Lieducation in preliterate societies Essay

Education, History of, theories, methods, and administration of schools and other agencies of information from ancient times to the present. Education developed from the human struggle for survival and enlightenment. It may be formal or informal. Informal education refers to the general social process by which human beings acquire the knowledge and skills needed to function in their culture. Formal education refers to the process by which teachers instruct students in courses of study within institutions. Before the invention of reading and writing, people lived in an environment in which they struggled to survive against natural forces, animals, and other humans. To survive, preliterate people developed skills that grew into cultural and educational patterns. For a particular group’s culture to continue into the future, people had to transmit it, or pass it on, from adults to children. The earliest educational processes involved sharing information about gathering food and providing shelter; making weapons and other tools; learning language; and acquiring the values, behavior, and religious rites or practices of a given culture. Through direct, informal education, parents, elders, and priests taught children the skills and roles they would need as adults. These lessons eventually formed the moral codes that governed behavior. Since they lived before the invention of writing, preliterate people used an oral tradition, or story telling, to pass on their culture and history from one generation to the next. By using language, people learned to create and use symbols, words, or signs to express their ideas. When these symbols grew into pictographs and letters, human beings created a written language and made the great cultural leap to literacy. IIIEDUCATION IN ANCIENT AFRICA AND ASIA In ancient Egypt, which flourished from about 3000 BC to about 500 BC, priests in temple schools taught not only religion but also the principles of writing, the sciences, mathematics, and architecture. Similarly in India, priests conducted most of the formal education. Beginning in about 1200 BC Indian priests taught the principles of the Veda, the sacred texts of Hinduism, as well as science, grammar, and philosophy. Formal education in China dates to about 2000 BC, though it thrived particularly during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, from 770 to 256 BC (see China: The Eastern Zhou). The curriculum stressed philosophy, poetry, and religion, in accord with the teachings of Confucius, Laozi (Lao-tzu), and other philosophers. IVEDUCATION IN ANCIENT GREECE Historians have looked to ancient Greece as one of the origins of Western formal education. The Iliad and the Odyssey, epic poems attributed to Homer and written sometime in the 8th century BC, created a cultural tradition that gave the Greeks a sense of group identity. In their dramatic account of Greek struggles, Homer’s epics served important educational purposes. The legendary Greek warriors depicted in Homer’s work, such as Agamemnon, Odysseus, and Achilles, were heroes who served as models for the young Greeks. Ancient Greece was divided into small and often competing city-states, or poleis, such as Athens, Sparta, and Thebes. Athens emphasized a humane and democratic society and education, but only about one-third of the people in Athens were free citizens. Slaves and residents from other countries or city-states made up the rest of the population. Only the sons of free citizens attended school. The Athenians believed a free man should have a liberal education in order to perform his civic duties and for his own personal development. The education of women depended upon the customs of the particular Greek city-state. In Athens, where women had no legal or economic rights, most women did not attend school. Some girls, however, were educated at home by tutors. Slaves and other noncitizens had either no formal education or very little. Sparta, the chief political enemy of Athens, was a dictatorship that used education for military training and drill. In contrast to Athens, Spartan girls received more schooling but it was almost exclusively athletic training to prepare them to be healthy mothers of future Spartan soldiers. In the 400s BC, the Sophists, a group of wandering teachers, began to teach in Athens. The Sophists claimed that they could teach any subject or skill to anyone who wished to learn it. They specialized in teaching grammar, logic, and rhetoric, subjects that eventually formed the core of the liberal arts. The Sophists were more interested in preparing their students to argue persuasively and win  arguments than in teaching principles of truth and morality. Unlike the Sophists, the Greek philosopher Socrates sought to discover and teach universal principles of truth, beauty, and goodness. Socrates, who died in 399 BC, claimed that true knowledge existed within everyone and needed to be brought to consciousness. His educational method, called the Socratic method, consisted of asking probing questions that forced his students to think deeply about the meaning of life, truth, and justice. In 387 BC Plato, who had studied under Socrates, established a school in Athens called the Academy. Plato believed in an unchanging world of perfect ideas or universal concepts. He asserted that since true knowledge is the same in every place at every time, education, like truth, should be unchanging. Plato described his educational ideal in the Republic, one of the most notable works of Western philosophy. Plato’s Republic describes a model society, or republic, ruled by highly intelligent philosopher-kings. Warriors make up the republic’s second class of people. The lowest class, the workers, provide food and the other products for all the people of the republic. In Plato’s ideal educational system, each class would receive a different kind of instruction to prepare for their various roles in society. In 335 BC Plato’s student, Aristotle, founded his own school in Athens called the Lyceum. Believing that human beings are essentially rational, Aristotle thought people could discover natural laws that governed the universe and then follow these laws in their lives. He also concluded that educated people who used reason to make decisions would lead a life of moderation in which they avoided dangerous extremes. In the 4th century BC Greek orator Isocrates developed a method of education designed to prepare students to be competent orators who could serve as government officials. Isocrates’s students studied rhetoric, politics, ethics, and history. They examined model orations and practiced public speaking. Isocrates’s methods of education directly influenced such Roman educational theorists as Cicero and Quintilian. VEDUCATION IN ANCIENT ROME While the Greeks were developing their civilization in the areas surrounding the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the Romans were gaining control of the Italian peninsula and areas of the western Mediterranean. The Greeks’ education focused on the study of philosophy. The Romans, on the other hand, were preoccupied with war, conquest, politics, and civil administration. As in Greece, only a minority of Romans attended school. Schooling was for those who had the money to pay tuition and the time to attend classes. While girls from wealthy families occasionally learned to read and write at home, boys attended a primary school, called aludus. In secondary schools boys studied Latin and Greek grammar taught by Greek slaves, called pedagogues. After primary and secondary school, wealthy young men often attended schools of rhetoric or oratory that prepared them to be leaders in government and administration. Cicero, a 1st century BC Roman senator, combined Greek and Roman ideas on how to educate orators in his book De Oratore. Like Isocrates, Cicero believed orators should be educated in liberal arts subjects such as grammar, rhetoric, logic, mathematics, and astronomy. He also asserted that they should study ethics, military science, natural science, geography, history, and law. Quintilian, an influential Roman educator who lived in the 1st century AD, wrote that education should be based on the stages of individual development from childhood to adulthood. Quintilian devised specific lessons for each stage. He also advised teachers to make their lessons suited to the student’s readiness and ability to learn new material. He urged teachers to motivate students by making learning interesting and attractive. VIANCIENT JEWISH EDUCATION Education among the Jewish people also had a profound influence on Western learning. The ancient Jews had great respect for the printed word and believed that God revealed truth to them in the Bible. Most information on ancient Jewish goals and methods of education comes from the Bible and the Talmud, a book of religious and civil law. Jewish religious leaders, known as rabbis, advised parents to teach their children religious beliefs, law, ethical practices, and vocational skills. Both boys and girls were introduced to religion by studying the Torah, the most sacred document of Judaism. Rabbis taught in schools within synagogues, places of worship and religious study. VIIMEDIEVAL EDUCATION During the Middle Ages, or the medieval period, which lasted roughly from the 5th to the 15th century, Western society and education were heavily shaped by Christianity, particularly the Roman Catholic Church. The Church operated parish, chapel, and monastery schools at the elementary level. Schools in monasteries and cathedrals offered secondary education. Much of the teaching in these schools was directed at learning Latin, the old Roman language used by the church in its ceremonies and teachings. The church provided some limited opportunities for the education of women in religious communities or convents. Convents had libraries and schools to help prepare nuns to follow the religious rules of their communities. Merchant and craft guilds also maintained some schools that provided basic education and training in specific crafts. Knights received training in military tactics and the code of chivalry. As in the Greek and Roman eras, only a minority of people went to school during the medieval period. Schools were attended primarily by persons planning to enter religious life such as priests, monks, or nuns. The vast majority of people were serfs who served as agricultural workers on the estates of feudal lords. The serfs, who did not attend school, were generally illiterate (see Serfdom). In the 10th and early 11th centuries, Arabic learning had a pronounced influence on Western education. From contact with Arab scholars in North Africa and Spain, Western educators learned new ways of thinking about mathematics, natural science, medicine, and philosophy. The Arabic number system was especially important, and became the foundation of Western arithmetic. Arab scholars also preserved and translated into Arabic the works of such influential Greek scholars as Aristotle, Euclid, Galen, and Ptolemy. Because many of these works had disappeared from Europe by the Middle Ages, they might have been lost forever if Arab scholars such as Avicenna and Averroes had not preserved them. In the 11th century medieval scholars developed Scholasticism, a philosophical and educational movement that used both human reason and revelations from the Bible. Upon encountering the works of Aristotle and other Greek philosophers from Arab scholars, the Scholastics attempted to reconcile Christian theology with Greek philosophy. Scholasticism reached its high point in the Summa Theologiae of Saint Thomas Aquinas, a 13th century Dominican theologian who taught at the University of Paris. Aquinas reconciled the authority of religious faith, represented by the Scriptures, with Greek reason, represented by Aristotle. Aquinas described the teacher’s vocation as one that combines faith, love, and learning. The work of Aquinas and other Scholastics took place in the medieval institutions of higher education, the universities. The famous European universities of Paris, Salerno, Bologna, Oxford, Cambridge, and Padua grew out of the Scholastics-led intellectual revival of the 12th and 13th centuries. The name university comes from the Latin word universitas, or associations, in reference to the associations that students and teachers organized to discuss academic issues. Medieval universities offered degrees in the liberal arts and in professional studies such as theology, law, and medicine. VIIIEDUCATION DURING THE RENAISSANCE The Renaissance, or rebirth of learning, began in Europe in the 14th century and reached its height in the 15th century. Scholars became more interested in the humanist features—that is, the secular or worldly rather than the religious aspects—of the Greek and Latin classics. Humanist educators found their models of literary style in the classics. The Renaissance was a particularly powerful force in Italy, most notably in art, literature, and architecture. In literature, the works of such Italian writers as Dante Aleghieri, Petrarch, and Giovanni Boccaccio became especially important. Humanist educators designed teaching methods to prepare well-rounded, liberally educated persons. Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus was particularly influential. Erasmus believed that understanding and conversing about the meaning of literature was more important than memorizing it, as had been required at many of the medieval religious schools. He advised teachers to study such fields as archaeology, astronomy, mythology, history, and Scripture. The invention of the printing press in the mid-15th century made books more widely available and increased literacy rates (see Printing). But school attendance did not increase greatly during the Renaissance. Elementary schools educated middle-class children while lower-class children received little, if any, formal schooling. Children of the nobility and upper classes attended humanist secondary schools. Educational opportunities for women improved slightly during the Renaissance, especially for the upper classes. Some girls from wealthy families attended schools of the royal court or received private lessons at home. The curriculum studied by young women was still based on the belief that only certain subjects, such as art, music, needlework, dancing, and poetry, were suited for females. For working-class girls, especially rural peasants, education was still limited to training in household duties such as cooking and sewing. IXEDUCATION DURING THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION The religious Reformation of the 16th century marked a decline in the authority of the Catholic Church and contributed to the emergence of the middle classes in Europe. Protestant religious reformers, such as John Calvin, Martin Luther, and Huldreich Zwingli, rejected the authority of the Catholic pope and created reformed Christian, or Protestant, churches. In their ardent determination to instruct followers to read the Bible in their native language, reformers extended literacy to the masses. They established vernacular primary schools that offered a basic curriculum of reading, writing, arithmetic, and religion for children in their own language. Vernacular schools in England, for example, used English to teach their pupils. As they argued with each other and with the Roman Catholics on religious matters, Protestant educators wrote catechisms—primary books that summarized their religious doctrine—in a question and answer format. While the vernacular schools educated both boys and girls at the primary level, upper-class boys attended preparatory and secondary schools that continued to emphasize Latin and Greek. The gymnasium in Germany, the Latin grammar school in England, and the lycee in France were preparatory schools that taught young men the classical languages of Latin and Greek required to enter universities. Martin Luther believed the state, family, and school, along with the church, were leaders of the Reformation. Since the family shaped children’s character, Luther encouraged parents to teach their children reading and religion. Each family should pray together, read the Bible, study the catechism, and practice a useful trade. Luther believed that government should assist schools in