Skull identitation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Skull identitation - Essay Example In addition, the observed physical characteristics on the frontal view and the profile views were also taken into consideration. For instance, the jaws and other features present in these different skulls. This skull exhibits large supraorbital height index of approximately71 uv/tv. This almost matches the supraorbital size of Australopithecus africanus skull and Neanderthal skulls that are 70uv/tv and 70uv/tv respectively. An analysis on the nuchal ridge area was also taken it had a height of 39tw/tv. A comparison was then drawn with regard to the known varieties; there was closeness with the nuchal skull of Australopithecus africanus and Neanderthal that had a nuchal area of 38tw/tv and 37tw/tv respectively. A further measurement was done on the condylar position on the skull. It was found out that the condylar position index was 44xy/xz. When this was compared with known varieties of skulls; there was an exact match with the condylar index of Australopithecus africanus that was also 44xy/xz. To ascertain the identity of this skull, a further analysis was done and the physical characteristics of the skull and different traits were observed. The canine teeth were relatively smaller and the shape of the jaw was fully parabolic. These characteristic were shared with the skull of Australopithecus africanus. In general, this skull is possibly a skull of Australopithecus africanus The results revealed that the supraorbital height index of this skull is 66uv/tv which was relatively smaller compared to the first skull (Elbroch, 2006). Although, this exactly matches supraorbital size of Homo sapiens skull that is also 66uv/tv. Another study on the nuchal area height was also conducted and gave a height of 18tw/tv. It was observed that it was also smaller in size compared to that of the first skull but was closer to that of Australopithecus robustus. A

I.S.U journal Kite runner Essay Example for Free

I.S.U journal Kite runner Essay Plot (important action only): The kite runner is about the life of a young boy named Amir. Amir lives in a lavish house in the richest district of Kabul, in Afghanistan. Amir has everything he could ever want except the loving attention and acceptance of his father, Baba. In their house, they have two Hazara servants. Ali and his son Hassan who are part of the minority ethnicity at the time. Hassan grew up with Amir in the same house and he was much more than just a best friend. Baba treated Hassan equally to Amir, as if they were brothers. Each year it was a tradition for the Afghan community to have a festival of kites where there would be a single victor to arise amongst hundreds. Amir was a great kite flyer and Hassan was the best kite runner there was. This year, Amir won the tournament and his dad was really proud of him. Amir was really happy to finally have some loving attention from his father. Hassan promised to run the last kite defeated for Amir. He did not return immediately so Amir went looking for him. Amir saw Hassan cornered by Assef, a bully, and two of his friends. Amir then watched Hassan take a brutal beating just to keep the blue kite for him. Amir watched him get beaten and did nothing. The relationship between Amir and Hassan has never been the same after that day. Amir felt that either he or Hassan must leave and so he puts his birthday gift under Hassan’s pillow. Later, Hassan admits that he stole them and Ali says they must leave. Baba pleads with him to stay, but Ali refuses. Years after Hassan and Ali left, the Roussi army attacked, forcing Baba and 18 year old Amir to flee the country to California. The states provided a whole new life for Baba and especially Amir. Amir attends high school and college to pursue his dream; to become a famous writer. Amir is haunted every day by the thought of Hassan getting beaten and him not reacting, pretending as if he were never there. In California, Baba finds an Afghan community in which he is quite popular already. He spends a lot of time at a flea market where there are many other Afghans too. Amir spots a young afghan lady, Soraya, at the flea market which he cannot keep his eyes off. When Amir’s father becomes ill with cancer, Amir asks Soraya to marry him. Very shortly after they get married, Baba dies. Soraya and Amir then try to have kids but fail to and it is then when Amir receives a call from a man he has not heard of in a very long time. Rahim Khan tells Amir of the death of Hassan and his wife. Amir is devastated by the news. Rahim also tells Amir that their son is now in an orphanage. Rahim tells Amir that finding Hassan’s son is his chance to redeem his sin. Amir then goes to Afghanistan to find Hassan’s son. With many obstacles, including a one on one fight to the death with Assef, the bully who bullied him and Hassan at a young age, Amir comes out of Afghanistan with Hassan’s son. He comes back to California with many injuries. Sohrab, Hassan’s son, goes to school and lives a new life in America. Hassan and his wife officially adopt him and provide him a life full of potential. The novel ends with Amir teaching Sohrab how to fly