books are stupid, Mr. Wormwood calls her stupid and foolish for wasting her time on such things. Despite the verbal abuse from her parents, Matilda continues with her interests and does what she can to get back at her father for constantly denouncing her. For instance, she replaced his hair tonic with her mother’s hair dye, causing Mr. Wormwood’s hair to be turned a platinum blonde. On her first day of school, Matilda’s teacher Miss Honey becomes very interested in her abilities, wondering where the child picked up such an ability to solve complicated mathematical equations and read such great novels for a child her age. Miss Honey is a petite woman. She is timid towards her aunt, Miss Trunchbull, but can handle the first semester kids very well. Miss Trunchbull, a large intimidating woman, is very cold at heart. She was suspected of rubbing off Miss Honey’s father, Dr. Honey, and forged a will that gave her his house and left nothing for Miss Jennifer Honey. When Matilda was told about this, she became enthralled in helping out Miss Jennifer Honey with getting her house back. One day in class, the atrocious Miss Trunchbull was yelling at everyone because there was a newt in her water. She, of course, blamed the whole milestone on Matilda, who was innocent.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Pretty Woman Essay

Pretty Woman is a romantic comedy, which is based on the stories of Cinderella, the Prince and the Pauper and My fair lady. The film was produced in 1990 and directed by Garry Marshall. It is set in the Hollywood hills and the rough Hollywood Boulevard. Richard Gere and Julia Roberts play the two main characters, Vivien Ward and Edward Lewis. Edward is a wealthy man who is respected and admired by others. Whereas Vivien is a lot poorer. Her only way of earning money is by her job as a prostitute in Hollywood Boulevard. In the film the music is very important. At the beginning it is set at a party. It is Edward’s party so it is very posh and classy. All throughout the party scenes there is piano music being played in the background. This shows that Edward and his friends are very sophisticated. The music changes though when Edward is in his car driving through the Hollywood hills down into the Hollywood Boulevard. It turns into a more upbeat song it’s lyrics include ‘I’ll get over you,’ this is a signifier because it links in with the fact that he has just broken up with his girlfriend. When the shot moves to Vivien in her bedroom the music changes again, it changes to a louder, heavier song called ‘Wild women do’ which matches Vivien’s character as a prostitute living in the rough part of the Hollywood Boulevard where she lives life wildly. Just from this you can see a contrast between Vivien and Edward straight away. The costumes that the two main characters wear are very different. At the party at the beginning of the film, Edward and all of his friends are wearing very posh expensive clothes probably made by famous designers. The people are wearing clothes that have quite a bright colour like red or blue and most of them are just wearing one colour. They are also wearing lots of expensive jewellery like gold necklaces, bracelets, rings etc. Just by looking at the people at the party you can tell straight away that they have lots of money and can afford to buy expensive clothes and jewellery for parties. When you first see Edward he is upstairs in his office away from the party. The walls in his office are just plain white with not a lot of decoration and he is wearing a plain grey suit which is quite dull and lifeless this is a signifier that he is a businessman and that he doesn’t like to wear bright colourful clothes and that he prefers to stay wearing neutral colours.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

How far had Mussolini achieved his aims in domestic policy by 1939? Essay

In order to assess how Mussolini achieved his objective in domestic policy, one must traced back to the moment when he first became the prime minister in 1922. While the timeline is important to know, the central role of World War 1 must also be considered. The aftermath of World War 1 had ravaged Italy’s political situation the most, paving the way for Mussolini to appear and create a Fascism state as Italy was desperate for a saviour to rescue her, combined with Mussolini’s opportunistic and charismatic personalities, he had a high chance in achieving his domestic policies successfully. In his first year as prime minister, Musollini hold very limited power and not to say, he was leading a coalition government which the Fascist party represented the least membership in the parliament. Coalition government can be seen as undesirable and most of the parties would want to avoid it since it was an obstacle to achieve its aim. He therefore needed to alter this unfavourable circumstance decisively and carefully to take control of the parliament as a means to establish a totalitarian state which was the core in his domestic policy. In the totalitarian ideology basis, the supremacy over the individual rights of its citizens shouldn’t be questioned as the popular Fascism slogan stated, â€Å"Everything within the State, nothing against the State, nothing outside the State.†. This means liberalism was seen as the national enemy. In his domestic view, Mussolini saw that by having a liberal mind, people would soon voiced out their opinions and soon, his dictatorship would be in the stage of shattering. Moreover, this point serves as the basic foundation in the early years of totalitarianism in Italy as he needed to constraint the citizens’ mind before enforcing his totalitarianism rule. Mussolini also rekindled his relationship with the Roman Catholic Church as religion plays a significant role in the Italians’ daily life and also the world as the Vatican was the nucleus of the Christian world. Hence, he won major supports from the citizens and was able to prevent revolution for the time being. This successful domestic policy of his preceded his fascism dream state. In addition, we must consider the fact that the establishment Acerbo Law of 1923 by Mussolini provides as a tool to make way for the Fascist to control the parliament. Appropriately, Mussolini hold an election in 1924 to make his government more legal and also to ensure Fascist Party control in the parliament. Two thirds of the seats in parliament will be given to the party who won in the election and consequently, there was a sense of unfairness and discrimination in this case. The opposition party had every reason to be concerned as this will made the administration even more corrupted than before and illegitimate, however, Mussolini cleverly manipulated the whole situation for his own good. Mateotti crisis was a clear illustration of it that he managed to kill two birds in one stone. Besides crushing his main political opponent, he also used this incident to send as a warning to the other opposition parties if they went against the Fascist. This may explained why Aventine Secession soon followed. Even though Mussolini kept saying that he was not involved in the crime, most of the historians agreed that he actually was part of it. Since he wanted to create a fascism state, mostly his domestic policy may derived from his wish. Historians may see his domestic policy as harsh and unjust but it is effective in ceasing absolute power in the Italy’s parliament. Another significant piece of evidence to show how far did Mussolini achieved his domestic policy is the fact that Mussolini had intruded into the Italians’ daily life considerably. The press censorship stands as one of the key principle of totalitarian ideology and so, the Fascist implemented the complete monopoly of all means of communications. Again, this is to ensure the citizens won’t have the freedom of speech and have the chance to exercise their liberal mind. If the press media were to air, the materials must be related about the glory of Fascism. Not to say, Mussolini’s cult of personality was promoted even further as children in schools were taught to think that â€Å"Mussolini is always right† and his pictures were everywhere in Italy. People were also instructed to stand and salute at the mere moment of hearing Mussolini’s name. Ethically, Mussolini had changed people’s usual life especially the younger generation because their minds are easy to be brainwashed and they also held a massive influence in the Italy’s society that can shape Italy in the future. That is exactly what Mussolini was thinking about by implementing his unethical domestic policy. In some circumstances, it can be said as a success but only for a short period of time as Mussolini was overthrown in 1943. Thereby his domestic policy is successful, only to a certain extent in which he was able to manipulate the Italians’ life. In conclusion, to a large extent, Mussolini was successful in carrying out his domestic policy and he had carved his name as one of the most formidable politicians in Italy’s history. While Italy’s messy condition enables Mussolini to execute his domestic policy smoothly, his military background should also be considered. As he was a veteran of World War I, he knew how to appeal to the people as they just survived from the great war, strengthening their nationalism even more. Thereby, it is because of his pragmatic and manipulative approach as well as his personal life experience that enabled Mussolini to achieve his domestic policy successfully.