educating literate, productive, and religious citizens. One of Luther’s colleagues, German religious reformer Melanchthon, wrote the school code for the German region of Wurttemberg, which became a model for other regions of Germany and influenced education throughout Europe. According to this code, the government was responsible for supervising schools and licensing teachers. The Protestant reformers retained the dual-class school system that had developed in the Renaissance. Vernacular schools provided primary instruction for the lower classes, and the various classical humanist and Latin grammar schools prepared upper-class males for higher education. XEDUCATIONAL THEORY IN THE 17TH CENTURY Educators of the 17th century developed new ways of thinking about education. Czech education reformer Jan Komensky, known as Comenius, was particularly influential. A bishop of the Moravian Church, Comenius escaped religious persecution by taking refuge in Poland, Hungary, Sweden, and The Netherlands. He created a new educational philosophy called Pansophism, or universal knowledge, designed to bring about worldwide understanding and peace. Comenius advised teachers to use children’s senses rather than memorization in instruction. To make learning interesting for children, he wrote The Gate of Tongues Unlocked (1631), a book for teaching Latin in the student’s own language. He also wrote Orbis Sensualium Pictus (1658; The Visible World in Pictures, 1659) consisting of illustrations that labeled objects in both their Latin and vernacular names. It was one of the first illustrated books written especially for children. The work of English philosopher John Locke influenced education in Britain and North America. Locke examined how people acquire ideas in An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690). He asserted that at birth the human mind is a blank slate, or tabula rasa, and empty of ideas. We acquire knowledge, he argued, from the information about the objects in the world that our senses bring to us. We begin with simple ideas and then combine them into more complex ones. Locke believed that individuals acquire knowledge most easily when they first consider simple ideas and then gradually combine them into more complex ones. In Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1697), Locke recommended practical learning to prepare people to manage their social, economic, and political affairs efficiently. He believed that a sound education began in early childhood and insisted that the teaching of reading, writing, and arithmetic be gradual and cumulative. Locke’s curriculum included conversational learning of foreign languages, especially French, mathematics, history, physical education, and games. XIEDUCATION DURING THE ENLIGHTENMENT The Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century produced important changes in education and educational theory. During the Enlightenment, also called the Age of Reason, educators believed people could improve their lives and society by using their reason, their powers of critical thinking. The Enlightenment’s ideas had a significant impact on the American Revolution (1775-1783) and early educational policy in the United States. In particular, American philosopher and scientist Benjamin Franklin emphasized the value of utilitarian and scientific education in American schools. Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, stressed the importance of civic education to the citizens of a democratic nation. The Enlightenment principles that considered education as an instrument of social reform and improvement remain fundamental characteristics of American education policy. XIIEDUCATION IN THE 19TH CENTURY The foundations of modern education were established in the 19th century. Swiss educator Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, inspired by the work of French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau, developed an educational method based on the natural world and the senses. Pestalozzi established schools in Switzerland and Germany to educate children and train teachers. He affirmed that schools should resemble secure and loving homes. Like Locke and Rousseau, Pestalozzi believed that thought began with sensation and that teaching should use the senses. Holding that children should study the objects in their natural environment, Pestalozzi developed a so-called â€Å"object lesson† that involved exercises in learning form, number, and language. Pupils determined and traced an object’s form, counted objects, and named them. Students progressed from these lessons to exercises in drawing, writing, adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, and reading. Pestalozzi employed the following principles in teaching: (1) begin with the concrete object before introducing abstract concepts; (2) begin with the immediate environment before dealing with what is distant and remote; (3) begin with easy exercises before introducing complex ones; and (4) always proceed gradually, cumulatively, and slowly. American educator Henry Barnard, the first U. S. Commissioner of Education, introduced Pestalozzi’s ideas to the United States in the late 19th century. Barnard also worked for the establishment of free public high schools for students of all classes of American society. German philosopher Johann Herbart emphasized moral education and designed a highly structured teaching technique. Maintaining that education’s primary goal is moral development, Herbart claimed good character rested on knowledge while misconduct resulted from an inadequate education. Knowledge, he said, should create an â€Å"apperceptive mass†Ã¢â‚¬â€a network of ideas—in a person’s mind to which new ideas can be added. He wanted to include history, geography, and literature in the school curriculum as well as reading, writing, and arithmetic. Based on his work, Herbart’s followers designed a five-step teaching method: (1) prepare the pupils to be ready for the new lesson, (2) present the new lesson, (3) associate the new lesson with ideas studied earlier, (4) use examples to illustrate the lesson’s major points, and (5) test pupils to ensure they had learned the new lesson. AKindergarten German educator Friedrich Froebel created the earliest kindergarten, a form of preschool education that literally means â€Å"child’s garden† in German. Froebel, who had an unhappy childhood, urged teachers to think back to their own childhoods to find insights they could use in their teaching. Froebel studied at Pestalozzi’s institute in Yverdon, Switzerland, from 1808 to 1810. While agreeing with Pestalozzi’s emphasis on the natural world, a kindly school atmosphere, and the object lesson, Froebel felt that Pestalozzi’s method was not philosophical enough. Froebel believed that every child’s inner self contained a spiritual essence—a spark of divine energy—that enabled a child to learn independently. In 1837 Froebel opened a kindergarten in Blankenburg with a curriculum that featured songs, stories, games, gifts, and occupations. The songs and stories stimulated the imaginations of children and introduced them to folk heroes and cultural values. Games developed children’s social and physical skills. By playing with each other, children learned to participate in a group. Froebel’s gifts, including such objects as spheres, cubes, and cylinders, were designed to enable the child to understand the concept that the object represented. Occupations consisted of materials children could use in building activities. For example, clay, sand, cardboard, and sticks could be used to build castles, cities, and mountains. Immigrants from Germany brought the kindergarten concept to the United States, where it became part of the American school system. Margarethe Meyer Schurz opened a German-language kindergarten in Watertown, Wisconsin, in 1855. Elizabeth Peabody established an English-language kindergarten and a training school for kindergarten teachers in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1860. William Torrey Harris, superintendent of schools in St. Louis, Missouri, and later a U. S. commissioner of education, made the kindergarten part of the American public school system. BSocial Darwinism British sociologist Herbert Spencer strongly influenced education in the mid-19th century with social theories based on the theory of evolution developed by British naturalist Charles Darwin. Spencer revised Darwin’s biological theory into social Darwinism, a body of ideas that applied the theory of evolution to society, politics, the economy, and education. Spencer maintained that in modern industrialized societies, as in earlier simpler societies, the â€Å"fittest† individuals of each generation survived because they were intelligent and adaptable. Competition caused the brightest and strongest individuals to climb to the top of the society. Urging unlimited competition, Spencer wanted government to restrict its activities to the bare minimum. He opposed public schools, claiming that they would create a monopoly for mediocrity by catering to students of low ability. He wanted private schools to compete against each other in trying to attract the brightest students and most capable teachers. Spencer’s social Darwinism became very popular in the last half of the 19th century when industrialization was changing American and Western European societies. Spencer believed that people in industrialized society needed scientific rather than classical education. Emphasizing education in practical skills, he advocated a curriculum featuring lessons in five basic human activities: (1) those needed for self-preservation such as health, diet, and exercise; (2) those needed to perform one’s occupation so that a person can earn a living, including the basic skills of reading, writing, computation, and knowledge of the sciences; (3) those needed for parenting, to raise children properly; (4) those needed to participate in society and politics; and (5) those needed for leisure and recreation. Spencer’s ideas on education were eagerly accepted in the United States. In 1918 the Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education, a report issued by the National Education Association, used Spencer’s list of activities in its recommendations for American education. XIIINATIONAL SYSTEMS OF EDUCATION In the 19th century, governments in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and other European countries organized national systems of public education. The United States, Canada, Argentina, Uruguay, and other countries in North and South America also established national education systems based largely on European models. AIn the United Kingdom. The Church of England and other churches often operated primary schools in the United Kingdom, where students paid a small fee to study the Bible, catechism, reading, writing, and arithmetic. In 1833 the British Parliament passed a law that gave some government funds to these schools. In 1862 the United Kingdom established a school grant system, called payment by results, in which schools received funds based on their students’ performance on reading, writing, and arithmetic tests. The Education Act of 1870, called the Forster Act, authorized local government boards to establish public board schools. The United Kingdom then had two schools systems: board schools operated by the government and voluntary schools conducted by the churches and other private organizations. In 1878 the United Kingdom passed laws that limited child labor in factories and made it possible for more children to attend school. To make schooling available to working-class children, many schools with limited public and private funds used monitorial methods of instruction. Monitorial education, developed by British educators Joseph Lancaster and Andrew Bell, used student monitors to conduct lessons. It offered the fledgling public education system the advantage of allowing schools to hire fewer teachers to instruct the large number of new students. Schools featuring monitorial education used older boys, called monitors, who were more advanced in their studies, to teach younger children. Monitorial education concentrated on basic skills—reading, writing, and arithmetic—that were broken down into small parts or units. After a monitor had learned a unit—such as spelling words of two or three letters that began with the letter A—he would, under the master teacher’s supervision, teach this unit to a group of students. By the end of the 19th century, the monitorial system was abandoned in British schools because it provided a very limited education. BIn Russia Russian tsar Alexander II initiated education reforms leading to the Education Statute of 1864. This law created zemstvos, local government units, which operated primary schools. In addition to zemstvo schools, the Russian Orthodox Church conducted parish schools. While the number of children attending school slowly increased, most of Russia’s population remained illiterate. Peasants often refused to send their children to school so that they could work on the farms. More boys attended school than girls since many peasant parents considered female education unnecessary. Fearing that too much education would make people discontented with their lives, the tsar’s government provided only limited schooling to instill political loyalty and religious piety. CIn the United States Before the 19th century elementary and secondary education in the United States was organized on a local or regional level. Nearly all schools operated on private funds exclusively. However, beginning in the 1830s and 1840s, American educators such as Henry Barnard and Horace Mann argued for the creation of a school system operated by individual states that would provide an equal education for all American children. In 1852 Massachusetts passed the first laws calling for free public education, and by 1918 all U. S. states had passed compulsory school attendance laws. See Public Education in the United States. XIVEDUCATION IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY At the beginning of the 20th century, the writings of Swedish feminist and educator Ellen Key influenced education around the world. Key’s book Barnets arhundrade (1900; The Century of the Child,1909) was translated into many languages and inspired so-called progressive educators in various countries. Progressive education was a system of teaching that emphasized the needs and potentials of the child, rather than the needs of society or the principles of religion. Among the influential progressive educators were Hermann Lietz and Georg Michael Kerschensteiner of Germany, Bertrand Russell of England, and Maria Montessori of Italy. AMontessori Montessori’s methods of early childhood education have become internationally popular. Trained in medicine, Montessori worked with developmentally disabled children early in her career. The results of her work were so effective that she believed her teaching methods could be used to educate all children. In 1907 Montessori established a children’s school, the Casa dei Bambini (Children’s House), for poor children from the San Lorenzo district of Rome. Here she developed a specially prepared environment that featured materials and activities based on her observations of children. She found that children enjoy mastering specific skills, prefer work to play, and can sustain concentration. She also believed that children have a power to learn independently if provided a properly stimulating environment. Montessori’s curriculum emphasized three major classes of activity: (1) practical, (2) sensory, and (3) formal skills and studies. It introduced children to such practical activities as setting the table, serving a meal, washing dishes, tying and buttoning clothing, and practicing basic social manners. Repetitive exercises developed sensory and muscular coordination. Formal skills and subjects included reading, writing, and arithmetic. Montessori designed special teaching materials to develop these skills, including laces, buttons, weights, and materials identifiable by their sound or smell. Instructors provided the materials for the children and demonstrated the lessons but allowed each child to independently learn the particular skill or behavior. In 1913 Montessori lectured in the United States on her educational method.