a kite, as he battles a kite and defeats it. Characters: Amir: Amir is the narrator and protagonist of the novel. He is a Pashtun boy, who evolves throughout the book to become an adult. He is also a great writer and storyteller. As readers we feel much compassion for him. His father is a wealthy man by Afghan standards, and so Amir grows up always having what he wants. He has everything he could wish for except the loving attention of his father. He does not feel a deep emotional connection with Baba and this causes Amir to feel a strong jealousy towards anyone receiving his father’s affection. Amir thinks Baba wishes he was more like him. Amir is often jealous of the way Baba treats Hassan. He notices that Hassan is much more like his father than he is. Amir is a conflicted character who struggles between the logical and emotional sides of his being. Throughout the novel, he struggles to make connections with his father. His obsession and guilty conscience, along with his adult perspective looking back at childhood events make him a good storyteller. Amir seems to be a mix of Hassan’s personality and Assef’s personality making him in the middle of good and bad. He then gets the chance to fight Assef one on one to the death which was like facing the bad side of himself. Baba: Baba is Amir’s father. Later in the novel we find out that he is also Hassan’s father. He is considered a hero and a leader in Kabul and he is always doing things for others. He always seems to expect more from Amir. Baba has excellent morals and philosophies on life that he tries to teach Amir over time. He was even willing to sacrifice himself to keep the Russian guard from raping the women travelling with them. By doing so, Amir later understands that doing what is right is better than saving yourself. Baba felt guilty through his whole life for not being able to acknowledge Hassan as his son. For this reason, he tries to redeem his guilt by providing good actions to everyone around him. He even built an orphanage. His emotions are very well hidden by his outer appearance. In the end, he is very proud of Amir. He dies happily because he was able to build the relationship he had always wanted with at least one of his sons. We also find out that Amir and Baba both shared a never-ending feeling of guilt inside of them for different reasons. Hassan: Hassan is Amir’s playmate and servant. He is a Hazara and we find out late in the novel that he is Amir’s half-brother. Hassan epitomizes the perfect servant who is not only loyal to his master, but also forgiving and good-natured. Even after he’s been betrayed, Hassan lies for Amir and he still considers him as a friend. Hassan grows up in the same place as Amir but has a different purpose. He is a servant and so he prepares Amir for school every morning by preparing his breakfast and books. He also does all the chores during the day while Amir is at school getting an education. Hassan later gets married and has a son. He dies late in the novel. Hassan represents all that is good and kind. Assef: Assef is the antagonist of the novel. Assef does not see Hazaras as equal to Pashtuns. Near the beginning of the novel, he beats Hassan violently. At the end of the novel, he fights Amir one on one to the death until Sohrab shot him in the eye. He is a villain who ends up joining the Taliban. Assef represents all that is evil and cruel. Personal reaction to the novel: The kite runner was an amazing novel. I personally loved it. I finished the book in less than a week because I simply could not stop reading it after I first opened the book. I felt a lot of strong emotions when reading this book. When Hassan was beaten violently and Amir just stood there and watched, I was really scared for Hassan. The picture was very vivid in my mind and I felt terrible for Hassan. I also felt sad for Amir because he only finds out in the end that he and his dad were much more alike than they both thought. When Baba is already dead, Amir finds out the truth about him and how they both share an endless guilt. I also really liked this novel because I got to learn a bit about Afghanistan since it was the main setting of the novel. Out of all the books that students have to read in English class throughout the years, this is one of the few that are really good. I actually really enjoyed reading this book, unlike many books read in the past years. I would strongly suggest to keep teaching this book to future students. Author’s style and voice: The kite runner written by Khaled Hosseini uses the narrative writing style. The author places himself as Amir and narrates you the story. The author also uses a lot of accurate descriptions to give the readers a vivid image of a setting, character or object. Since it is Amir narrating the story, he tells it from the viewpoint of an adult looking back across his life. It is a personal narration in an informal, conversational style, similar to dialogue rather than a self-consciously literary style of writing. Amir’s voice is pretty consistent throughout most of the novel. However, the vocabulary and diction develop as he moves from talking about his childhood years to talking about his adult years. At the