Characterization in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Characterization is a physical description of a character, the way the character acts and the personality traits of the character. Bailey Johnson Jr. is the older brother of Marguerite Ann Johnson, the protagonist of the novel, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. In order for Maya to become independent, she needs to separate from Bailey. Their original relationship was holding her back. Bailey is described in the book as a bright, clever and light-spirited person. Maya needs to separate from Bailey because she relies on him to fight her battles. He is also a â€Å"God-like† figure to her, which is an unhealthy obsession. Bailey also keeps Maya from believing in herself because Maya puts too much faith in him. Bailey influences Maya both positively and negatively throughout the novel, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Bailey influences Maya negatively because she depends on him to defend herself in her battles. Maya says in the book that, â€Å"Bailey was the greatest person in my life. † Bailey is really the only person for Maya in her life and she looks up to him. He is basically the big brother of Maya’s dreams. Bailey gives Maya that confidence and couragement such as getting back at Maya’s family members and friends who tease her about her imperfections. In the text, Maya describes one of his actions when she explains, â€Å"When our elders said unkind things about my features, Bailey would wink at me from across the room, and I knew that it was a matter of time before he would take revenge. † This is one of the key examples of Maya relying on Bailey too much and giving him that faith instead of herself. Since Maya is relying on her older brother to defend her, she could never become a stronger person individually. Maya is not capable of becoming more independent because she is ignorant of her own reliance on Bailey. Bailey is described in the book by Maya as a savior in her eyes, which is an unhealthy obsession for Maya. She believes that he is a â€Å"God-like† figure in her eyes. This is unhealthy for Maya because she puts too much faith into Bailey and not in herself. Maya describes Bailey as a savior when she explains that, â€Å"It made me want to live a Christian life just to show God I was grateful†, meaning that she wants to show God that she was thankful for a brother like Bailey. Not only does Bailey influence Maya to be herself and not to worry about the thoughts of others, but he also influences her to be a religious person and walk the path of rightousness. This is one of the reasons why Maya wants to become a person like Bailey because he gets into trouble and misbehaves but yet he prays aloud in church. In the text, Angelou describes that, â€Å"Bailey could count on very few punishments for his consistently outragous misbehavior†¦. He could even pray aloud in church and was apt at stealing pickles. This quote also explains how Maya seeks to become more like Bailey. She wishes to be more like Bailey because he is a pure soul to her and she is desperate for that purity in her life. As Bailey and Maya both begin to grow up and mature in their own ways, Maya begins to become independent. One of the key challenges that Maya has faced that has made her independent was with Daddy Bailey. Daddy Bailey became very drunk one night while they were in Mexico and Maya had no choice but to drive, even though this was her first time driving, both of them back home. This was the first time that Maya was actually in control without the help of Bailey. This is important towards Maya because she begins to slowly separate from Bailey. This is important towards Maya because she begins to realize that she doesn’t need Bailey as help to her. She begins to realize that she doesn’t need her big brother as a crutch anymore. In order for Maya to become independent, she needs to separate from Bailey. Their original relationship was holding her back. By the end of the book, Maya still looks up to Bailey for advice on her pregnancy and Bailey still has that influence on Maya. As Bailey continues to grow up, he becomes wiser about his life and the choices he makes in them. He continues to be the big brother she has always loved. The evolution of Bailey is important because it shows the contrast of independence and maturity between himself and Maya. The change in characterization of Bailey throughout the book influences Maya because when Maya and Bailey grow apart, Maya becomes more independent.

Justive vs. Injustice in Mad Shadows Essay

1.1 â€Å"Her mother Louise, who was rich and owned many farms, gave her daughter all the most menial chores in order to devote her life and her remaining youth to Patrice† (Blais 16) Shuns daughter because of her ugly appearance 1.2 â€Å"Exasperated, she swallowed her fury, her heart crying out for justice. But rebellion gave her strength and her hands grew sharp as knives.† (Blais 19) Used to injustice, sharp hands – cut bread – religious imagery. 1.2 â€Å"Crushed and humiliated for so long, Isabelle-Marie experienced pleasure as a kind of delirium, an emotion which consumed both flesh and blood: love of the earth, love in the face of ingratitude.† (Blais 19) Lack of justice Returns to reality from the day Denied of self-realization or any sense of true rebirth 1.2 † ‘I have decided to take a trip. I would like to discuss the latest farm equipment with some friends. You see, with fewer workers and more†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Isabelle-Marie listened, frigid and unresponsive.† (Blais 22) I-M getting kicked out of the place she belongs, the farms, by the equipment bought by Louise 1.3 â€Å"At other times, in delirium, he would go out and run around the garden like a madman. He held out his arms and raced towards the lake, where he plunged his feverish face and his whole famished body into the water.† (Blais 25) Water: forgiveness, comfort – narcissism Lives off the land 1.5 â€Å"He felt a strange contempt, half-masculine, half-childish, and his dilated nostrils made his mask of pride into a mask of rebellion.† (Blais 37) Hate for Lanz, wants to rebel, injustice against him 2.1 â€Å"Louise’s hand clutched the frail shoulder. Her nails pierced the skin. All her contempt for her daughter spurted like pus from her fingernails.† (Blais 59) Louise hurts her daughter to know what happened to Patrice 2.8 â€Å"Before her stood Patrice, always Patrice, the one who was admired, understood, the Idiot! The uglier she felt, the more crushed and humiliated, the more she thought about destroying her brother’s unjust beauty.† (Blais 84) Jealous of Patrice’s beauty and how that helps him in his life Foreshadows revenge 4.2 â€Å"Frightened by this new tone of voice, the child kneeled in front of Louise.† (Blais 104) Not her fault, yet is chastised for it 4.2 â€Å"Mother, ever since I was a child you adored Patrice because he was beautiful and hated me, the ugly one. †¦ Did you think I had no feelings just because I was ugly?†

Analysis of the theory of recruitment practices in SMEs

Analysis of the theory of recruitment practices in SMEs The focus of this essay is to use observations from an ethnography study conducted in a small Chinese restaurant in the city of Bradford in carrying out an analysis of the theory of recruitment practices in small and medium – sized enterprises (SME’s). It will begin with a brief description of the study and the organization involved with details of all that was observed during the period of the period of the study. The results will thereafter be linked with theories relating to recruitment practices in SME’s drawing from a wide range of academic literature and a conclusion will be drawn based on what has been found and the overall implication with regard to knowledge in the field. It was a cold Thursday afternoon at the end of a seemingly endless array of lectures and tutorials. I decided to visit a Chinese restaurant in the Bradford city center for a taste of oriental cuisine and particularly make some observation on how small businesses operate in this environ ment. On arrival at the restaurant, a relatively cozy setting existed which created a sense of warmth and relaxation; exactly what I needed. I was greeted warmly by a female waitress who appeared to be Chinese although I’m aware she could be from anywhere in that region. There were quite a number of customers in the restaurant at that moment mostly busy with one meal or the other. Being a buffet, there was a lot of moving around with people getting up to take their meals from the service sections. I took a sit in a nice corner, place the order for my drinks and decided to look around for a while before my meal. The aesthetics of the restaurant was quite impressive with the walls painted in a combination of orange and brown, the lighting just right for the atmosphere, tables of various sizes depending on the number of guests and the right amount of decorations on the walls. How can I forget the soft music playing in the background? Even though I couldn’t understand a wo rd of what was being sung as it was in Chinese, the melody was just right. The nationalities of the guests appeared to be all encompassing. There were six middle-aged Caucasian males, two elderly females with a toddler, tow male Asians, a black female couple and three other young black female guests already seated in the restaurant. Three female Chinese waitresses were on hand to attend to guest needs and there was a male waiter at the bar who was in charge of the drinks. The kitchen staff that came out every now and again to replenish the stock of food was also of Chinese origin. This set me wondering on what criteria was required for employment in this restaurant. During the period of my observation, more guests came into the restaurant which comprised of two young female Caucasians, two adult female Pakistanis, one male Pakistani and a group of twelve made up of eleven males and one female all appearing to be from the same workplace as they were all dressed as having come for a f ormal lunch or to celebrate a successful business deal.