Difficult Relationships Between Adults And Children Essay

In many of the stories, the writers describe difficult relationships between adults and children. Compare the relationships that the writers present to the reader in two stories and explore the ways the relationships between the adults and children change as the stories develop. In this essay, I will be exploring the relationships between adults and children in â€Å"Flight† and â€Å"Your Shoes†. It seems to me that both stories have children and adults that are in similar positions. The content and style of the stories are similar in some ways and different in other ways. For example, the main problem in both stories is the daughter leaving home for the first time. Another example of a difference is â€Å"Flight† is written in third-person whereas â€Å"Your Shoes† is not. â€Å"Your Shoes† is a story told from the perspective of a mother who has suffered a great loss, as her daughter has run away. She seems to be forced to realise that she is very upset with aspects of her life. The mother is writing a letter to her daughter describing all the unhappy things that have happened to her. For example, her childhood and details of her marriage. All this seems to stem from the fact that her mother has recently died. â€Å"Flight† is a story about leaving home and becoming independent. The story tells of an old man who keeps birds and seems to be very protective of his last granddaughter. He has seen his other granddaughters leave home, marry, and grow up. He seems to be slightly jealous of Steven who is Alice’s boyfriend. In the story, the birds seem to symbolise the granddaughter. This also could be interpreted as the birds symbolising how the grandfather would like the granddaughter to be like. In the end, the grandfather lets the granddaughter go and this is symbolised in the release of his favourite pigeon. It seems to me that the relationship in â€Å"Flight† between Alice and her grandfather is quite close. I think this because both seem to have a mutual understanding of each other. One example of this would be Steven giving a pigeon to the grandfather. I think this is the case, as I don’t think Steven would have given a bird to the granddad on his own accord. Therefore, this would mean Alice thoughtfully made Steven give the bird to show the granddad that he could look after the bird instead of her. â€Å"Your shoes† is quite different. The author of â€Å"Your shoes† has developed the mothers character in such a way the reader can get a real good insight in what the mother is thinking. This gives us much more detail then anything we got from the Grandfather in â€Å"Flight†. The mother seems to the reader frustrated that people don’t act in the â€Å"proper† way. In the end the mother is left holding her daughters shoes as if they were her substitute. This is quite an extreme from the reaction the grandfather took as he was able to let her daughter take â€Å"flight†. During both stories, the relationships between the adults and the children all seem to mature for better or worse. In â€Å"flight† the relationship between Alice and her Granddad all changes when Steven presents a pigeon to the granddad. The Granddad seems get a revelation and changes his view on the relationship between Steven and Alice. He accepts the fact that his little granddaughter has grown up. This is symbolised in him releasing his favourite pigeon. In â€Å"Your Shoes† we can not see the relationship at first hand but from the detailed insights from the mother we can assume a lot of things. I think that the relationship between mother and daughter was never very strong. Firstly, the daughter who was very fond of her grandmother had died. The mother detested her own mother and we assume that it must have hurt that her daughter preferred her Grandmother to herself. Then finally the daughter running away seems to symbolise there whole relationship. This is quite somewhat different from â€Å"Flight† as mother in â€Å"Your Shoes† seems to go mad, in the end sucking on her daughters shoelaces. In conclusion, both stories seem to have similar relationships at the starting of the story as the children want to grow up. Then both relationships shoot off in different directions, as the mother in â€Å"Your shoes† was unable to let go while the Grandfather in â€Å"Flight† let his granddaughter free.

Born free generation

?It is not for nothing that the born free youth in 2013 has been named the â€Å"me generation†. Today’s people growing up are materialistic, self indulged and obsessed with themselves. This essay will explore that 19 years after the first the first democratic elections in South Africa, the young people of today are little different from their counterparts else where in the world. My argument will show that this is somewhat ironic because politically inspired school pupils were the catalysts for one of the most important resistances against the apartheid government. In 1976 the National Party attempted to modify the education act and insist that Afrikaans be the medium of instruction for Bantu education. On the 16th of June politicised and angry young teenagers poured into the streets of Soweto equipped with suitcases and stones. They confronted heavily armed policemen and the might of the South African military with the determination to express their outrage at yet another political injustice. Hector Peterson lost his life on this day and his limp body became emblematic of a politicised youth determined to make South Africa a democratic country. When President’s Kennedy, Nixon and Johnson involved the United States of America in a war across the globe, to minimise the influence of communism, young people in America took to the streets and protested vigorously across the land. Indeed, this event characterised popular culture to such an extent that protest music became a genre popular worldwide. Singers such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Peter, Paul and Mary voiced the objections of the â€Å"Love Generation†. Music in fact became the medium for political resistance in South Africa as well; Johnny Klegg became the â€Å"white Zulu† and his anthropologist wrote resistance songs, which young people in South Africa promoted with much vigour and enthusiasm. Stephanie Powers too became a voice of political decent and her raspy voice with songs like â€Å"Last night when we were young† energised disco techs in which young South African’s danced the night away. However, 19 years after the demise of Apartheid, young South Africans are no longer interested in political and social protest music, in fact the pop genre has never enjoyed such wide spirit support in this country. Justin Bieber’s concert in Cape Town and Gauteng enjoyed unprecedented popularity and support. The columnist for the Sunday times exclaimed on the 14th of may that the hysterical behaviour of so many young girls was reason for great concern in fact anyone attending this concert could not have failed to be struck by one of the great ironies of one of the great â€Å"Musical bonanza† in Soweto, a bowl of poverty and deprivation. In fact, a sensitive appreciation of these ironies can be little other then down right embarrassing. However, if this were limited to one outing only, young people’s self indulgence and narcissism might be forgiven however, Johannesburg Stadium has been the host to Lady Gaga, The Red Hot Chilli Pepper and U2, in each case promoters smile at ticket sales and the amount of money made from each outing. Furthermore, it would be a little naive to believe that this is a characteristic only displayed by the youth of South Africa. Young people worldwide it would appear are pleasure seeking and selfish and are all too willing to emulate and worship celebrity culture. Charlotte Metcalfe in her article, â€Å"Where are all the role models, the real heroines we once revered† satirises adolescent hero worship of figures such as Cheryl Cole