beginning of the book, when he narrates his childhood life, he tends to use childlike language such as he never told on me1. When he gets older, the vocabulary and diction used to narrate are more advanced since Amir has evolved not only physically, but intellectually as well. The author’s voice or Amir’s voice also changes at times of stress or anxiety. After his fight with Assef, the sentence structure becomes very hesitant and broken to reflect the severe temporary damage of Amir’s mind. Themes: Redemption: Redemption is searched by two important characters through the novel. Baba and Amir are both seeking redemption for two different reasons. Baba had sex with his servant and this resulted in having a Hazara boy. Because Hassan was a Hazara, he could not publically announce that he was his son and so he kept it a secret during his whole life. The fact that he could not acknowledge Hassan as his son made him feel very guilty and he never stopped striving to redeem himself. Baba even built an orphanage to help redeem himself according to Rahim Khan. Amir is also searching for redemption ever since he saw Hassan take a beating without reacting at all. Redemption is what brings Amir to Afghanistan which is a big event in this story. Forgiveness: Hassan’s actions demonstrate that he did forgive Amir’s betrayal. Amir pretty much spends the entire novel to learn about the nature of forgiveness. Baba’s actions of redemption are an attempt to gain public forgiveness for what he has not even publically admitted to have done. When Amir finally discovers Baba’s big secret from Rahim’s letter, he ends up forgiving his father. Forgiveness plays an important role in the story. Immigrant experience: In this book, we get to know how hard it can be for immigrants to leave their homeland and to successfully arrive to their destination. Baba and Amir are among many Afghans who struggle to leave. There are plenty of calculated risks and uncertainties in the next passages for immigrants. Many immigrants die before they even reach their new homes. In addition to the difficulties of their lives in a new country, the immigrants also have to accept what or who they have left behind. When arriving to a new country, immigrants also try to maintain their traditions and some semblance of their own culture, which can be hard. Baba loses his status once they arrive in America and still has his old prejudices. Soraya and her mother also demonstrate the difficult role women have balancing the expectations of an old world culture with the new world in which they are living. Sohrab quickly adapts to his new country and has a life full of potential waiting for him. Symbols: The pomegranate tree: While Amir and Hassan are both young and carefree, they carve their names in the tree and it bears fruit. Therefore, the tree symbolizes their relationship. Much later when Hassan is dead and Amir is filled with guilt, the tree just like Amir’s memories still exists but no longer bears fruit. The tree not only symbolizes a unifying force between Amir and Hassan but also serves as a source of division. When Amir wanted Hassan to hit him with the pomegranate fruit in order to inflict physical pain as a punishment to lessen his guilt instead, Hassan breaks the fruit over his own head to prove his loyalty. The tree brings back vivid memories when Amir returns to Afghanistan. Kites and the blue kite: Kites and everything associated with them are undoubtedly the most important symbols in this novel. This blue kite is even more important because it symbolizes a chance for Amir to obtain Baba’s attention. Amir thought that the only way he’d earn his father’s attention would be to win the kite flying tournament. This blue kite is the last kite competing against Amir’s during the tournament. As he cuts the last kite’s string, Hassan runs off to fetch the kite for Amir. The blue kite also symbolizes Hassan’s loyalty. Amir wanted to show all the kids at school that he won the tournament and got to keep the last remaining kite that he faced one on one. He mostly wanted to show this kite to his father. As the novel continues, the kite becomes a symbol of betrayal which leads Amir to the will of finding redemption. Hassan sacrificed him just to bring kite back to Amir as he said he would. Hassan took a beating to keep the kite and Amir watched it happen without reacting. Amir feels guilt ever since this moment until the very end of the novel, where Amir is running a kite for Hassan’s son. At the end, the kites symbolizes happiness, freedom and peace at last. Scars: Hassan has a split lip since he was a child, and it is one of the features Amir refers to the most when describing him. The split in his lip symbolizes Hassan’s status in the society. It signifies poverty and minority as an ethnicity which is one major thing that differentiates him from Amir, because it indicates that his family do not have the money to fix his lip. Baba eventually pays a surgeon to repair Hassan’s lip as a birthday gift, signifying his secret fatherly love for Hassan. Later in the novel, Assef splits Amir’s lip in his one on one duel with Amir. Amir is left with a permanent scar very similar to Hassan’s. This scar on Amir symbolizes the fact that Amir has become like Hassan not only physically, but mentally too in the sense that he has learnt to stand up for what is right. Bibliographical information: Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead Books, (2003) I got a 4+ on this journal , so it should do you some good 🙂