Google and Microsoft Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Google and Microsoft - Essay Example A number of internet-based products and services have been initiated and developed by Google and it earns most of its profits from advertising through its program known as AdWords. Microsoft: This renowned name in computing is again an American multinational corporation which specializes in initiating, developing, manufacturing, licensing and also supporting an unending range of products and services pertaining mainly to computing through its various product divisions. Leading products and/or services Google: AdWords for advertising based auctions at real-time basis, AdSense program senses and enables web sites to deliver customers’ ads from AdWords, Gmail, Orkut, Google Display, DoubleClick Ad Exchange used as a real-time auction market place for trading of display space for ads and Youtube which provides video and other interactive mediums for advertisers. Microsoft: Windows and Windows Live Division Segment which offers mainly PC operating systems including Windows 7 and Wi ndows Vista, Microsoft’s Server and Tools segment proffers mainly windows server operating system and product support services, Online Services Division Segment provides online information and content using Bing, MSN Portals, and others, Microsoft Business Division Segment offers Microsoft Office and other related products and Entertainment and Devices Division serves Xbox 360 entertainment platform including a whole lot of entertainment resources. Management/Leadership Style Google: This Company has a normal hierarchical structure and organized in the form of ‘bottoms up’ from the angle of creativity of product and ‘tops down’ from going on with the financials, the quarter and other aspects. Disagreements are encouraged along with large group conversation and in discussions, both sides of the mark are motivated and expected as well. Decision making does not involve hierarchy. Microsoft: The management style here is quite culture oriented, creating a nd nurturing the correct culture and relax and feel at home are two of the practices at Microsoft Corporation. Developing a clear vision, pegging to it and working hard on it is essential. Hiring of action-oriented employees is being practiced and protecting the corporate image along with ruthlessly controlling budgets form some aspects of the company’s management style. Innovation Track Record As Microsoft is quite older a company than Google, its innovation has elevated by leaps and bounds throughout its operations. But Google has proved its development and performance in a smaller time frame. Google has a policy for employees to spend 80% of their time on core projects and operations and the rest, 20% or one day a week on activities pertaining to innovation that induce their personal interests and passions. Google has created various creative internet search softwares and the Google search engine is the leader in search engines and is better than Microsoft’s Bing. I ts products such as AdSense and AdWords have shunned everyone especially in the advertising sector all over the globe; Gmail is now used and favored by a considerable lot of people. This shows that Google has focused more on the consumer side which needs more innovation for satisfaction. Microsoft has worked mainly on sophisticated softwares related mainly to

Emotional Letdown Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Emotional Letdown - Essay Example Dunn (n.d) points out that, there is a middle space that acts like an equilibrium in such a way that, when the emotions are high, then there will be a time they will be pulled down to settle into this space. In other words, the feeling of emotional letdown results from the process of trying to settle to the original situation. In some situations, the problem arises from lack of an alternative goal to pursue or lack of proper fall back plan leading to a worrying kind of situation. For instance, several days after celebrating the attainment of the degree, the graduate starts to feel the challenge of adjusting to the new environment and may start worrying about how to secure employment. The emotional letdown may sometimes result to serious problems like depression if not checked and corrected within a reasonable time. Some symptoms of emotional letdown are a feeling of anxiety or frequent feeling of fear or panic, sometimes for no apparent reason. In some cases, a person may feel hopeless, withdrawn and uninterested in anything, or may even have sleeplessness and lack of appetite; these lead to depression. Moreover, a person may experience frequent flashbacks on events that happened during high times leading to stress and sometimes, the person may engage in alcohol and drugs abuse. When these symptoms persist, then professional attention becomes the only way out. The first step towards moving out of emotional letdown is accepting the situation, and then engaging in a different activity like exercising/fitness even if it seems a tall order, in order to eliminate the negative emotions from the mind (Dunn n.d). Doing a new thing like reading motivational books, enrolling in community activities, joining a college, starting an intellectual project at home, and sporting are important in transforming the negative emotion. In some situations, one should establish a new goal and focus his/her efforts on

Students perceptions of women in advertising commercials Coursework

Students perceptions of women in advertising commercials - Coursework Example This essay "Students’ perceptions of women in advertising commercials" describes how women portrayed in advertisement and the impact of the usage of women in ads on consumers' behavior. According to Wolin, gender appears to be an important factor when planning a communication strategy yet this study reveals that race is also an important consideration. This study can inform design managers working to develop effective communication strategies. It is difficult to conceive of a person alive today who has never seen or heard an advertisement, even for those who don’t commonly watch TV or listen to the radio. However, according to Television Statistics, an average person living in the modern world watches television one to four hours per day. During these hours of watching television, there is a great probability that this person will see at least one advertisement. But the way in which the viewer will react to this advertisement can vary widely. While probabilities can be determined regarding what percentage of viewers will react positively versus those who will react negatively or indifferently, getting more specific than this is very difficult and depends to a great deal on what images and ideas are included in the advertisement itself. The use of women in advertising is one of the most controversial issues in contemporary marketing. Cortese claims that the way in which women are used in advertising exposes the ideological beliefs in dominance and control that remain a strong feature of contemporary commerce despite feminist efforts. According to Mayne (2002), women are frequently shown in television advertisements to market cosmetics, personal hygiene products or products for cleaning the home. This reinforces the message that women's priorities should be centred on improving their looks or caring for the interior of the home. Culture is one of the more significant aspects of society that can determine the potential reaction of the viewer to a given message. Although there are many different types of cultures living together in one country, people with similar backgrounds, ethnicities or belief systems tend to share similar values (Gupta, et al, 2007). But what is culture' According to Hofstede "culture is the collective

Journal 8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Journal 8 - Essay Example The medium in which Rehnquist used is oil on aluminum, providing it a different texture. Additionally, F-111 fully wraps around four different walls, taking up a lot of space and the area is completely filled with a variety of images. B: The painting itself is appears to be a grouping of icons from the time period, most especially easily determined by the girl under the 60s style hair dryer. Additionally, the scale on which it was painted is enormous, filling up an entire space. The image of the airplane passes through many other objects that do not seem to relate to it at all in terms of context but include the girl, what appears to be an advertisement for spaghetti and then an explosive cloud. This piece of art is contemporary and ahead of its time but could possibly reflect the issues during that time such as the war in Vietnam and shows that while there was a war going on, there are other pieces of American nostalgia also

Portfolio management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Portfolio management - Assignment Example The company is reconstructing till now. It transacts majorly in chemical products. It makes chemicals majorly for all forms of industrial use. It has excellence in all of the F-Score criteria but faults on the asset turnover, which measures productivity. Seemingly, the company is gradually turning more unproductive (Anari & Kolari 2010, p.201). From the recommendations of Piotroski, the two scoring the bottom 20% of the market in the aspect of price to book value and then working from there. The model shows that suppose the expected winners were bought and expected losers shorted, the Piotroski score could be 23% in returns yearly, in a span of 20 years. According to (Brennan & Murphy 2013, p.56), the F-score screening criteria with a low P/B value would have returned 3.4%. In the previous five years, this return would yield 33.9%. The ten-year yield would be 26.7%.â€Æ' It has come to my concern that the results of the expected general election in the UK are very uncertain, and could lead to a period of extreme economic uncertainty for UK investors. An unexpected clear mandate for a strong government could lead to a resurgence in markets; whereas if no party can form a government there could be a prolonged period of instability for markets and interest rates. Our UK client discretionary portfolios have been admired by many lately for bringing remarkable income levels. It is, however, unknown if they will stay strong after the forthcoming elections. I recommend that you consider searching for other income sources widely. I urge you to consider diversification of our UK client discretionary portfolios (Vinod & Reagle 2005, p.48). The risk premiums all over the world are now becoming more expensive. There may be more volatility in the equity and bond markets. You should encourage people to diversify the risks they are running within their portfolios. I suggest that you focus more on delivering an optimal yield level instead of

Reflective Learning and the Reflective Practitioner Essay

Reflective Learning and the Reflective Practitioner - Essay Example My reception at the company was quite good and promising because the company expected a lot from me since I had come from one of the most developed countries; guaranteeing me the opportunity to must have come with more ideas than had been. Due to my most expected exposure, I was taken to the core section of management (operation management) to initiate and help implement strategies that would increase the amount of returns earned from the company’s products. The first challenge, and the most crucial one, was based on the mode of communication. In Kenya English is the official language, while Kiswahili is the national language. Therefore, most people largely used and were fluent in Kiswahili than they were in English. On the contrary, I could only speak English, and a little bit of the French. Other limiting factors were to do with the social and environmental challenges. In the first instances, these factors inhibited my performance to a level that I equally thought that the environment was not fit for me; reason being that it had affected my ability to showcase the benefits to the company. From this, I came to learn that excellent performance in academics does not guarantee a successful performance in the real life situations. As a solution, I had to attend classes on Kiswahili language, socialize and interact more with the local for social acceptance, and change my lifestyle for the purpose of environmental adaptation and