Organization Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Organization Management - Essay Example Knowledge management as a practice emerged at the beginning of the 1990s and, to a certain extent, is considered as still in its infancy. According to Bounfour (2003) "KM can be defined as a set of procedures, infrastructures, technical and managerial tools, designed towards creating, circulating (sharing) and leveraging information and knowledge within and around organizations". (Bounfour, 2003, p. 156) Therefore, from this perspective, KM involves several dimensions: individual, group, organisation and networks of organizations. KM which often consists of communities can be conceptualized as groups or organizations whose primary purpose is the development and promulgation of collective knowledge. Knowledge communities are a prevalent and increasingly important form of contemporary organization. For example, all of the major social sciences are organized as knowledge communities consisting of numerous researchers whose common goal is the advancement of knowledge within their discipline (Porter, 1995). Within such communities, knowledge is typically disseminated through a variety of mechanisms. These include formal routines and procedures, such as publication of original research in scholarly journals and presentation of work-in-progress at academic conferences. Knowledge is also disseminated through various informal mechanisms, such as circulation of unpublished manuscripts and the exchange of preliminary ideas and data through electronic mail. Whether formal or informal, such mechanisms are intended to facilitate the steady accumulation, integration, and rapid diffusion of emerging insights and innovations within the community. (Levine et al, 1999, p. 164) There are two types of mobilizable knowledge within an organization: Knowledge which is assimilatable to pure information, i.e. a stock of items, having a relatively weak combinatory potential, in particular in terms of innovation: commercial information on current customers, information on the priority sectors, information on the firm. Knowledge having, on the contrary, a high combinatory potential both inside and outside the firm: such is the case, in particular, for the best practices and grey literature, whose vocation is to affirm the potentially developable added value by the company. Being furtive by nature, best practices can be combined with other best practices to produce better 'new best practices'. The same applies to the grey literature; whose vocation is to affirm the definitely distinctive character of the company's supply. The publics targeted by the use and production of this knowledge can, to a certain extent, be differentiated. Thus information of a commercial nature is addressed initially to the players in a situation of sale or in a first approach to selling services. On the other hand, the grey literature concerns initially 'the intellectuals', i.e. those in charge of the development of new activities. (Bounfour, 2003, p. 164) How organizations learn In order to gain access to the learning of organizations, we have to dig history a bit. It started when classic bureaucratic organizations started to link learning to professionalization. Therefore researchers like Swieringa and Wierdsma (Swieringa and Wierdsma, 1992, p. 140) argued that the learning organization concept may be a

DuPond fibre Inc Marketing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

DuPond fibre Inc Marketing - Case Study Example Thus the technological upgradation works need to be undertaken without causing much harm to the prevailing business volumes. Further, all the management functions too need to be appropriately re-engineered to meet the future growth expectation of the company and also to retain its competitive advantage being enjoyed currently. The brief descriptions on the type of initiatives being undertaken in the various departments are explained as follows. The supporting data and the other relevant information about all the decision being presented here given separately in the Appendix. The raw materials being used in both type of the processes are the same and no significant change in the type materials procured for the process exist. But the change in volume of procurement would certainly vary occurs across the sites of production. Earlier, pattern of procurement was identical at site 1 and site 2, while the site 3 had almost three times higher rates of procurement than the earlier mentioned locations. But in the changed scenario all the locations would be having same procurement patterns after full-scale operations are in place at all the centers of production. And with increased volume requirement identification the current suppliers would be given the license of the supply and also to maintain the identical quality of materials supplied. On production sigi On production sigifinificant changes are expected. The change over of operations from the production of one type of fibre to the other need a careful planning. Both at site 1 and site 2, a new set of facilities would be installed. This might require atleast 3 to 4 years due to the process involved in approvals and installation works. In 2006, the modification to the facilities could also be initiated as the sales forecast is lesser in 2008. This process might require only 2 years. Once, site 1 modifications is completed ,site 2 works could also be initiated. Thus by 2009 , four fully functional facilities would be in operation to produce the modified fibre. The only one of the three units at the site 3 shall be changed to accommodate the new type of production process. The other two types here shall be retained for the manufacture of non-woven fibres. Sales and Marketing The major change in the marketing process is to bring a new set of customers to its modified fibre product. Though all its non-woven customers have not shifted to the newer product, it leaves a big exercise to create a new set of clients for its products (Kotler and Amstrong, 2001). The major marketing campaign involves extensive business conference that has been arranged for all the industry operators to create the importance of the modified fibre supplied by the company. The sales team would be set into operation to generate the potential sales. These exercises have a time of 4 years from now as the forecasted sales is 3 million Kg in the year 2009. With the prevailing demand for these type of fibres, the sales team would generate higher sales volume as the expected sales from this product category is 30 million Kg of fibre. Finance/ Costing Based on the forecasts presented in demand it is estimated significant investments would be required during the period from 2006 to 2009 (Beasley, n.d.). The with the total volume of sales in 2006 is reported as 24.7 million Kg of fibre. With the prices of 0.9 UD dollars for every Kg of non-woven fiibre, the

Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Management Assignment - 4

Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Management - Assignment Example The business planning process consists in following some step by step processes which needs to be documented for an organization to have a clear insight and direction for work. Critical appraisal of the business planning process The business planning process has a lot of loopholes and most traditional business plans are criticized to be overtly formal and rigid. Here we will critically appraise a business planning process. Idea generation The first step of a business plan is the visualization of a new product or service which the enterprise desires to provide. In fact it outlines the key to future growth prospects. However, before taking a decision as to which product or service should be started, a thorough market research including customer’s preferences should be conducted. Most organizations rely on the traditional methods in order to research on the idea generation and come to a decision. The traditional techniques are usually based on the inputs provided by customers and these may be extremely biased. These techniques identify a target market for the product or service and randomly conduct a customer focused survey to come to a conclusion (Lilien et al. 2002). Another key barrier to the idea generation process is that firms may hurriedly decide and document a product or a service idea. In this case thorough research may not have been conducted probably due to lack of skill and knowledge and faulty processes (Flint 2000). Hence; most business ideas may never be implemented. Other constraints faced by firms may be with reference to garnering sufficient funds to start a business. If the firm is not able to procure funds then the business idea is scrapped and the top management has to again come out with a new business idea. Strategic objectives The next step in the business planning process consists in setting short term and long term goals and strategies. It is very necessary to set up goals so that a pre determined path can be chalked out to attain strategic objectives. However, most planners may come up with highly unrealistic and unattainable objectives. This is one of the principal reasons for the failure of the business planning process. This may occur due to the fact that the top management team has a divided opinion or is not wholly involved in the planning process (Mintzberg 1994). Also the planners have to work under uncertain market conditions and hence they need to monitor the goals from time to time. Most firms do not bother to discuss and make changes to the pre determined goals and this may lead to failure of the business plan. Market analysis and research The organization needs to thoroughly research the customer market by conducting a SWOT analysis. A SWOT analysis is a thorough research conducted with reference to identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threat of the product market and the customer market. The main problem encountered in a market research is that the data collected may be outda ted or irrelevant for the purpose. In this case, the results generated on the basis of the research may be biased or flawed. Another problem organizations encounter is with the location

Twelve Security Attack Trends of 2011 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Twelve Security Attack Trends of 2011 - Essay Example People involved in the business of hacking widely adopt this attack. Security products are not yet able to launch any remedy for it (ComputerWeekly 2010) The second security threat is about file security which is from sharing of files, applications and database that is growing at the rate of 60% annually. File sharing is getting popular day by day specially after launching of Microsoft product Sharepoint. Expansion of Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS) technology to organizations and files besides databases and web applications have open new doors for the attacks Careful measures are needed to protect attacks such as data thefts and files manipulations (ComputerWeekly 2010) The third security threat is from the growth of Smartphones market due to its integration with various web applications and global databases. Intimation to consumers about completion of each and every transaction in their account through SMS messaging services has generated new opportunities for hackers who could use the path of sending data outside the domain for attack. This path of data transition can be used by intruders for data theft and unauthorised access (ComputerWeekly 2010) The fourth security threat is from cloud computing as the large infrastructure of information technology is now rapidly shifting to cloud where hackers and intruders are already present. They will come side by side and the chance of security breach will increase. Opportunities for attacking will develop with the development of consumers and customers of cloud computing (ComputerWeekly 2010) The fifth security threat is from insider. The high rate of job loss due to economic recessions have built a huge source of people who are frustrated and disgruntled and ready to take revenge or make money. The economic pressure and opportunities for selling information may pose serious threats to their previous employers (ComputerWeekly 2010) The sixth security threat is from social networks which have attacked privacy of many people by collecting information in the name of personal profiles. Tricks such as false promises and incomplete information are used to attract people for collection of personal information (ComputerWeekly 2010) The seventh security threat is from convergence of regulations of most countries and to have global laws for data security and privacy. This can bring many more opportunities for intruders and hackers (ComputerWeekly 2010) The eighth security threat is from the separation of cyber security and business operations. Keeping cyber security apart from business operations has created huge opportunities for hackers and individuals. The trend of making cyber security the part of business operations is developing rapidly for example Intel Corporation made acquisition of McAfee and HP of Fortify (ComputerWeekly 2010) The ninth security threat is from the proactive approach of security practitioners which has although helped in catching more hackers, created strong professional ‘bar’ of hackers (ComputerWeekly 2010) The tenth security threat is from the attacks of hackers on industry. Success of industrialized hackers has encouraged many more hackers to learn and adopt this approach (ComputerWeekly 2010) Figure 1 shows the extract from (ComputerWeekly 2010) which describes the above ten security threats of 2011 Figure 1: Extract (ComputerWeekly 2010) The eleventh security threat is from cyber war which began with the leakages of Stuxnet and