John Steinbecks Grapes of Wrath and Rose of Sharon’s Transformation :: essays research papers

Misfit to Madonna: Rose of Sharon’s Transformation When Rose of Sharon is first introduced in The Grapes of Wrath, we learn that she is expecting a child from her new husband, Connie Rivers. She is described as a mystical being whose primary concern is the well-being of her child, even at the almost ridiculously early stage of her pregnancy at the start of the novel. It is this concern that illustrates Rose of Sharon’s transformation from misfit to Madonna through the Joad’s journey. Rose of Sharon incessantly asks Ma Joad if â€Å"it’ll hurt the baby† throughout a majority of the novel, and adopts an attitude of superiority over others with her precious possession. She all but refuses to help the family pack the truck for California for fear of disturbing her fetus, even though she knows her help is needed. Her selfish antics and complaints are patiently absorbed by Ma, who tolerates her primarily because of her condition. Rose of Sharon knows that she is now an exception to the normal rules and exploits her position to its fullest potential. During the journey Rose of Sharon and Connie pass the time by dreaming of the idyllic life they will lead when they reach California. Connie says he will open a repair shop and buy a white house with a fence and an icebox and a car and a crib, all before the baby is born; all hopelessly idealistic and almost completely detached from reality. Every intention, though, is for the baby so that it may have a perfect life from the very moment it is born. In the face of hardships, Rose of Sharon comforts herself by remembering these dreamlike goals of her family and even reminds others of them, intending to lift the burden of reality. She does so when the sheriff threatens the roadside families to leave or be jailed. She tells Ma of Connie’s plans for California, which have nothing to do with the situation at that moment. This escape only proves to ultimately hurt Rose of Sharon and Connie; they learn that illusions don’t support a life when survival is the priority. Rose of Sharon’s dreams of a perfect life start to fall apart when Connie deserts her suddenly. She can no longer find comfort in shared thoughts of a white-picket fence, and is forced to face reality. However, instead of concentrating on the Joad family crises, she diverts her worries fully to her baby once again. John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath and Rose of Sharon’s Transformation :: essays research papers Misfit to Madonna: Rose of Sharon’s Transformation When Rose of Sharon is first introduced in The Grapes of Wrath, we learn that she is expecting a child from her new husband, Connie Rivers. She is described as a mystical being whose primary concern is the well-being of her child, even at the almost ridiculously early stage of her pregnancy at the start of the novel. It is this concern that illustrates Rose of Sharon’s transformation from misfit to Madonna through the Joad’s journey. Rose of Sharon incessantly asks Ma Joad if â€Å"it’ll hurt the baby† throughout a majority of the novel, and adopts an attitude of superiority over others with her precious possession. She all but refuses to help the family pack the truck for California for fear of disturbing her fetus, even though she knows her help is needed. Her selfish antics and complaints are patiently absorbed by Ma, who tolerates her primarily because of her condition. Rose of Sharon knows that she is now an exception to the normal rules and exploits her position to its fullest potential. During the journey Rose of Sharon and Connie pass the time by dreaming of the idyllic life they will lead when they reach California. Connie says he will open a repair shop and buy a white house with a fence and an icebox and a car and a crib, all before the baby is born; all hopelessly idealistic and almost completely detached from reality. Every intention, though, is for the baby so that it may have a perfect life from the very moment it is born. In the face of hardships, Rose of Sharon comforts herself by remembering these dreamlike goals of her family and even reminds others of them, intending to lift the burden of reality. She does so when the sheriff threatens the roadside families to leave or be jailed. She tells Ma of Connie’s plans for California, which have nothing to do with the situation at that moment. This escape only proves to ultimately hurt Rose of Sharon and Connie; they learn that illusions don’t support a life when survival is the priority. Rose of Sharon’s dreams of a perfect life start to fall apart when Connie deserts her suddenly. She can no longer find comfort in shared thoughts of a white-picket fence, and is forced to face reality. However, instead of concentrating on the Joad family crises, she diverts her worries fully to her baby once again.