Procurement in Construction Essay Example for Free

Procurement in Construction Essay A basic definition for the procurement is â€Å"the way the building is realised† and â€Å"involves assembling and organising the skills and services of a team of construction professionals†. (the Construction Round Table, 1995). More precisely, the construction industry describes procurement as â€Å"a system that establishes the roles and relationships which make up a project organisation†; hence the overall organisation and communication structure for the management, administration and control of a project is established by the procurement system. (D.C.H Coles, 2010) * Procurement Systems essentiality: Choosing the most suitable procurement method for the specified construction project is a long term hard decision; it is a crucial task â€Å"it is one of the most crucial decisions on any building project† (Gillespie, 1994). Choosing the appropriate procurement system is the determinate for a successful project (Building Procurement, 2006) this statement is supported by the investigation done on 25 National Audit Office (NAO) reports, were it was concluded that choosing the wrong procurement method is a major risk source (covering 29% of the risk source percentage) for public sector project failure. Furthermore, an American study concluded the total project cost can decrease about 5% by choosing the correct procurement methodology. â€Å"Failure to choose the appropriate procurement approach is recognised as the primary one source for project failure (Building Procurement, 2006) * Role of the Project Manager â€Å"The presence within the client company of a Senior Executive willing and able to act as a single point of contact throughout the building process, gives the client a distinct advantage† (Construction Round Table, 1995) Within the last fifteen years, the role of the Project Manager has developed in the construction industry, what is mentioned above proves that having someone to manage and supervise the project is the key for a successful project. The client can appoint a project manager from his company â€Å"in-house† or an external consultant appointment. Overview for the Project Manager’s duties: A project manager can be appointed by the client (especially if it was an inexperienced client in the construction industry where the majority of clients in the UK fall into this category), in order to help him build up his business needs case for the project development, find alternatives and options that are more suitable in order to achieve his business needs, work out the investment appraisals and risk assessments, choose the most suitable procurement method for the project, select the project team, establish and supervise the performance. An important task the project manager must perform before adopting the procurement method is to approach the client, and understand specifically what does he requires and what the outcomes from the new construction building are, more specifically the objectives and the products of the building. After performing this action the project manager will look at all the alternatives if there are any. Comparing the past with nowadays, when the architect and the engineer had the major role in the project during the past, if the client requests a new building to be constructed they will support his case while the project manager will look at all the alternatives that might be better for the client and his business, the alternatives might include: * Building an extension to the client’s existing building or carrying out alterations and refurbishments to it. * Moving the building to a position that might be more suitable to the business of the company. After understanding the needs of the client and finding all the alternatives, it is the project manager’s task then to choose the most appropriate procurement method for the project. As mentioned earlier, choosing the most suitable procurement method for the project is one of the most crucial decisions on any building proje ct. The Construction Round Table (1995) covers a list of priorities that the project manager must take into account referring to the client’s objectives in order to choose the most appropriate procurement system, these include: * Timing For most of the clients, timing is a crucial factor that must be taken into major consideration, especially for clients with a required known completion date. For example, supermarkets such as Tesco, the cost might not be their major concern but time is since the earlier they open the supermarket the earlier they can make profit. Timing might not be an important issue for Public Schools since there will be a predicted birth rate. * Price certainty The price of the project generally includes the total constructional cost (design fees, construction contracts, financing costs and client management costs); it may also include the land costs, sales costs and the associated agency costs together with developer’s margin. Nowadays, with the global credit crunch existing, most of the clients and companies are critically focusing on cost, they simply cannot go over budget, and hence cost plays a major role when deciding the procurement method. * Quality/Performance level Quality must be appropriate to what the client request; it is a variable issue, for example the quality for constructing a five stars hotel in central London is different than the quality from building a seven stars hotel in Dubai, most importantly the quality of the design and materials should be appropriate to the standard and functional use of the building. For shops such as Next or Marks and Spenser, the layouts change every now and then, hence the project manager must make ensure that the layout won’t be designed for more than a considerable period since it will be a waste of money. A basic definition for performance is how the building is going to be used (how the goods flow). * Complexity Within the early life of the project, it should be clear whether the project is a complex one or not. Complexity won’t affect simple projects whereas if the project is technically complex (advanced design and high serviced construction requirement), then this will affect the project could be procured in another way. An example for complexity is the British Library; the temperature for every floor was required not to be more than a half degree different. * Competition Suitable competition methods must be includes in the chosen procurement method for Public projects (publicly funded 50% or more) in order to satisfy the EU Procurement Directives 2004/17/EC and 2004/18/EC and the U.K.s Public Contract Regulation 2006. * Controllable variation This mean making decisions as late as possible in the construction process. Some projects won’t have sufficient detail to enable the contractor to prepare a tender, such as high complex projects, hence a procurement method that allows change in a controlled manner must be chosen. An example on controllable variation is Heathrow Terminal five, the client did not make decisions about a number of issues within the terminal design, such as baggage claims, check in online system. Hence what is ideal for the project manager is to have a procurement system (one or more) that can make decisions as late as possible. * The division of the management responsibilities An important procurement assessment criterion involves the clients choice whether he wants to manage separate consultants and contractors or to manage one company (single point responsibility). Furthermore, the project manager must make sure about the client’s objectives for the fact whether he wants to be in charge or not and if so how much does he want to be included. A good idea for the project is to produce a project management handbook for all the parties involved in the project. For the contracts case, recently the ICE7 contract has been withdrawn from the construction industry and so the projects now have to follow the NEC3 contract. * The extent of the professional responsibility/accountability required For the case of accountability, copies of all the variation, money and extension of time must be provided in order to be accounted, this is very important for local authorities and government departments. * Risk avoidance Assigning and managing the risk has an important effect of the procurement assessment criteria. With the aid of a risk register, the project risks can be carried out in three stages: * Name the risks linked with the client’s objectives and priorities. * Sort out the number of times the risks might occur and their impact on the project. * Choose the best party involved to sort out the risk. The client has a major role in this issue, more specifically if the client does not wish to deal with any of the risks that might occur, then the project manager might choose the Design and Build method since it is the ideal procurement method, since the contractor will carry most of risks existing, but the cost of his tenders will increase since he is carrying most of the risks. If the client does not wish to pay more for the contractors tender for carrying out the risks on site and does not mind carrying most of the risks, then the project manager would go for the Management procurement method which might be the ideal solution for the issue. The next step for the project manager is to relate the client’s objectives and priorities with the primary issues by using Diagram1 (shown on page6), this way the choices of the procurement methods suitable for the project will be narrowed down. Diagram 1 shows the relationship between the client’s objectives and the priorities and the various procurement methods. (Source: Construction Round Table, 1995) The project manager can review the reports of similar successful projects from organisations such as Constructing Excellences in order to guide him for the present project. Generally, the focus of the clients is upon time, cost and quality. Most of the clients request their buildings to be constructed in high quality level, in a small period of time and in a low price. This is very unlikely to happen (does not exist) and if the client did not have a priority of criteria even with the aid of the project manager, disappointment and project failure will exist (Building Procurement, 2006). The project manager must understand exactly the client’s objectives and his criteria, in order to relate it to the ideal procurement method. All of the procurement methods provide satisfactory levels of performance in time, cost and quality but each method have different levels of risks and control on the client (as previously mentioned). Diagram 2 below, shows the three common favourable priorities for the clients and which procurement method is best to follow.