Marketing Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Marketing Plan - Essay Example At the moment, it can be seen that the economic outlook of the US is dim with the FED Chairman announcing that the nation will be experiencing a recession due to the extended problems of trade and budget deficit coupled with the overvalued currency (Bernanke Warns of Possible US Recession 2008). Noting the capital intensive nature of the aircraft production and airline operation, technical expertise together with the ability to accurately price long term contracts become the key primary concerns. This makes large business organizations capitalize on economies of scale in design, manufacturing, and purchasing. On the other hand, smaller companies concentrate on the manufacture of smaller parts and focusing on small market niches. In order to differentiate themselves from the rapidly proliferating no-frills airlines, they are capitalizing in adding value-added services in order to attract and retain customers (Hoovers Database 2008). Airbus is a European aircraft manufacturer headquartered at Toulouse, France and has long been recognized as Boeing's toughest rival. The company is established in 1970 and currently employs 57,000 people in four European Union countries.

Australian industrial relations and employment law reforms Assignment

Australian industrial relations and employment law reforms - Assignment Example State involvement in industrial relations actions is both interesting and questionable, especially where politics that come with it are put into consideration. This paper seeks to critically analyse the reforms in employment sector by pointing out various benefits and poor decisions that were made in Australia for the past two decades. 2.0 Industrial Relations and Employment Law Reforms The establishment of the commonwealth conciliation and arbitration commission was a major step towards bringing towards finding a peaceful resolution to industrial relations. It also did recognize trade unions and this was a major boost for collective bargaining. All the registered unions became part and parcel of institutional framework that was meant for the Australian industrial relations. ... In 2005, workplace choices was introduced and this market the start of the Australian workplace agreements (AWA) and this was followed by the drastic disbandment of unfair dismissal laws which was targeting the employers that have less than one hundred employees (Hyslop & Stillman, 2004, pp.2). The language of employment relations has also been adjusted to include certain terms like high involvement which do bring out the aspect of employee motivation to work. Such linguistic changes also do emphasise the critical needs for teamwork, multiskilling and general involvement of employees to ensure that high levels of performance in terms of productivity and quality standards are achieved. Generally, the feeling for employees in Australia has been the lack of inclusion or consultation when it comes to keys issues that have an impact on their work and life (Quiggan, 2005, pp.2-6). Reports of over-working, high stress levels and lack of job security seems to have been the main driving force in this approach. The national employment relations have really changed. During these changes, the industrial relations reform was a major issue on the agenda of various political parties and has continued to elicit much debate from the political seen. 3.0 Industrial relations reforms amid hidden political interests When the Australian labour part got elected in 2007, introduction of Fair Work Australia and WorkChoices came onto being. This two employment systems had a major impact on the workforce of Australia and changed the face of employment relations and how the citizens view it. They also marked the beginning of State participation in the industrial relations. The election of Liberal National Coalition party that

Corporate Logos and Their Change in Design over the Years Research Paper

Corporate Logos and Their Change in Design over the Years - Research Paper Example The researcher states that Jim Nash made a black and white headshot of Quaker Man in 1946. This eliminated the other constituents of Quaker Man’s body which symbolized a more focus in providing the higher quality of products, matched with a smiling facial expression that conveyed a more positive outlook towards the consumers. In 1957, Haddon Sundblom painted a colored version of Quaker Man’s headshot which was used up until the recent times. In 1972, the company logo produced a radically redesigned monochromatic logo by Saul Bass. This signified a unified company, which embodies one single goal patterned after the honest and true values of the owners. However, as the company approached the contemporary era, the logo was shifted back to Sundblom’s original version, with a bigger Quaker word and an embossed gold border surrounding the headshot of Quaker Man. Recently, Quaker introduced a new logo set in Archer typeface, which is popularized by Hoefler and Frere-Jon es. The typical all-caps company name was replaced by a new font style that shows a simple and friendly ambiance. The Quaker Man was moved from the center portion of the logo to the inner portion of the letter Q. This was made after Quaker introduced a new line of tasty delights as they continue to venture into the global market. The logo produced a rather interesting message that is both eye-catching and message instilling. The Visa logo was typically shown in a flag design with the colors blue, white and gold. The blue and gold colors were associated with the blue skies and the golden hills of California, where the BankAmericard originated. At the company’s early times, Visa was originally a lending instrument that provided aid for people who are in need of financial assistance.

Alcohol the legal killer Essay Example for Free

Alcohol the legal killer Essay Alcohol is an ordinary name for a substance which is chemically known as ethyl alcohol, pure spirits or grain alcohol. Ethyl alcohol is a kind of wine which is produced for medical and other purposes. Alcohol drink is every beverage that has ethyl alcohol intoxicating quantities. The amount of pure alcohol must not exceed more than two percent in beers and not more than sixty eight percent in absinthe. Alcohol is legally allowed to produce and sale in the most of the countries of the world particularly in the western countries. Alcohol is not much dangerous for the drunken person if it is taken in low quantities but it will be more dangerous to life it will be used in bulk and on a regular basis. Alcohol is the part of culture in many countries like India and Australia but it is a silent killer and legal killer because of its negative effects. People like to drink for relaxation, socialization, celebration and taste but most of people lose balance in drinking then travel on the path which goes to death. Alcohol is legally allowed in many countries for drinking but there are some conditions on its usage like a person cannot drink more than a specific amount of alcohol and no one can drive a vehicle if he or she has drunk. But these conditions are not discouraging the use of alcohol as it is also a form of drugs like heroin, opium, hash and cocaine. All these drugs are dangerous for life so all are banned on all countries of the world but the only drug which is legally permissible for producing, selling and using all over the world. In other words it is a license to kill the humanity for its manufactures and sellers. Alcohol has many drawbacks and it is very harmful and fatal for human beings so it should also be banned like other drugs. Every year alcohol related problems are being recorded by US Department of Justice which includes physical violence, domestic abuse. Alcohol- related crimes in the U. S. account for 54% of murder and attempted murder, 68% of manslaughters, 52% of rape and sexual assaults, 48% of robberies, and 40,000 babies are born with birth defects. (cdc) In 2000 19,358 alcohol induced deaths occurred not including motor vehicle deaths, 26, 552 deaths from chronic liver disease, and cirrhosis, which are the 12th leading cause of death in the U. S. (cdc). In spite of all this alcohol is still legal and much abused, with 103 million people in the U. S. currently drinking and 11 million of those heavy drinkers. Everyone have different response for drinking alcohol so it is not sure for saying that what a specific number of drinks a man can on daily basis. Alcohol has many side effects on psychologically and physically. Psychologically it can have these effects like confusion, unsteady manner due to mental illness, and disorientation. First let’s find out that how does alcohol is being digested by our body and how does it affect us, there are three stages of ingestion that happen once a drink is downed. First, it is quickly absorbed into the blood stream through the cell membranes of the digestive tract. As it passes through the digestive tract, some of is absorbed by the mouth and stomach, and most of it is absorbed by the small intestine. The amount of food in the stomach affects the rate of absorption. If a drinker has a pint of beer without having dinner first, the absorption rate of the beer will be much faster. The drinker will get drunk much faster, and maybe even vomit. Most of the alcohol is absorbed by the bloodstream within an hour of ingestion. The second stage is distribution. Once the circulatory system absorbs the alcohol, it is sent out to all parts of the body. Some parts, like the brain, liver and kidney receive larger amounts of alcohol than other parts of the body because they receive more blood. And the third stage is metabolism. As the alcohol travels throughout the body, enzymes released by the liver metabolize the alcohol. This breaks down the alcohol and turns it into a food source for the body. Most of the alcohol ingested is released through the liver. The effects of alcohol on the liver can be deadly. In large amounts, alcohol can damage major organs, particularly the liver. There are three different alcohol-related liver diseases: fatty liver disease, alcoholic hepatitis, and cirrhosis. Fatty liver disease is one of the first signs that alcohol is being abused. Fat builds up due to alcohol metabolism. This hurts the liver’s ability to work at full strength. Fatty liver disease can lead to cirrhosis of the liver. When the liver is too damaged from alcohol abuse, scar tissue forms causing cirrhosis, and eventually causing the liver to shut down. Symptoms include loss of energy, loss of appetite, upset stomach, weight loss and weakness. Cirrhosis is one of the ten leading causes of death by disease in the United States. The third liver disease, alcoholic hepatitis, is the inflammation of the liver, the stage right before cirrhosis. Jaundice, mental confusion and swelling of the abdomen are common symptoms (NIH). Alcohol is known as a depressant, and its effects on the brain and central nervous system are serious. When intoxicated, drinkers experience a mild euphoria, or temporary â€Å"happiness†, and loss of inhibition. Alcohol impairs regions of the brain controlling behavior, judgment, memory, concentration and coordination. On the central nervous system, alcohol acts as a sedative. Large amounts of alcohol can cause respiratory failure, coma and death. Impaired vision, hearing, and motor skills also occur. The drinker may also experience numbness and tingling in the arms and legs caused by nerve damage. This will result in the staggering walk often seen coming out of bars. Long-term drinking can cause brain damage and drinking while pregnant is known to produce sick babies. Heavy drinking also has damaging effects on the stomach and intestinal system. Irritation of the stomach lining can cause peptic ulcers, bleeding lesions and cancer. Blood loss causes loss of iron, which can cause irritability, lack of energy, headaches and dizziness. Risk of pancreatitis is also increased. Other effects of alcohol abuse include irritation of the intestinal tract lining and the colon; nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, sweating and loss of appetite; and increase in blood pressure, risk of heart attack and stroke, and these symptoms develop over time. Alcoholism, however, can begin to develop after the first drink. When we think about effects of alcohol, you may think about physical effects alcohol has on our body as I explained above, but beside all these physical effects there are many psychological effects of alcohol on the body as well that you may not have thought of. In many cases, the psychological effects of alcohol are much more damaging and painful to you than the effects that you already know about. Heres a look at some of the psychological effects of alcohol on our body: Depression – As I also mentioned above that alcohol is depressant. This means that once it begins circulating in the system, it will decrease the activity within the nervous system of your brain. For this reason as you drink alcohol, you may notice that you start to have more feelings of depression or become entrenched in a depression as a result of the drinking. Many make the mistake of thinking they can drown their sorrows by drinking more, and make the feelings of sadness and uselessness go away. If this describes you, what you dont realize is you are just making the situation worse and causing your depression to become deeper and last longer. Anxiety If you are like a lot of people, as you consume large amounts of alcohol you will become stressed from the impact of the drug. While you may find the buzz from the alcohol enjoyable for a while, it will give way to a series of stresses on your system that will manifest psychologically. From a general feeling of discontent to restlessness, nightmares and even overwhelming fear, there are a number of feelings of anxiety that can come of your alcohol usage. Personality Changes Have you noticed your family members are treating you differently? It may be because you have changed in how you interact with them. Alcohol can make massive personality that you may not even see. Once you become intoxicated, what were your usual personality traits may change dramatically. You may become selfish, egotistical or even angry about your life and everything in it. Aggression and mood swings are some of the most common traits. These changes are brought on by the alcohols effect on serotonin in your body. Serotonin is a chemical in your body that transmits signals relating to mood to your brain. When its job is weakened by alcohol, moods and emotions can get out of control. Another common personality change brought on by alcohol is a deterioration of morals. As alcohol affects the body, it acts to slow the responses of the synapses in the brain. This slowing down of the brains circuitry decreases thinking and reasoning. For this reason, when you are intoxicated, you may be willing to do and say things you would not usually do or say if you were thinking clearly. Obsession Once you become dependent on alcohol (whether you realize it or not), you will start to become obsessed with drinking. While many think a few drinks are not dangerous, to someone who is alcohol dependent or becoming alcohol dependent, there is no difference between getting those next few drinks, and a drug addict who is looking for their next hit. Your obsession can lead to a loss of other interests in your life and a focus only on how you are going to get another drink, while all along denying there is a problem with your desire for alcohol. Generally, you will not realize you are being pulled in to an obsession until it is too late. Denial Just as you would expect in any other type of addict, those who drink a lot of alcohol go through a number of denial issues. If you have heard from those who you love that you may be drinking too much, you really should listen to them. Often, you will not even notice you are becoming more and more intoxicated on a regular basis, because you are too close to the problem. Alcohol dependency is a progressive illness and you may not be able to see what it is doing to you. Just like any other disease, alcohol dependency is a progressive disease. The longer and more you drink, the more pronounced the effects will be on your system. Additionally, these psychological effects of alcohol are not just felt while you are drinking, or the morning after. They can continue for a number of days or weeks after you have consumed the alcohol. The third effect of alcoholism is can be said as economic, beside the physical and psychological effects of alcohol, excessive drinking of alcohol affects the economy of the a society in different ways . According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention the cost of excessive alcohol consumption in the United States in 2006 reached $223. 5 billion or about $1. 90 per drink. Researchers also found that the cost largely resulted from losses in workplace productivity (72 percent of the total cost), health care expenses for problems caused by excessive drinking (11 percent of the total cost), law enforcement and other criminal justice expenses related to excessive alcohol consumption (9 percent of the total cost), and motor vehicle crash costs from impaired driving (6 percent of the total cost). The study did not consider a number of other costs such as those due to pain and suffering by the excessive drinker or others who were affected by the drinking, and thus may be an underestimate. Researchers estimated that excessive drinking cost $746 per person in the United States in 2006 (CDC). Lastly it can be said that alcohol has many physical, economical and psychological effects which in simple words cause of many problems that have impacts on different aspect of life. But the real problem is that it is a legal killer which is allowed by law of countries. If we think it is also a drug among other drugs which are legally prohibited and discouraged by the law as law has some punishment for using and selling those drugs but alcohol has no legal restriction on its consumptions and business as it is one of the top profiteering business in the world. Works Cited Adams, Gabriel J. What Are The Effects Of Alcohol Addiction? 2013. 4 May 2013 . Ricky Gates. WordPress. com Get a Free Blog Here. The RickyRay Show. WordPress. com, 26 Nov 2009. Web. 12 May 2013. . Buddy, T. The Effects of Alcohol and Drug Abuse. 4 May 2013 .. , NIAH. Alcohol and Health. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). NIAH, 8 Apr 2008. Web. 15 May 2013. .CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Economic costs of alcohol abuse. CDC, 7 2012. Web. 15 May 2013. .

Ethnic Literature Essay Example for Free

Ethnic Literature Essay The term â€Å"ethnic† when in conjunction with the word â€Å"literature† in the academic discourse community of students, often brings out mixed feelings of excitement and dread. On the one hand, students understand that they will be getting away from the canonical American literature – which can equal boring in their eyes; on the other hand, students interpret the term â€Å"ethnic literature† to mean distinctive – which can equal confusing or ambiguous – and perhaps at times not relatable because it is outside their scope of experiences. Perhaps before jumping into why it matters, the term â€Å"ethnic literature† should be defined first and because I am still learning how to interpret this term myself, I searched for a suitable one I could agree with. I found one in an article entitled â€Å"Assessing Teachers’ Knowledge of Multi-Ethnic Literature†, and the article actually used another source themselves to come up with a workable, layman’s definition. Ethnic literature as defined by D.E. Norton (as the article’s source) is, â€Å"Literature about racial or ethnic minority groups that are culturally and socially different from the white Anglo-Saxon majority in the United States, whose largely middle-class values and customs are most represented in American literature† (qtd. in Hager Thompson 22). I think this definition works well to define what ethnic literature is on a surface level, but the more I dig in, I feel that this idea goes much deeper. I asked myself, who can write about ethnic literature? Can anyone just pick up a pen so to speak and tell a story about a young Japanese boy, or a Hispanic family? Can an African-American writer write about Hispanic or Chinese people and claim it is ethnic literature? And the answer to myself is no. Why? Because unless that African-American has been submersed in the Hispanic or Japanese culture from the time of childhood, how are they going to capture the very essence of being, thinking, and living day-to-day in that culture? And even if that African-American had, they would still most likely have a different perspective from the average Hispanic or Chinese person because of being different themselves (i.e black) and perhaps are treated different by the community at large which corrupts the â€Å"normal† cultural thinking. At this deeper level I am trying to get at, I find John M. Reilly’s article â€Å"Criticism of Ethnic Literature: Seeing the Whole Story† helpful in acquiring this. He states that, â€Å"the assertion of ethnicity in literature can be made only through a procedure by which the writer resolves formal problems what moves from recognition of identity to creation of a strategy for handling reality still is not literature until the individual author sustains her or his ethnic identity through a sequence of formal choices† (4). I am interpreting this to mean that as a reader of this literature, I should see and feel throughout the story (perhaps subtlety) that in some way, the characters mindset (and perhaps actions) in the story differ from my own specifically because of the culture they have grown up in in, which has shaped that character’s thinking. There are thoughts and feelings – ideas, I don’t understand without further explanation from the author, which is sometimes provided, and sometimes not. An example of this is in Brando Skyhorse’s novel The Madonnas of Echo Park, I find myself wondering what the significance of the jacaranda trees mentioned in different parts of the book. Looking up what they are, it becomes apparent to me as jacaranda trees are native to Central America – roots back to their homeland. The blossoms from the trees fall and are scattered everywhere. Felicia in chapter 2 states that â€Å"there’s no way getting away from them† (25). Basically meaning, you cannot escape who you are and where you come from. I would not have understood this had I not explored the history of that tree to uncover the significance in the book. Another example is in Seventeen Syllables in the story â€Å"Seventeen Syllables†. The story about a Japanese family is easy to read, but is hard to connect with as I don’t share the same philosophies about a woman’s place in the Japanese culture. A specific instance in the story was when Mrs. Hayashi, Rosie’s mother received her the first place prize for her stellar Haiku. When the man from the newspaper presented her with a package, Mrs. Hayashi, stating she knew it was unorthodox, asked if she might open it because she was very curious. (Yamamoto 17). At this point, I am thinking to myself, â€Å"I don’t get it – why wouldn’t she open it?† but upon reflection, I considered the patriarchal society that is dominant in this culture, and perhaps it is the wife’s obligation to consult or have the husband open the gift, even if it is not specifically for him. Yet another example is in Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. To come specifically to the point, I do not understand this idea of why it is understood that Dominican men are supposed to be these â€Å"manly men† that women flock to and fall on their knees for. That the sexual appetite along with innate sense of charisma from Dominican men is expected, and when it’s lacking, it doesn’t go unnoticed. â€Å"Anywhere else his triple-zero batting average with the ladies might have passed without comment, but this is a Dominican kid we’re talking about, in a Dominican family: dude was supposed to have Atomic Level G, was supposed to be pulling in the bitches with both hands† (24). Why is this idea so indoctrinated in this culture according to the book? This is perhaps something I will never understand, except that it is a part of their culture. All of these examples are all good and well, but the important question is why is ethnic literature important? What can be gained from reading it? From a most basic viewpoint, it is a highly effective vehicle for helping people understand themselves and the world around them. Thompson and Hager in their article state that, â€Å"multi-ethnic literature mirrors and validates the experiences for minority groups and juxtaposes the familiar with the less familiar for mainstream children† (22). In other words, through reading ethnic literature, readers can find ways to connect with others around them that are different. The article also states that when readers are exposed to divergent thoughts, language patterns, value systems, and different ways of living, that it can open up awareness about others and create compassion and understanding towards them that might not have happened without the literary exposure (23). To sum it all up, I will never argue against the instruction of ethnic literature in the school setting. In fact, I think teaching it should begin right from the beginning in kindergarten, and perhaps one day we won’t need the designated term â€Å"ethnic literature† – perhaps one day it can just be â€Å"American Literature† and part of the regular American canon of literature. Works Cited Diaz, Junot. The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. New York: Penguin, 2007. Print. Reilly, John. M. â€Å"Criticism of Ethnic Literature: Seeing the Whole Story†. Critical Approaches to Ethnic Literature. 5.1 (1978): 2-13. Web. 21 Apr. 2012. Skyhorse, Brando. The Madonnas of Echo Park. New York: Free Press, 2010. Print. Thompson, Deborah L. and Jane Meeks Hager. â€Å"Assessing Teachers’ Knowledge of Multi-Ethnic Literature†. Yearbook of the American Reading Forum. 1990. 21-29. Web. 21 Apr. 2012. Yamamoto, Hisaye. Seventeen Syllables. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2001. Print.