Models of Reflective Practice for Education

Models of Reflective Practice for Education Reflective practice has particularly grown and expanded its field in different professional disciplines and contexts; each with their own differences and nuances (Thompson and Thompson, 2008). It is widely agreed that the intention of reflective practice is performance improvement, manifested through analyzing on strengths and the development of competence. However, Anderson (1996) highlights the fact that reflection in professional practice returns not what it is but what might be an improvement on the original. This essay examines the understanding of the reflective practice by using theories and models of reflective practitioners. The reflective examples and experiences is illustrated as a learning unit and an assessment tool including the approaches taken to integrate the reflective example as part of the work integrated learning experience. 2) MODELS OF REFLECTIVE PRACTICE There is a clear understanding of what reflective practice that identifies the attributes of a reflective practitioner (Thorpe, 2004). The three main models are highlighted below: 3.1) Jenny Moon (1999) Model of Reflection: Moon (1999) defines a common sense reflection as a form of mental processing with a purpose and/or anticipated outcome that is applied to relatively complex or unstructured ideas for which there is not an obvious solution. Moon (1995, 1999) explains further by outlining the fact that differing views of reflection arises from outcomes of learning and material for further reflection and action. It is widely agreed that the intention of reflective practice is the surface learning that define characteristics which does not involve reflection but points out the condition for reflection (Moon, 2001). Moon (1999) takes a slightly different approach identifying five stages in learning called map of learning (Figure 2). To see that that learning has occurred, it is important to NOTICE. It can be successful by getting to know the material as coherent MAKING SENSE and the meaningness to develop a holistic view MAKING MEANING which can be done by creating relationships of new material with other ideas WORKING WITH MEANING. To ensure that the new learning has been transformed, it is necessary to TRANSFORM LEARNING. 3.2) Gibbs (1988) Model of Reflection John (2004) mentions that Gibbs (1988) in his model clarifies that reflective pratice deals with practitioners to reflect on their normal way to thinking and responding within the given situation towards gaining insights into self and practice. Reflection alone is not sufficient but taking action is the solution. Therefore, one needs to put their learning, knowledge and new understanding into practice; allowing the reflective process to inform the practice (Jasper, 2003). The work of Gibbs (1988, 1998) allows the reflective practitioner to analyze and evaluate the practice and make necessary improvements into their practice. Gibbs (1988) introduces experimential reflective cycle (Fig 3) comprising of six elements of reflection which shows a clear DESCRIPTION of the situation, analysis of the FEELINGS, EVALUATIONof the experience, ANALYSIS to make sense of the experience, CONCLUSION and reflection upon experience to examine what you would do if the situation occurred again ACTION PLAN (Fig 4). 3.3) Kolb (1984) Model of Reflection Kolb (1984) identified and developed a theory of experiential learning that gives a constructive way to develop our practice. This process is called The Kolb Cycle or The Experiential Learning Cycle. Clark (2008) reports that the cycle consists of four different stages of learning from experience that can be penetrated at any stage. All four stages must be followed in sequence for successful learning to take place. The Learning Cycle recommends that it is not only sufficient to have a concrete experience DO in order to learn but also necessary to reflect on the experience OBSERVE to generalise and formulate concepts THINK that can be implemented to new situations. Hence, it makes it necessary for the learner to link between the theory and action by planning PLAN, representing back to the theory (Fig 5). 3) REFLECTIVE EXAMPLES In this first part of the section is the reflection on the situation by using Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle which is a recognized framework for my reflection. 4.1) PART 1 (THE ACCIDENT) During my summer holidays last year , my family and myself were at my brothers apartment enjoying ourselves and having a good time. My brother received a call from Bangalore, India, where his son, Saurav, studied. He disclosed that his son had met with a critical accident. I was shocked and difficult for me to gather my thoughts and comprehend the situation around me. I had never been in a situation where someone close to me was fighting for his life. Never being in a situation like this before I felt the need to follow someone or do something to keep myself occupied. I followed Pratima (sister-in-law) to the kitchen to make a tea for everyone present at the apartment. While in the kitchen I encountered awkward silence between us, feeling pressure of this silence, I intended to break the ice by approaching her to offer my support. Upon approaching her I noticed that she had a worried look on her face. She looked into my eyes and bursted out into tears. This outbreak of her emotions left me feeling even more awkward and I lost all sense of what to do or say. Hearing the sobs of Pratima, my mother came rushing into the kitchen and took control of her. I felt quite sad because of my nephews accident and my own stupidity of not being able to handle my state of mind in an intense pressure situation. Upon analysing this situation I should have known Pratima was feeling tensed and anxious. I should have prepared myself to give Pratima a bit more time alone, as well as I should have had someone with more experience to take control of the situation. But next time my action plan should be to control some of my anxiety and help them reduce their anxiety by showing a bit more empathy to someone who is feeling very emotional. 4.2) PART 2 (PRESENTATION) The second part is the reflection on the situation by using Moon (1999) model of reflection. _______________________________________________________________________ Prior to the beginning of my second academic year at the University I motivated myself to go and travel around England and India. Because of the nature of my travel I reached University ten days late. My inability to reach University on time took away some form of focus away from my action plan of being focused from the beginning. I did not feel like I was in the right frame of mind to undertake my studies seriously. The first assignment was a presentation and a report writing for the first term in Business Strategic Analysis on Stakeholders and Shareholders interrelation. As I was lagging behind I spoke to Mr. Craig, my module leader, about my inability to focus upon the task. Mr. Craig encouraged me and spoke to me about the situation, this pep talk made me feel a lot better. I have difficulty in doing presentations as I cannot seem to organize my ideas and thoughts in words. Most of the tutors have explained and demonstrated to us in the class as to how to present, but for some reason I get butterflies in my stomach , loose confidence and forget what I actually intend to speak when confronted by a large group. I practiced a lot and took help from youtube because the web-site has wonderful examples of tackling with Public Speaking issues. My group helped me to structure my notes and alloted me my part for the presentation. I thought I could speak on the spot by revising a little bit on it. On the final day, my performance was satisfactory but I managed to convey what I intended to. Our group got a B- in it but it was quite worth the experience. The audience understood what I spoke but I do not think I would do anything different next time as now I have the ability and confidence to enable myself to tailor my presentaion and deliver satisfactory results. 4.3) PART 3 (BASKETBALL SKILLS) The third part is the reflection on the situation by using Kolb (1984) model of reflection. _________________________________________________________________________ During my second year, I decided to get myself involved with Sports, so I joined the Universitys Women Basketball Team. Before I got selected, I had to go through a selection session in the Sports Hall, where we were asked to form a team and play and friendly match. Though it was my first time experiencing it, I was not nervous at all because I had been playing basketball since childhood. The game started with a whistle blow. That game was 45 minutes long and it was the worst game I had ever played. According to my observation, I did not perform up to my expectation. There were a lot of violation of rules during the game like fouls, travelling, double dribble, pushing, pulling and out of bounds. There was no team evidence during the match, only individual players playing to prove a point. At the end of the selection, I got selected to my own suprise as I believed I did not play to my maximum potential. One main talent that is required in the game is shooting skills. As basketball can only be won by points, if you cannot shoot, you cannot win. I attempted to shoot 50 times but scored only 12 points. This showed my weakness in shooting skills. I had a word with the coach and the vice coach of the team about improving my shooting skills who provided me insights concerning scoring techniques. The coach demonstrated to me the underlying techniques to shoot properly. It gave me a brief idea as to how to shoot which heped be boost my confidence. I plan to practice and improve my technique using insights from the coach as well as experience from the first match and plan accordingly for the upcoming match. 3) APPROACH TO REFLECTIVE PRACTICE According to my observation and experiences, I noted that reflective practice module has improved my skills of reflection to my practice with the important intention of improving my professional practice. The assessment associated alloted during seminars and workshop has assisted me to prioritize, evaluate and understand the work I already know and have done. Experiencing the critique of a competence based approach while applying for placement jobs, I specifically measured and identified explicit learning outcomes and competencies. Although the company applied in rejected me, my confidence and my advance understanding made more sense when looking back at where I have been, what I did where different patterns begin to emerge. In a session with my module tutors to discuss the feedback from my first term was satisfactory. Reflecting upon my overall performance in my work, I noticed that I require to develop my learning in my next upcoming assignment. Working with more confidence, having a set target and a new direction to work, may help me understand the profound knowledge that underlies. The learning gained enabled me to apply the skills of reflection to the CPD cycle (planning, action, evaluating and reflection) where planning to meet its requirement can improve and enhance other situations like my upcoming work in order to improve practice. In response to the learnings undertaken I sense a need to change or modify my practice like effective time management, recognize my current level of performance, more feedback and support and monitor and review progress. Monitoring the process of working on my academic development plan via reflective practice has brought a vast difference in my study methods. When I look back at my performance during the past few years and assess my learning and development I have gained this year, I reflect situations where I found difficulties in completing my assignments, poor time management, preconception that it is difficult and honesty with self. Furthermore, Personal SWOT Analysis is worth commencing from the scratch in order to know your strengths, weaknesses, opprtunities and threats so that you can act accordingly to improve the outcome of your performance. 4) BECOMING A REFLECTIVE PRACTITIONER The standards required to meet the effectiveness of the practitioner are to evaluate the current and future requirements of the role, take account of the value and objectives of the organization (Race, 2002; Argyris and Schon, 1974), identify the areas of strength, and monitor the outcome of the work which can be enhanced upon. When I perform tasks,I need to reflect on it and think about WHAT happened, WHY it happened and HOW it happened which would make more sense to the understanding of the subject. It can be said that more explicit understanding and knowledge must be used in the practice. Schon (1987) argues that a practitioners reflection can serve as a remedial to overlearning. Through reflection, I have understood that I could improvise on my the past repetitive experiences, and can add up to the situations which I may confront. Our University provides us a booklet which gives us precise directions about what to include and how to present. As I do not devise my own records and presentation, it seems like an effort to record it would not do any harm and reflect the learning gained from the outcome later on. The development overtime would reflect and can enhance upon it. Many students like myself are expected to take responsibilties for our own perfromance, drawing conclusions on the work on and how can it be improved. To make my reflection more effective, I think developing confidence in my own evaluation and judgement on my work will be more profitable rather than depending on the evaluations provided by tutorswhich results in developing critical and analytical thinking in future. Understanding and using feedback appropriately is a vital achievement to improve practice. For instance, considering the difference between my own evaluation and the tutors feedback assists in better reflection of work which is improvement in performance measurement. 7) CONCLUSION This study shows that reflective practice is a process of analyzing a given scenario and it can be improvised by decision making, based on the strengths and weaknesses that were observed from the evaluation. The introduction of the essay as a tool for reflection, coupled with the development of learning activities and resources should significantly develop skills in reflection in any field unit (Honey, 2000). The recognition that reflective practice has suggested is reinforced than seen as an innate ability (Loughran, 2002). The message trying to be conveyed is that the new found knowledge and learning from the the experiences should be implemented to future situations. It can be criticized that reflective practice does not free us from the need to worry about the mechanisms of professional accountability but also shows concern as how a professional may be transformed within a framework of accountabilty.

jackson :: essays research papers

Jackson inspired much of America during his eight years as president. His rise from the backwoods of Carolina to the nation's highest office helped inspire hope that in America anyone could accomplish anything. His message to Americans helped jumpstart movements in improve public education, abolish debtors' prisons, organize for women's rights, care for the infirm and indigent, and in general work to the world a better place. Jackson reached out to the people that he governed in a way no prior President had, encouraging them and showing a unique humbleness that made him seem approachable. Jackson's "approachability," though, caused occasional problems. Once, while aboard a naval ship in Alexandria, an angry seaman punched the President in the face. Two years later, in 1835, Jackson faced the first known assassination attempt on a U.S. president. While Jackson was in the Capitol attending a funeral, a man named Richard Lawrence fired two pistols point-blank at the President–only to have both guns misfire. Jackson raised his cane and charged Lawrence, but an army officer wrestled the man to the floor before Jackson could attack. The charging of his would-be assassin is representative of how Jackson handled much of his Presidency: strong-armed and unafraid. When Jackson decided on something, he would relentlessly wear down his opponents. In addition to staring down the Bank supporters and the nullifiers, Jackson slowly won an argument which the French government that had dragged on for almost two decades. The French refused to pay Americans back for damages caused on shipping during the Napoleonic wars, even though they had paid such damages to the British. Then, finally, when damages were assessed in 1831, the French made no move to pay them. But with the people–even the Whigs–behind him, Jackson was not afraid to demand payment. In a message to Congress he suggested a bill to penalize French holdings for the amount of the damages, and in 1836 the French had paid four of six installments of damages. Jackson's announcement helped lay the groundwork for a successful White House bid by Vice Presid ent Martin Van Buren–thereby avenging Van Buren's failed nomination to be minister to Britain. Never one to leave a friend behind, Jackson also hoped to avenge the failed nomination of his Treasury Secretary, Roger Taney, whom he later nominated and had confirmed as Chief Justice. As a final chapter in his quest for financial stability in America, Jackson announced in December 1834 that the nation would by debt-free on January 1, 1835–the only time in American history that the government did not owe anyone anything.