Assess the artistic limitations of the dogme 95 vow of chastity

Assess the artistic limitations of the dogme 95 vow of chastity Assess the artistic limitations of the Dogme 95 â€Å"Vow of Chastity† In the mid 1990s, a creative and low cost filmmaking was created Dogme95. The founders were two Danish directors, Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg. (Hudson, 2005). Unlike any other film, it follows different set of rules. Written in Vow of Chastity, a rulebook of Dogme95, it restricts the use of props, sets, lighting, sound, and music. The camera is handheld and simply captures what is taking place (Schlosser, 2000). Dogme 95 is certainly a departure from the conventions of the film-making process. The statement â€Å"Dogme 95 is a rescue action!† was stated in the manifesto if the Dogme 95 which perhaps is true for most filmmakers who wanted freedom of their ideas and faithful presentation of scenes. Mark Paul of Wayne State University agreed that Dogme 95 films have rescued the cinema from the conventional films of Hollywood which are ‘overly polished, ‘undemocratic in art, and ‘superficial.  Ã‚   Directors have enough freedom to showcase the ‘truth without addition, reduction, or any manipulation (Paul, 2002). In order to resist superficiality in Dogme films, von Trier and Vinterberg wrote â€Å"The Vow of Chastity† which consists of the specific rules that are mandatory in order to categorize a film as a Dogme. Von Trier asked Vinterberg if he â€Å"wanted to start a new wave with him?† In less than one hour, they already had the rules (Dogme 95: Frequently asked questions). As a guest in Thà ©atre de LEurope in Paris during the 100th anniversary of the birth of film, von Trier proudly announced Dogme. The rules are: (1) shooting must be on location without bringing any props, (2) sound and image are produced together, (3) the camera to be used is handheld, (4) use of natural light only, (5) no optical filters, (6) no superficial actions, (7) no geographic alienation, (8) no genre films, (9) the film format should be in Academy 35mm film format, and (10) the director must not be credited (Trischak, 1995). The last rule sounds unusual since the directors are always credited in the conventional films. At the end of the ten rules, the director should swear to refrain in creating based on personal taste. Only the real events should be presented based on the real settings. The reason behind the prohibition of the use of props is to challenge the filmmaker into creating authentic films and portray the ‘truth. More time is dedicated into developing a good acting because breaks for hair, make up, costume, and light change are eliminated. The use of handheld camera is intended to follow the actors instead of the actors following the camera. In this manner, the actors could really perform their characters while the camera captures the scene. Additionally, using handheld cameras provides more takes with longer time (Dogme 95: Frequently asked questions). The first Dogme creation by Vinterberg, The Celebration, was one of the best cinematic explorations which covered the issues on a dysfunctional family in the middle of a celebration. The film won many awards and was nominated in various prestigious awards associations. Among the awards it received were Jury Prize from the Cannes Film Festival, Best Director from Gijà ³n International Film Festival, and Independent Spirit Award (Hudson, 2005). The second film of Dogme was The Idiots, which was written and directed by von Trier. The film featured young characters who go around to spasse (Danish term which means to intentionally act like idiots). Watching the film might turn off its audience because of the hilarious acts and abhorrent ways of responding to the problems faced by young people (Schwartz, 1998). The third Dogme film was Mifune by Sà ¸ren Kragh-Jacobsen, which became one of the multi-awarded Dogme films. A.O. Scott of the New York Times reviewed it as â€Å"by any standard, a pretty good film† and was given the awards Silver Bear and Special Jury Prize for Kragh-Jacobsen from the Berlin Film Festival (Hudson, 2005). Mifune was able to present the real people in real situations and would surely attract the audiences attention. The scenes appear so realistic and painful at the same time (Ilic, 2005). The creation of Dogme 95 and the implementation of its rules have been the subject of questioning and curiosity from directors. The production cost of Dogme films is relatively cheaper because crews are eliminated; however it does not mean that this is a resort to producing low-budget films. There are no limits as long as it will compromise to the Vow of Chastity. In Denmark, a low-budget film could cover more than half a million. Nevertheless any Dogme film can be produced around a million or more than a hundred million dollars. Among the Dogme films, â€Å"The Idiot† was the most expensive. The introduction of Dogme 95 however did not receive much criticism especially from the Danish government wherein the state willingly increased the filming fund by 70% (Trischak, 1995). Another issue on the production of Dogme films is the use of the old fashioned Academy 35mm film format because is considerably expensive. The 35mm film is used so that Dogme films can be shown in all movie theatres. However, because of its cost some directors resort to shooting film with Digital Video first then transferring it to the 35mm. The recorded images through DV, on the other hand, are strictly prohibited from editing considering the Vow of Chastity (Dogme 95: Frequently asked questions). Classifying a film as a Dogme has become harder. The first four to six Dogme films were originally discussed by the first directors and founders of the Dogme 95 films including Vinterberg, von Trier, Kragh-Jacobson, and Levring. They reviewed each film according the rules in the Vow of Chastity; however, as the directors became busier in their own Dogme film productions, not enough time was allotted to discuss the other films. In Julian Donkey Boy, the story about a schizophrenic man, the rules created was pushed to its limitations. It all now depends on the judgment of the directors (Dogme 95: Frequently asked questions). However, Vinterberg argued that if the director feels that the film might not be in accordance with the rules then, he must do something about. Another question raised was about the synchronization of a foreign language, say English or German; can it be certified as a Dogme? If it will be based on the second rule: sound and image must be produced together; technically it cannot be classified as a Dogme. Watching a Dogme film in foreign language therefore is not very entertaining (Dogme 95: Frequently asked questions). The Vow of Chastity provided both freedom and restriction to the directors. With the limited resources such as props, music, sounds, and lights, the director is challenged to be resourceful and creative in filling these gaps. In the film The Celebration, Vinterberg was able to incorporate music by placing the story on a Danish gathering tradition wherein the people are accustomed to celebrate while singing. On the other hand, in â€Å"The Idiots†, a musician character played a toy-like instrument in the beginning of the story (Dogme 95: Frequently asked questions). In the conventional films we see these days, there are different genres such as science fiction, animated, action, adventure, comedy, romance, horror, war, musicals, historical, and many more. However, in Dogme films it becomes selective because you only present what is happening then and now and not what is in the past or what will be in the future (Dogme 95: Frequently asked questions). Therefore, war and historical films are impossible because flashbacks should not be used. Neither do sci-fi, animated, and musical films. These genres require musical equipments and props and the scenes are time manipulated. In the history of filmmaking, Dogme 95 is notably one of the best cinematic explorations of realism. The presentation of this realism is only possible through the elimination of the traditional cinematic process accompanied with various experimentations on the production and presentation (Vaughan, 2004). The Vow of Chastity made it possible to restrict and compress it down to what is real only. There is no addition, reduction, or, any manipulation to the story that a director wishes to tell. It is obviously anti-film tradition in nature however its simplicity and honesty offer a different kind of pleasure and emotion. Unlike the usual films, our minds are already set to decipher the ending. However, in Dogme films, the audience could only figure what is being shown at a time. The first three Dogme films have been very successful. After ten years since its beginnings, Dogme films are getting less and less popular. Von Trier and Vinterberg are now working on different kinds of films aside from Dogme. The brothers now are no longer managing and judging Dogme films. They have decided to allow the directors to judge their own creations but still following the rules. Producing one is a big challenge. Ironically, Vinterberg confessed that The Celebration was the easiest he made.9 Dogme is still alive and more and more films are released and reached the number to Dogme 254th film (Dogme 95: Frequently asked questions). Nowadays, the films that the brothers are releasing are combination of filmmaking from the conventional and from the Dogme. According to Jack Stevenson, film journalist in Denmark, Its All About Love and Dogville by Vinterberg and von Trier respectively can be classified as anti-Dogme films. Both directors have departed from Dogme and now making films beyond the Vow of Chastity. (Mitchell, 2005) In an interview with Kristian Levring, one of the founder of Dogme movement; Susanne Bier, the director of The One and Only and Open Heart; and Anders Thomas Jensen, a famous writer and director, the screenwriting processed was discussed. Thomas Jensen said that the scriptwriting is very different because there are limitations like superficial violence and action. Bier added that due to these limitations, â€Å"Dogme tends to lend itself to realistic storytelling.† Levring agreed that these liberated and improved Dogme including his film The King is Alive. (Kelly, 2008) Dogme offered an incredible twist in filmmaking, surprising the audience in ways that are not expected. In the presence of restrictions and limitations, it has entitled directors with freedom of creation with aesthetic value and provided a different kind of satisfaction.