Technology Helps Sneak Christianity into China :: Christians Religion Essays

Technology Helps Sneak Christianity into China About one out of four people live in China, but until recent technological advances there were very few ways that Christians could get past the Communist government to reach those people with the message of Christ. But through radio, internet and other types of technology, Christianity is growing in China by opening up people's minds to religion and allowing Christians who are there to have access to Christian resources in order to spread the word. Radio can effectively reach people throughout China with the message of Christ. By using shock waves, radio stations set up in countries that surround China can broadcast in China without government limitations on the content of their programming. Some of these radio stations also broadcast throughout the world to reach the many Chinese people outside of China who have not had the opportunity to hear the gospel presented in their language (Lin). "The Back to God Hour" is just one example of how radio is being used to spread Christianity in China. Based in Chicago, IL with an office in Honk Kong, "The Back to God Hour" broadcasts three hours a day around the world with an emphasis on China. Their programs include Christian music, stories with Biblical values, sermons and question and answer time. They receive approximately 300 letters a week from listeners with faith questions (Lin and Back to God Hour Pamphlet). "The Back to God Hour" and radio ministries like it are reaching thousan ds of people in China and throughout the world with the message of hope in Jesus Christ. The Internet is the newest form of technology that is being used to spread Christianity in China. Although the government filters out most Christian web sites, some can still be seen in China. Information is added to the Internet so quickly that they can not filter fast enough. Also, there are people in China who know how to avoid the filters set by the government (Tao). It is important to point out that even though there is some availability to Christian material on the web in China, only 1 percent of the people there have access to the Internet right now. However, this number is doubling every year. In the web page entitled "Incredible Growth in China" it says: "China begins a campaign to bring industries, government offices, and households online as part of a national strategy to make the internet a more powerful engine for growth†¦The official Newspaper China Daily reported, 'Beijing has accepted the fact that there is no way to really control the growth, or the use of the i nternet. Technology Helps Sneak Christianity into China :: Christians Religion Essays Technology Helps Sneak Christianity into China About one out of four people live in China, but until recent technological advances there were very few ways that Christians could get past the Communist government to reach those people with the message of Christ. But through radio, internet and other types of technology, Christianity is growing in China by opening up people's minds to religion and allowing Christians who are there to have access to Christian resources in order to spread the word. Radio can effectively reach people throughout China with the message of Christ. By using shock waves, radio stations set up in countries that surround China can broadcast in China without government limitations on the content of their programming. Some of these radio stations also broadcast throughout the world to reach the many Chinese people outside of China who have not had the opportunity to hear the gospel presented in their language (Lin). "The Back to God Hour" is just one example of how radio is being used to spread Christianity in China. Based in Chicago, IL with an office in Honk Kong, "The Back to God Hour" broadcasts three hours a day around the world with an emphasis on China. Their programs include Christian music, stories with Biblical values, sermons and question and answer time. They receive approximately 300 letters a week from listeners with faith questions (Lin and Back to God Hour Pamphlet). "The Back to God Hour" and radio ministries like it are reaching thousan ds of people in China and throughout the world with the message of hope in Jesus Christ. The Internet is the newest form of technology that is being used to spread Christianity in China. Although the government filters out most Christian web sites, some can still be seen in China. Information is added to the Internet so quickly that they can not filter fast enough. Also, there are people in China who know how to avoid the filters set by the government (Tao). It is important to point out that even though there is some availability to Christian material on the web in China, only 1 percent of the people there have access to the Internet right now. However, this number is doubling every year. In the web page entitled "Incredible Growth in China" it says: "China begins a campaign to bring industries, government offices, and households online as part of a national strategy to make the internet a more powerful engine for growth†¦The official Newspaper China Daily reported, 'Beijing has accepted the fact that there is no way to really control the growth, or the use of the i nternet.

Russias Fight for Identity Essay -- Geopolitics, History

In 1829, Petr Chaadeav began to write his Philosophical letters. He initiated Russia’s search for national identity. He was a major figure in the development of Russian intellectual history. The impact of the letter shook and changed the thinking of Russia. It argued that Russia was worthless and socially behind. Chaadeav was very harsh in his letter and appears to be bias. He made valid points but they are not entirely true. The evidence shows that Russia was indeed a bit imitative but they were not the only country in search for national identity. Though Chaadeav’s letter was very harsh, it gave Russia a sense of originality. Russia established their identity and is distinguished by their culture. Russia’s literature and art was big contribution to the world’s progress though they were seen to be unoriginal. Petr Chaadeav summarized his nation’s history as â€Å"a brutal barbarism to begin with, followed by an age of gross superstition, then by a ferocious and humiliating foreign domination. † He continued by sayong â€Å"we are alone in the world, we have given nothing to the world, we have taught it nothing. We have not added a single idea to the sum total of human ideas; we have not contributed to the progress of the human spirit. † The Letter electrified Russian creativity: Many called Chaadeav insane, but he was very intellectual. Chaadeav’s statement about law codes â€Å"No one has a fixed sphere of existence; there are no proper habits, no rules that govern anything † insisted that Russia’s law codes were non-existent. This is not entirely true. As stated in the previous paragraphs, the Table of Ranks is a prime example implemented by Peter the Great. Laws made by Catherine and the â€Å"Russkaia Pravda † are also great examples of law... ... country in history is truly original. Every country has taken ideas from another. Whether its religion, law codes, slaves, etc.no idea truly belongs to on country. Works Cited Kaiser, Daniel H., and Gary Marker. Reinterpreting Russian history: readings, 860-1860's. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. Print. (tags: none | edit tags) Kaiser, Daniel H., and Gary Marker. "Society: The Lowere and Middling Estates." Reinterpreting Russian history: readings, 860-1860's. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. 295. Print. (tags: none | edit tags) "Polnoe sobranie sochinenii i izbrannye pis'ma,." Russian Intellectual History: An Anthology.. Moscow: Nathaniel Knight , 1991. 90, 92-93. Print. (tags: none | edit tags) Turgenev, Ivan Sergeevich. Sketches from a hunter's album. Complete ed. London, England: Penguin Books, 1990. Print. (tags: none | edit tags)

Team Case Critique

Electronic Arts is an American based company it mainly markets and produces computer and video games. It’s widely recognized for developing brilliant sports games along with this it also produces a wide variety of different games for the consumers. Moreover it manufactures the games fulfilling the requirements of all the platforms that is it does not restrict its games for the usage of one platform only.It is a profitable and prosperous company, however in the present days it is suffering as there are some great concerns regarding its business. For this purpose the board would advice the CEO that the company should bring a change in its strategies in order to thrive in such a competitive and demanding environment the company should firstly look towards the creation of downloadable games of this will not only increase the sales of its games but also reduce the costs of physically making the game, the handling and inventory of the games.More to add Electronic Art should work on establishing an online platform where games are available for being downloaded, although this will cost the company some amount but the increase in revenue that will be generated by the sale of the games online will be completely worth the efforts. Additionally making small versions of the game will also be favorable for the company as converting the larger versions into mini versions does not require much additional resources.This way the games can easily be downloaded to wireless devices such as the mobile phones and I pods, which will be an added source of income for the company without incurring a great deal of added costs. There is a price ceiling that exists in the game market of $59. 99 the platform manufactures do not wish to increase the price beyond that, these console manufactures have great power to influence the prices. The only way Electronic Art can shatter this price limit is by producing innovative and distinguished games.By offering product differentiation only wil l the manufactures be able to set their own prices for their product instead of being under pressure by the console manufacturers. For this purpose the company should look to towards attracting fresh and young talent and merge them with the experienced teams that have made the name of the â€Å"popular games† a huge success in the market. The company’s statistics show that the top 100 games are responsible for 50 % of the sales for the company this means that the rest of the games for which money is spent on is simply wasted as it does not prove to be fruitful for the company.The company should adopt a strategy of producing limited games but doing a lot of research and development for the making of these games this as this will lead to a greater possibility that these games will be a winner in the market. This will provide opportunities for the company to cut down its costs and use its resources more competently. We also agree with valuing the employees and develop str ategies to retain the talented and experienced personnel of the organization. As a result we should provide the employees with enhanced monetary and non monetary benefits.Profit sharing with the employees is a great idea as that will make the employees feel a part of the company and encourage them to use resources more wisely. Try to coordinate employees to work cooperatively and come up with out of the box ideas and strategies. In our opinion the company should not discontinue usage of celebrity endorsement to promote the games but to limit it as far as possible in order to keep costs within a limit. Unnecessary and excessive celebrity endorsements should be avoided as this leads to increasing the burden of costs for the company.To resolve the issue of the high royalty fees charged by the console manufacturers EA should look forward with having negotiations with those companies. The companies should be told that Electronic Art is willing to pay for the royalty fees when a game is l ucrative in the market but in those cases where the games are not doing well in the market the console manufacturers should not take royalty fees from those games as the dealing for those games would be mainly to recover the costs and settle at breakeven.Special incentives such as supplementary royalty fees should be provided to the console manufacturers if the games are unbeaten and are doing a flourishing business. This incentive will help to motivate the console manufacturers to agree to Electronic Art’s offer. Starting off with small console manufacturer is a good idea as that enables to convince those manufacturers easily as they rely on Electronic Art’s games.They should motivate the console manufacturers that by following our company’s proposed recommendation regarding the royalty fees both of our companies will grow together this way. The future strategies have to be based on lowering costs but increasing revenue, but at the same time not compromising on the entertainment factor the games provide. The including of inbuilt advertisements within the game is a great source of revenue and also doesn’t distract the attention of the gamer.Advertisers are ready to market their products and services in such a manner as it is a fabulous way to subconsciously advertise a company’s product and services. Furthermore the suggestion of providing opportunities for the improvement the characters online with a small amount of fee is quite impressive. As many gamers will be willing to enhance the style and functionalities of their characters and with a small amount of fee numerous customers will be wanting to avail this facility which will lead to increased revenue for the company.After the company attains substantial success and generates enough funds it should focus its attention on developing multiplayer games, as these games require a great deal of capital to be developed. Hence firstly the company should expand by all those means that do not call for a significant amount of excess funding then move on to those projects that need a great deal of investments. Moreover the company should think of implementing other major projects which include virtual simulation when they have enough financing as these types of games also require ample of resources.Additionally in the long run the company could also work on coming up with its own platform, however this decision has to be taken quite carefully and vigilantly as there is a risk of losing out the customers if this strategy proves to be unsuccessful. At present the company’s strategy should be to capitalize on the sports section of the games in which the company is fine and move forward with the innovative and creative ideas that develop in the company that do not require a high level budget, later on it should move on to extensive projects when Electronic Arts has loads of funds to commence them.Summary Electronic Arts is a company that manufacture a wide v ariety of games for many console manufactures, online use and mobile phone devices. It specializes in the development of sports games . The company has its headquarters in America and it has been a giant in the game business and has come up with several of â€Å"super hit â€Å"games for the industry. It is recognized for a company that comes up with creative ideas and innovative games by altering the graphics, animation, programming, etc.The company is facing certain issues at present ant the only way to get back again is to develop certain strategies and act on them as soon as possible. Due to increased restrictions from the console manufacturers the company should also focus its attention to provide games online and on mobile phones as these steps will enhance the prosperity of the company. Additionally Electronic Arts should come up with original and new games, those games will be differentiated and then Electronic Arts will have the opportunity to charge more on those games.T his will help to diminish the price ceiling that exists in the market as Electronic Arts will be able to influence the price of the games. The company should try to negotiate with the other console manufacturers to remove the royalty charges incase the game does not do well in the market. Furthermore, the company should look for further ways to increase the revenue and cut down costs for the company.Inbuilt advertisements within the games and providing gamers the opportunity to upgrade the characteristics of the characters with a small amount of charge, these tactics will enable the company to generate added revenue. In the future when Electronic Arts has sufficient funds it should look towards emphasizing on multiplayer games and games with simulation effects. At present its strategy should be focused on increasing revenue while keeping costs within boundaries. Reference: 1) Website: www. ea. com Date accessed 1 July 2008

My Childhood Hero Essay

Every child has a hero, someone they look up to, someone who guides their thoughts and influences their life. My childhood hero was Belle from the fairytale, The Beauty and the Beast. As a child, I watched the movie end to end and read the book countless times, losing myself in her magical world so completely that I actually began to know the lines by heart. I never once got bored of it and frankly, right until today, Belle is still my inspiration. Though I first admired her for her outer beauty, I then began to look up to her for her inner beauty. She was portrayed as such a happy young woman, helpful and loving and with a warm smile for all. Her ability to be everyoneÂ’s friend, to sing such delightful songs always made me happy and feel like part of her world, not just an on-looker. I actually used to wish that Belle would come alive and be my friend. However, the main reason Belle became my hero was because of her sacrifice. Her willingness to let go of all she knew and loved to save her father has never ceased to impress me. This truly showed me the depth of her love for her father and taught me the value of family and parents. Besides depicting BelleÂ’s loving side, her sacrifice also gave me an insight to her courage. She braved the hound dogs in the mountains and continued with what she started out for, as a sacrifice to the beast who resided in a huge, deserted palace in the loneliest part of the mountains. It was through Belle that I learnt the importance of patience, endurance and perseverance. She had the courage to face the beast, to endure his fearful sight and to bear the brunt of his volatile temper just to save her fatherÂ’s life. Not only that, Belle was also able to see through physical countenances and fall in love with the ugly beast instead of shunning him away and marrying the handsome but shallow Gaston. To me, Belle was and still is someone I want to be. I always wished to grow up to be the way Belle was. I related to her through our common passion for books and loved her for who she was. Through BelleÂ’s final victory where the beast transformed back to a Prince and Gaston got defeated, she became my image of how the good and righteous always triumphs over the evil. The magic  within the tale and the “happily ever after” ending has given me a reason to belief in the unbelievable, to have faith and truly trust the existence of a greater power. The true love between the Beauty and the Beast is why I dream of my Prince charming finding me one day. BelleÂ’s heart of gold made her my childhood hero. Ten years have passed and unabashedly I confess that she is still my role model and I still do hope that I am able to be as admirable as her. Who says fairy tales are for kids?

Essay on Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People

England has always been a strong point of Christianity, as such, the difficult times that came from the conquest of the territory by the Romans up to the moment when finally Henry VIII decides to separate from the Vatican and â€Å"their deceptions†; making of England one of the most important places where Christian history has been made.During such times of change, despite the different forces that shaped and misshaped the path of faith and religion in England, some conducts remained unchanged such as the belief that a person should focus only in what was adequate according to the standards that the Vatican had stated that were adequate.The first four chapters of Bede’s book only refer to England in the way it was formed, the benefits and paradisiacal surroundings that both England and its surrounding neighbours had to offer in terms of water, soil, vegetation and even animals. In the first book, Bede makes a strong point of reference in the martyrdom that British Chri stians suffered at the hands of the Roman conquistador empire. It is interesting the difference between other martyr books and references to the ones that Bede states in the book. Jack 2Here, therefore, the head of most courageous martyr was struck off, and here he received the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him. But he who gave the wicked stroke, was not permitted to rejoice over the deceased; for his eyes dropped upon the ground together with the blessed martyr's head. (Bede, Book 1:VII, 51-52) Other accounts only make strong points of the punishment that God allegedly gives those who inflict the martyrdom in cases against the female virtue and those where the executor is a member of their own family.Though it is not evidently put, the writing of Bede actually infers that God will claim vengeance to anyone that dares raise an arm against His Flock. In the second book, Bede leaves behind the martyrdom that suffered the Brits at the hands of the Romans and d eepens into the creation of the modern day Britannica form of beliefs. It seems that as a result of the preceding changes and strength that the martyrs of days before provided the Christian belief in England gave the Church sufficient hold to unite then flourishing Kingdom by respecting religious festivities such as Easter time.It should be noted that by the time that Bede is making reference to evidently St. Agustin (or Agustine to some authors) makes no reference to an Irish saint: Saint Patrick that had sufficient leverage among the clergy of the time. Almost 300 years have passed between the death of Albas martyr and the next evident miracle in Bede’s book, the time when Bishop Mellitus by simple prayers suffocates a fire. Jack 3And thus the man of God, whose mind was inflamed with the fire of Divine charity, and who was wont to drive away the powers of the air by his frequent prayers, from doing harm to himself, or his people, was deservedly allowed to prevail over the w orldly winds and flames, and to obtain that they should not injure him or his. (Bede, Book 2:VII, 114-115) According to Bede it is only through the power of prayer and a meditative life, succumbed to the will, power and guidance of God (through the church) that any person can command any forces of nature and prevent damage, injury or even death.So far Bede has been able to demonstrate the power and benefits of being a truthful Christian to those readers without dabbling into politics. However, by book three, Bede can make a strong statement of this since Chapter I, when he states that a Christian king (Oswald) can restitute the faith of the people in the nation and in his own kingship. One of the most important things to remember when reading this book is that monarchies were believed to be granted by God Himself, thus it was a â€Å"divine right†.Most of Book three is devoted to two main characters: King Oswald who vaguely resembles king Arthur in the importance that he rece ives from this historian as a God following king who, happened to be so saint that even after being slaughtered in battle performed miracles. The other person of importance is Bishop Aidan who was a strong supporter of King Oswald’s piety actions, much like the wizard Merlin in King Arthur’s descriptions; this was a particularly important character in the development of the king’s ruling.Jack 4 However, it seems that when the kingdom lacked of religious stability, the worst circumstances were present: In the above ¬mentioned year of the aforesaid eclipse, which was presently followed by the pestilence, in which also Bishop Colman, being overcome by the unanimous consent of the Catholics, returned home, Deusdedit, the sixth bishop of the church of Canterbury, died on the I4th of July.Erconbert, also, king of Kent, departed this life the same month and day; leaving his kingdom to his son Egbert, (Bede, Book 4:I, 204) It seems interesting that a terrible disease such as pestilence (or plague) might have been deemed common enough not to deserve any of the religious teachings that the book of Bede is full of. There are no prayers that will stop or detain the disease in its tracks, but more over, it refers to mundane affairs such as the setting the affairs in order of a specific archbishop.Despite this, most of the book is full of miracles that happened during the pestilence, people who in their dying beds saw the Glory of Heaven or deaths that were simply â€Å"heavenly† with no pain or misery. Naturally, as the book progresses in dates, other important events happen; such as the assassination of royal heirs, though not in the way that Shakespearian artists would do, but simply stating that anyone who knows the basis of Christianity will deem his or her Jack 5life in little value because the promise of everlasting life would conquer their hearts in a moment. Finally, book five speaks of basically the same things than the other four boo ks, nonetheless, chapter XII has a significant detail: Having stood there a long time in much dread, not knowing what to do, which way to turn, or what end I might expect, on a sudden I heard behind me the noise of a most hideous and wretched lamentation, and at the same time a loud laughing, as of a rude multitude insulting captured enemies.When that noise, growing plainer, came up to me, I observed a gang of evil spirits dragging the howling and lamenting souls of men into the midst of the darkness, whilst they themselves laughed and rejoiced. Among those men, as I could discern, there was one shorn like a clergyman, a layman, and a woman. (Bede, Book 5:XII, 286) The importance of this description is the imagery that it gives, since this description until our days souls in purgatory damnation have been depicted in the same way and even using the same three human elements: The clergyman, the layman and the woman.Nonetheless, the entire chapter portrays a vision quite similar to the one that Dante provides almost 600 years later: An afterlife divided into sections that are populated by those who are â€Å"less than perfect†, â€Å"barely repented† and â€Å"outwardly evil†. Just like Jack 6 Dante, the visionary in Bede’s book five chapter twelve has a guidance that explains things to him so that he might return to life and tell everyone. What is the truth? Well, it is difficult to state it.According to the Bible, Jesus came to earth to create a final covenant, one of the eternal love and forgiveness; nevertheless, the Church had gone out of their way to create an environment of fear and uncertainty. During the time of Bede, it is evident that Church in England used hell and purgatory as means of control and coercion both in social and political atmospheres. Undoubtedly, the use of these â€Å"boogie men† for the society in early Christianity and the first years of medieval era was beneficial providing church and rulers with s ufficient authority to handle and create empires.Would it work nowadays? Yes it will as it has begun to work with the new age belief; the uncertainty of what lies beyond the natural death is something that will present a problem in the human mind; as a result, whatever we can find that will soothe us will become a leverage for those who provide it to us. Jack 7 Works Cited Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, Penguin Classics, revised edition, May 1991. Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1969 Internet medieval source book November 30th,2008