Corporal Punishment Essay -- essays research papers fc

Using corporal punishment in schools is not benefiting our children. In fact, it may be hurting our children more than helping them, and teaching them the wrong way to deal with their problems. I feel that discipline starts at home, and should not be left for the schools to handle. Corporal punishment may do more harm than good. It "has no positive effects that we know of" (Keeshan 67). It may stop the unruly behavior temporarily, but it does not treat the underlying causes (Keeshan 67). "Unruly behavior is a cry for help" (Keeshan 67). These children do not want to act this way, but they have no choice. We don't know why these children act unruly. Maybe it’s because they are hungry or physically or emotionally abused at home (Keeshan 67). This is a plea for help and we answer these pleas with a paddling (Keeshan 67-68). No beating will take away the hurt the child goes through at home. Corporal punishment also teaches our children that violence solves problems. "Children are taught, by the example of authority-wielding adults, that violence is an acceptable response to inappropriate behavior" ("End Legal" 14A). To me, it seems that with all of the violence involving kids today, that we would find a different way to deal with these kids’ unruly behavior. I feel that discipline starts at home. If parents would teach their children what is and is not appropriate, then more children would behave in school and we wouldn’t have more ...

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley Essay -- sex experience, prostitution

A Godless World With Orgies Think about a world where you first experience sex when you’re a little kid. A world where books and flowers might not be respected but you're conditioned to be happy. Conditioned to have sex with anyone you want, whenever you feel like it. It's true that you don't have to worry about violence and when you start feeling stressed, all you have to take is soma (a drug that creates pleasure and happiness.) then feel better. In the story, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, that’s how their world worked and I do not believe that our world will ever come to a point like it. I agree that there is a sufficient amount of people that want to be happy but I feel like somethings aren’t realistic in the book that’s going to happen in our future. Also, I believe that many people want to have world peace but that requires no violence and something that I wish would happen but can’t see happen. Everyone isn’t the same and we all want different things leading to violence because everyone has their own way to deal with rage or even boredom. In the new world, since there’s no live birth and everyone belongs to each other, there is no God. There is Ford which is God in a sense but they don’t know who He is. I don’t think that God will be forgotten in the future. The idea of having specific places for people to go to have orgies isn’t something that I see happening. Our world takes prostitution seriously let alone orgies. For example, the incident that happened in Kennebunk, Maine. A woman named Alexis Wright run a prostitution business. When she was ratted-out and investigated, more than 100 names were wrote down on the list. She was sent to jail although now is released. The same thing would've most likely happened... ...we aren’t all the same person and aren’t conditioned like the charaters are the book, violence can and does happen in our world. Whether we like it or not, everyone is different in our world meaning that eveyone has theyre own way with doing the things that they do. Our world is just most not to become like the one in this book. Works Cited "Woman Who Ran Kennebunk 'Zumba Brothel' Released from Prison." The Guardian. theguardian.com, 23 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. "Violence." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. Pearson, Michael. "Random Killings Spark Laments, but Reality Shows Long Slide in Crime Rate." CNN. Cable News Network, 23 Aug. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. Castillo, Mariano, Alina Machado, Randi Kaye, Hilary Whiteman, and Josh Levs. "Oklahoma Killing May Be Gang-related." CNN. Cable News Network, 23 Aug. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.

The Role of Religion in the Formation of America Essay example -- Amer

The Role of Religion in the Formation of America Religion has played a large role throughout History. Entire nations have been founded on the ideals of one religion or another, and many wars have been fought purely for religious reasons. In fact there are wars still going on that are almost completely religiously motivated. New Religions may form, old religions may die or change, but they will always be a part of our culture and society. Religion always seems to play a large role in the formation of societies and cultures, and the history of the United States is no different from that of the rest of the world. Religion played a major role in the formation of the United States of America. More specifically between 1607 when American was first settled as British Colonies and the 1850’s. In the United States religion has indirectly caused two wars and been the reason for many reforms. Additionally, the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which was one of the earliest colonies created, was started as a religious haven for the Purit ans. This in turn led to other colonies in the north being formed for religious reasons as well. The Early Northern Colonies were founded exclusively for religious reasons. The Massachusetts Bay Colony, which was the first Northern Colony created, was created so that the Puritans could escape the religious turmoil in Britain at the time. As James A. Henretta, David Brody, and Lynn Dumenil point out in America a Concise History, the Puritans believed that religion should have more power over the government. In other words the laws of the bible were more important then the laws of the state (45). In John Winthrop’s famous speech, â€Å"The Modell of Christian Charity,† he speaks of a few ideals, which sha... ...American’s lives today has diminished, but I disagree. Religion still does play a large role in our lives, but it has gone through many reforms as it has many times in the past. People need something to believe in, whether it is Christianity, Judaism, Muslim or Science, and those beliefs have and always will influence the path that our society takes. Works Cited Henretta, James A, David Brody, Lynn Dumenil. America A Concise History Volume 1: To 1877. New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 1999. Mangus, Michael, ed. Retrieving the American Past. Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2001. Boyer, Paul, Stephen Nissenbaum, â€Å"Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft.† Mangus 73-81 Boyer, Paul, Stephen Nissenbaum, ed. â€Å"The Salem Witchcraft Papers: Verbatim Transcripts of the Legal Documents of the Salem Witchcraft Outbreak.† Mangus 94-98.

Sura light

Light Sura The Sura I have chosen to analyse for my assignment is the ‘Light Sura'. The reason I chose this Sura is that it deals with many social issues that are still very evident in Islamic life today. It gives a very detailed view of what God expected of its followers throughout the Sura and what punishment would be handed to them if they did something unwilling to Gods orders. Throughout the Sura a strong message is sent to the believers of Islam. A woman is used as an example of someone who has sinned n a terrible and unlawful way and this is described throughout the text.In my analysis of the Sura I am going to use key verses that give a clear indication of what the passage is about and what clear messages is sent down from god. This is a medinan Sura that relates to the social values in the Islamic world. One of the main themes of this Sura is evolved around many regulations and laws of the Muslim community such as, marriage, obedience, modesty and the main on which is highlighted throughout this passage adultery. Muhammad's wife Aisha was falsely ccused of adultery which was associated as a huge crime in the Islamic world.Punishment was very harsh on anyone found guilty of these crimes, however these strict ways also sent a message to the Islamic community that believers should never step out of line. This is clearly highlighted in verse 24:2, â€Å"The adulterer and the adulteress scourge ye each one of them (with) a hundred stripes. And let not pity for the twain withhold you from obedience to Allah, if ye believe in Allah and the Last Day. And let a party of believers witness their punishmentl†.I think this punishment uggests that everyone is equal in the eyes of Allah and although Aisha is an honourable woman and Muhammad's wife, she is still punished the same. It is important in the eyes of Allah and the prophets that women are honourable and they are making an example of it in this Sura. It's very clear that this Sura focuses on the social values in the community and another example of this is shown in verse 24:32, â€Å"Marry off the single among you and those of your male and female slaves who are (fit for marriage). If they are poor god, God will provide for them from his bounty:Gods bounty is infinite and he is all knowing2†³. It is Muhammad's Job to preach these messages to the Islamic community in the hope that followers will listen to Gods message. Through that verse the message is clear that god wants men and woman to marry, but through marriage comes stability and maturity. It is evident that he wants people to marry so they aren't idle all the time and so they won't cause trouble in the community. Simarily in verse 24:33, â€Å"those who are unable to marry should keep chaste until God gives them enough out of his bounty.If any of your slaves wish to pay for their freedom, make a contract with them, and give them some of the wealth that God has given you. Do not force your slave girls into pros titution, when they themselves wish to remain honourable, in your quest for short term gains of this world, although, if they are forced, God will be forgiving and merciful to them3†³. This verse relates a lot to the career of Muhammad from when he grew up in Mecca. During this time, tribes had a lot of slaves working for them and they were usually mistreated.Prostitution was a way tor young woman getting through lite as they could not get married. Muhammad sends a strong message in this text as he tries to preach to the owners of the slaves that it is against Gods teachings that this sort of behaviour should happen in this religion. This is a very smart message from Allah as it encourages people to marry and decreases the chances of trouble and violence by the Islamic followers. Muhammad is Allah's messenger and it is shown throughout the passage that he wants to keep the community together by reinforcing the values rom the place (Mecca) they came from.Muhammad was born and ra ised in Mecca but moved to Medina. This sura relates a lot to the career of Muhammad as he brought followers to Medina when he moved. These were the people who emigrated in God's way. At that time there were a lot of tribal wars happening due to divisions imposed by leaders. Muhammad was part of the Banu Hashim tribe and according to (Cook, 2000) â€Å"the rival tribe Banu Abd Shams imposed a boycott which the pagans for some two or three years refused intermarriage or commercial dealings with the BanuHashim's until such time as they came to their senses in the matter of Muhammad4†³. However many members of these groups converted to Muhammad's religion. It is important to note that in this sura, the message is very clear to Muhammad's converts that there are laws to follow if you want to be part of the religion. I think it shows that Muhammad's past is evident in this passage by his teaching. Another important piece of information highlighted throughout the Sura is to do with the one God phenomenon. It is repeated time and time throughout the Sura that â€Å"God is of all nowing and doing†.This is important to the career of Muhammad as he had to preach this to his followers on a daily basis that there is one God and he is all knowing of your good and wrong doings. This small but clever piece of writing made sure that the message of this Sura was clearly shown, as Muhammad's followers would realise that God can see all your wrong doings which would permit them from thinking of committing a wrong deed as writing at the end of the Sura, verse 24: 64, â€Å"God has full knowledge of everything5†.It is very clear from above that the career of Muhammad is evident throughout the Sura by the teachings relating back to the prophets past. In this Sura, Muhammad is preaching about how to become a good Islamic follower and the punishments that will happen if followers lean away from the laws.