Mosquitoes

William Faulkner's Mosquitoes is a roman à   clef featuring some of the people and locations Faulkner encountered while staying in New Orleans as a young writer. This paper will examine the relationship between the upper class and the artists and the relationship between the upper class and the workers. In particular this paper will examine the actions and character of the two main characters: Mr. Gordon and Patricia Robyn, as well as a most interesting character Ernest Talliaferro.Faulkner stages much of his novel aboard a yacht so that they won't have contact with other members of society. In literature the use of isolating the characters from society is not uncommon for example Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Shakespeare's The Tempest and Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians and The Mousetrap. By separating characters from society, the author is able to focus his or her attention on the people as themselves, almost as if he or she were isolated for a laboratory experiment. Mosqui toes provides Faulkner a forum to examine the artistic life in contrast to the life of the members of the beautiful people and the workers. In particular Faulkner examines the creative growth of the artists and the lack of growth of the part of the others on the cruise (Atkinson, 8).Faulkner stocks his novel with characters representing three groups or perhaps communities of society. He represents the artists with of Dawson Fairchild, a novelist, Mr. Gordon, a sculptor, Mark Moore, a poet trying to â€Å"nurture a reputation for cleverness,† Dorothy Jameson, a painter and Eva Wiseman, a lesbian poet (Fitzgerald 39). Also included with this group is Julius Kauffman who at times serves as a narrator such as when he relates the life story of Mrs. Maurier, hostess of the cruise   or as the philosophic pathfinder for the artists' discussion throughout the book.Among the social elite are Mrs. Maurier a social dilettante who is quite wealthy and a hanger-on of artists, her twin ni ece and nephew Patricia, who is the catalyst for much of the book's action, and Josh Robyn who are visiting from Chicago, and Ernest Talliaferro who is the conduit between three classes. He is a member of the working class as a buyer of women's clothes for a local department store, he is friends or is at least known by some the artists who don't really seem to care too much about him, and visits with Mrs. Maurier who also appears to not care about him except for his ability to provide access to the artistic community.The novel is written in six major sections days 1, 2, 3, 4, a prologue where Faulkner gathers up his characters and an epilogue where he returns them to their individual places in society. The sections, Day One through Day Four take place largely Mrs. Maurier's yacht the Nausikaa. In Homer's Odyssey Nausikaa was a young woman, daughter of the king, who found Odysseus and brought him into her city to care for him. In Mosquitoes Mr. Gordon represents Odysseus and Patricia Robyn is the analogue of Nausikaa.Mr. Gordon is a sculptor. When the novel begins, Gordon has just finished a sculpture. It represents his ideal woman. It is of a young woman with small breasts who has no head, arms, or legs. Mr. Gordon has sculpted the piece from his imagination rather than using a model. At this time he has little interaction with others, artistic or otherwise.Shortly after the novel begins, Mrs. Maurier, Patricia Robyn, and Ernest Talliaferro visit Gordon's studio and see the new sculpture. The reactions of both Patricia and Gordon are plot points in the novel. When she first sees Gordon's sculpture Patricia believes she recognizes the statue as being of herself, â€Å"[i]t's like me† (Faulkner 28). Mr. Talliaferro describes it more eloquently â€Å"[d]o you see what he has caught? . . . The spirit of youth, of something fine and hard and clean in the world† (26-27). Mr. Gordon is very interested in Patricia in relationship to his sculpture. He exa mines â€Å"her with growing interest her flat breast and belly, her boy's body. . . . Sexless, yet somehow vaguely troubling. Perhaps just young, like a calf or a colt† (Faulkner, p. 26).Throughout the book there is a sexual tension between Gordon and Patricia. When they are swimming he twirls her around and throws her into the water. She is thrilled, â€Å"for an instant she stopped in midflight, . . . high above the deck while water dripping from her turned to gold . . . the last of the sun slid upon her and over her with joy† (Faulkner 72).Ultimately it is Patricia and to a less extent, Mrs. Maurier who provide the artistic growth for Mr. Gordon. Just as Nausikaa rescued Odysseus from the sea, Patricia rescues Gordon from his previous tendency to work without a model, working from his mind using ideal types that don't exist in reality. When Mr. Gordon sees her in her young, self-centered state, he realizes he must work from real life. He makes a mask of Mrs. Maurie r. This is significant because it is the first time, as far as the reader knows, that Mr. Gordon had sculpted based on a live person rather than his personal artistic ideal.His growth and change of artistic inspiration to the real world are punctuated in the Epilogue where he walks the busy night streets of New Orleans with Fairchild and Kauffman drinking and celebrating their epiphany of working within society. Gordon leaves the book when he decides to visit a bordello looking for a real woman instead of a fantasy woman (Hepburn, 21-22).Throughout the play Patricia has an androgynous quality about her. Despite her sexual appeal to Gordon and later to David West the ship steward, Patricia is always described as â€Å"hard and firm and sexless† (Faulkner 140). In many ways she seems androgynous, neither male nor female. Although she will flirt with men, kiss them and even run away with them, whenever she feels she is not in control she brings the interaction to an immediate ha lt. She is the female part of the person she and her brother make together.At times they will call each other â€Å"Gus† as if Gus were the real person and Patricia and Josh were just partial personae of Gus. She lies next to her brother for part of the night of day four because she wants to be near him. He will be leaving for Yale the next day where she not be nearer to him than living in an apartment in New Haven. While lying together she asks him â€Å"[d]idn't you do something to that boat† (Faulkner, p. 261.The yacht had gone to ground and was unable to move for three days, making certain they were uninterrupted by outsiders. This was caused when Josh removed a rod in the steering mechanism, but Josh denies it, â€Å"I never hurt—I never was down there except the morning when you came tagging down there (Faulkner, p. 261). Yet he quickly tacitly admits his guilt when he asks if Patricia has told their aunt.By the second day Patricia is bored with being a l iving ideal and looks for diversion. She decides to go swimming and coaxes David West, the steward to go with her. While swimming he is aroused by her, he â€Å"looked up at her with an utter longing, like that of a dog.† On day three they leave the ship and try to cross the swamp and get married in Mandeville. Their excursion into the swamp, struggle to find the road and the way to Mandeville with David West seems to foreshadow for Patricia what her life might be if she were to give up her place in high society and marry into the working class.She wouldn't be able to bear it. She would use up her working class husband, working him until he collapsed from exhaustion. It isn't long before Patricia treats West like an animal. She is done slumming with the working class and decides to take charge just as her social position permits. She demands, in the face of reason, that they take the direction she chooses when they arrive at the road. This seems to indicate that she realizes she has chosen the wrong way by leaving the boat, representing wealth and high society.She literally rides him into the ground as he carries her when she is too tired to walk. When they discover they have been walking the wrong direction, West collapses. Ultimately they find someone to give them a ride back to the Nausikaa, but she insists on paying with her own money. As a consequence of what David and Patricia went through together David quits his job and is gone the next morning.A curious thing is that Patricia seems to the only one troubled by mosquitoes. Almost exclusively she is the one who â€Å"angled her knee upward and outward from the knee, scratching her ankle† (Faulkner 23). It is she that â€Å"suddenly slap[s] her leg when she and West are planning to enter the swamp. It is Patricia is so badly bitten by mosquitoes that West puts his shirt over her to protect her (Faulkner 150). Of all of passengers, she is the one that is most irritated by the pesky â€Å"mo squitoes† of life.One last point about Patricia that should be made has to do with the evening when she first met Mr. Talliaferro. As Mr. Talliaferro prepares to leave Mrs. Maurier and Patricia for the evening Patricia calls him â€Å"Mr. Tavers.† This is apparently his real name and the incident shocks him. His entrails feel cold because of her statement (Faulkner 31). This writer tried on numerous occasions to find a resolution to this puzzle but was unable to do so. The nearest indication that might solve this puzzle appears in the description of Talliaferro (Faulkner 32) â€Å"[t]hey never did know what became of Mr. Talliaferro's sister.† This might indicate that Faulkner had initially intended to make some previous connection between Patricia and Talliaferro through his missing sister, but failed to do so in the final version.This event provides a segue to a most interesting character: Ernest Talliaferro. Mr. Talliaferro is a tiny man, eager to please, unwi lling to make waves, but eager to spend time with artists, particularly Dawson Fairchild. He is a buyer for the women's clothes department at a local department store. He married young, was widowed young and set about making himself over. He â€Å"did† Europe in forty-one days and cultivated friendship with artists and members of society, such as Mrs. Maurier. He lacks confidence, often apologizing and knocking into things. He is eager to date women but finds himself unable to get up the nerve.Frequently he seeks Fairchild's advice. On the second day of the cruise Fairchild tells Talliaferro that he isn't â€Å"bold enough with women . . . I don't mean with words. . . . They ain't interested in what you're going to say: they are interested in what you're going to do† (Fitzgerald 96). Sadly, but a bit amusing, Talliaferro takes this advice to heart and tries to implement it with Jenny the attractive young woman whom Patricia invited to attend. On the second day Talliafe rro finds Jenny sleeping on the deck.He tries to wake her â€Å"[w]ake princess with kiss† (Faulkner 109) this causes her to awaken but she is terribly frightened. However she does dance with him later that afternoon and things go smoothly until day four when the guests are trying to free the boat and Talliaferro is overcome with desire and grabs her and pulls her with him into the water. Naturally, Fairchild thinks this it is funny that Talliaferro has implemented his advice in such a boisterous fashion and laughs about it. Unfortunately, Talliaferro has not learned his lesson and repeats his efforts in the â€Å"Epilogue† only to be disappointed again. By the end of novel Talliaferro has retreated further into himself and seems to have no interest in a relationship with a woman.Although Faulkner never uses the â€Å"M† word in this book, it is clear by the scratching and slapping that there are both literal and figurative mosquitoes. As mentioned above, Patric ia suffers from bites from mosquitoes. Most of characters suffer from pesky, annoying irritations throughout the book. The artists are irritated by the way in which the non-artists want to parade them around on the cruise like some sort of show pony. Talliaferro is irritated due to his inability to successfully seduce women, Josh Robyn is irritated that Major Ayers does not believe that he is making the pipe for fun. Naturally Ayers is upset because he wants to market the pipe, and Robyn will not help him do so.It is in part due to the irritations that Gordon, Fairchild, and Kauffman grow. Prior to the cruise, they had lived their lives working when they could and trying to avoid the pesky little mosquitoes fostered by the non-artists. By the time the cruise has ended they have realized that these pests provide much of the motivation and interest in life. In essence, they have changed their philosophy of art from â€Å"an aesthetic ideology of formalism as part of a larger expressi on of cultural conservatism (Atkinson, 6)Unhappily, no one else appears to have changed much other than these three. Mrs. Maurier is still the social matron, though she is quite angry with the artists. Patricia Robyn has returned to the self-centered, sexless, hard person she was when she first appeared in the novel. When she says good-bye to the poet Mark Frost, she is just as cold to him as she was to Gordon when she first met his him. Mr. Talliaferro, the wonderful, Chaplinesque man, is still frustrated. He has had no success trying to seduce a woman. However Faulkner tells the reader that Talliaferro was to be married soon. Sadly, he does not appear to tell Ernest.The conclusion that Faulkner draws with this book appears to be that artists need to explore life, down and dirty. However, his apparent conclusion that non-artists will not grow is parochial and hopefully false. This smacks of the self-centered arrogance a young, gifted writer might have before he and his craft mature . Summary of â€Å"Faulkner's Mosquitoes: A Poetic Turning Point†By Kenneth Wm. HepburnHepburn's thesis in this article is that there was a turning point in Faulkner's writing that occurred not with Satoris as many scholars have alleged by with Mosquitoes published two years earlier. The author tries to establish that â€Å"the poetic which finally involves from the structural considerations of various artistic strategies is both necessarily prior . . . and central to the development of† the open-ended poetic of Faulkner's more famous novels (Hepburn 19). To prove his thesis, Hepburn focuses his study on Sections Nine and Ten of the â€Å"Epilogue† (Faulkner 277-288). In the first of these sections Hepburn contends that three of the artist, Gordon, Fairchild, and Kauffman undergo the greatest change. They are walking the streets at night through the â€Å"seedier streets† of New Orleans (Hepburn 20).   In this section each of the artists, Gordon, Fitzge rald, and Kauffman make the transformation from artists that were polarized from each other to artist are more in congruence. In this section there is a parable of three groups, priests, revelers, and rats encounter a dead begger [sic] clutching a piece of stolen bread.The priests in their â€Å"thin celibate despair† (Faulkner 277) and the revelers engage in an orgy-parade cannot be bothered with the dead begger [sic]. Only the rats can appreciate him by â€Å"dragging their hot bellies over him, exploring unreproved his private parts† (Faulkner 281). According to Hepburn the parable indicates that these three artists have changed and recognize â€Å"[o]nly the artist who is willing to wade into life will ever be able to confront it with any intimacy and accuracy† (Hepburn 23).It is evident that Hepburn has interpreted these sections correctly. What is not evident is why Hepburn views Mosquitoes as a poetic turning point. What he appears to prove is that Mosqui toes provides a needed prerequisite to his later writing. This need not signify a turning point but rather may be just one more step along the path toward becoming the writer Faulkner   would become in subsequent years. Works Cited Atkinson, Ted. â€Å"Aesthetic Ideology in Faulkner's Mosquitoes: A Cultural History. The Faulkner Journal 17, 1(2001: 3-18. Faulkner, William. Mosquitoes. London: Chatto & Windus, 1964. Hepburn, Kenneth Wm. â€Å"Faulkner's Mosquitoes: A Poetic Turning Point.† Twentieth Century Literature 17, 1 (Jan. 1971): 19-28.

Review of health news article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Review of health news article - Essay Example This article is very relevant to our course for many reasons. One, it is not enough that we gain sound knowledge of diseases and finding ways to cure them; moreover, we must see how these diseases afflict the mindset of society. Although media has its own noble intentions to inform the public, it must not declare ahead before public health officials have properly disseminated such information. Dr. Colfax was valid in his argument that protocols should not change in treating people with AIDS. It can be inferred from his statement that medical professionals have different attitudes in treatment especially when resistance has developed. For one, training for doctors and other health professionals are not yet adequately prepared by the government for this kind of scenario. Assuming it becomes a mini-epidemic, government officials would start blaming those responsible for this issue while patients suffer in the midst of the controversy. In short, the government’s health agency should immediately prepare programs that can arrest the growing problem. Training and funding must be given importance so that the situation would not go out of hand. Although training and research does not seem much of a concern to America, we cannot deny the financial burden this problem can add to the growing health insurance concerns. Indeed, the AIDS problem has become complicated. The article also noted that this kind of situation is a challenge for developing countries which is an obvious statement. However, we must realize that many migrants from developing countries have also settled in this country. In fact, San Francisco has a high rate of migrant population which makes their problem our problem too. Lastly, I am hopeful that advances in the field of research would be able to arrest this problem. The only unfortunate thing is the affordability of these new drugs so that poor people with drug-resistant strain of AIDS would be able to access medication

Principles of coaching and practice in sport Essay

Principles of coaching and practice in sport - Essay Example The autocratic dominance on older and more proficient athletes was related to a relationship to coaching behaviors that emphasized negative feedback as opposed to positive encouragement (Coach burn out). As the athlete becomes more accomplished their loss of control can be perceived as dominance. At the other end of the scale is the democratic style of coaching. In this style, the coach mandates the overall goals and training requirements of the athletes. The athletes have more freedom to choose and make suggestions for their training as well as the strategy of play. The democratic coach will consider these inputs from the players and weigh them into the final decision. Professional players who have reached a high level of competency may be allowed to simply play the game using their own best judgment. As with the autocratic style, the democratic is also broken down into two subgroups. These are the sharing and the allowing style. In the allowing style, the athletes are given much greater opportunity to make their own decisions on the training and objectives. In both groups, players choose the training session and the coach approves it based on rationality and safety. This style is appropriate where the players have sufficient skill and experience to make independent decision s. It may also be a useful style when the outcome is not highly critical such as participation simply for leisure activity. One such coaching method is the command style. The coach is a commander and the player is the receiver of the instruction. According to Brian Grasso (n.d.), President of Developing Athletics, "Coaches who display this habit believe that coaching success is based on how well the athlete can reproduce the skills as taught or demonstrated by the coach". This style can be effective in a sport where technical movements or standards must be met such as figure skating. However, it mandates that the athlete be open to total trust in the coach and their subsequent decisions. This style has been criticised because it fails to account for the various learning methods that young players may use as well as their individual needs. Coaches who are involved with highly trained and well-organised players may take the Laissez