Ethics Article Review Essay

Ethics in accounting and financial decision-making has received increased attention due to large corporate scandals such as WorldCom and Enron in recent years. Legislation such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act has attempted to make corporations more transparent to internal and external stakeholders. After analyzing the 2005 article by Richard Bernardi and Catherine LaCross, Corporate Transparency: Code of Ethics Disclosures, recommendations will be made to improve ethical foundations at the San Quentin State Prison based on the parameters outlined by Sarbanes-Oxley. In the Corporate Transparency article, the key point is made that along with changes in the accounting practices, disclosing a code of ethics to the public will ensure better internal compliance with ethical practices. Those organizations that did not publicly disclose codes of ethics were less likely to truly conform to ethical practices required in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 was legislation enacted in response to large corporate scandals. The Act calls for public corporations to publicly disclose all financial statements, store all electronic records for five years and these rules are governed by the SEC (Spurzem, 2006). Sarbanes Oxley has impacted organizations in that accountants and financial decision makers are open to public scrutiny based on the public financial statement disclosures and IT departments must adequately create and maintain corporate archives that are cost effective and in compliance with legislation (Spurzem, 2006). Organizations have been impacted financially by having to add extra resources to maintain compliance and avoid fines. According to Bernardi and LaCross, â€Å". . . one example of a ‘best practice’ in transparency is a corporation making its code of ethics readily available for public scrutiny on its website (par 1). † Corporations increase legitimacy with openly stated code of ethics and websites are an economically feasible avenue for making a particular code available to the public. The article argues that organizations that go beyond the basic requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley and declare a universal code of ethics show that the organization is willing to ‘walk the talk’ of ethics. SEC chairman Donaldson is quoted as saying â€Å". . . going beyond mere adherence or conformity to new dictates and of Sarbanes-Oxley: responsibilities that rest at the very heart of their obligation to create a corporate culture of transparency and accountability (Bernardi, 2005, par 6). † Integrating ethics into a corporate culture is extremely effective in ensuring strong ethical compliance within organizations. At the San Quentin State Prison, ethics are important in many aspects of business including accounting, financial decisions, inmate treatment, medical care, and general work environment. There are many opportunities for unethical practices to take hold in a prison facility. Since the facility is closed off to the general public, self-monitoring is a crucial part of maintaining an ethical environment in all aspects of the prison business. San Quentin has the responsibility to use public tax dollars wisely and ethically as well as to maintain a corporate culture with high integrity. Based on the research findings by Bernardi and LaCross, the recommendation for a San Quentin State Prison public code of ethics will focus the entire prison cultural towards walking the ethical talk. All prison employees would be held individually responsible for maintaining the highest code of ethics across all job functions from accounting and financial decision-makers to medical employees. Ethics in business span larger than just accounting and financial-decision making. While these areas are extremely important, developing a code of ethics for all job functions in an organization is essential to maintaining an ethical corporate environment. At San Quentin Prison, an official code of ethics would guide the organization to best practices to ensure success. References http://searchcio.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid19_gci920030,00.html

Ericksons Psychosocial Theory

ERICKSON’S PSYCHOSOCIAL THEORY 1. Erickson’s Psychosocial Theory PSY 104-275 ERICKSON’S PSYCHOSOCIAL THEORY 2. ABSTRACT Erickson’s Psychosocial Theory, PSY 104-274. Erick Erickson was a psychologist that was born in Germany and became famous for his Theory of eight stages of development. Erick believed there were eight influential stages in a human’s life. At each stage, a unique developmental task confronts individuals with a crisis in which must be resolved. According to Erickson the crisis is not a catastrophe, but a turning point marked by both increased vulnerability and enhanced potential.Key Words: psychoanalytic, psychoanalysis, Autonomy, Generativity, Stagnation ERICKSON’S PSYCHOSOCIAL THEORY 3. ERICKSON’S PSYCHOSOCIAL THEORY 4. Erik Erikson was born in 1902 near Frankfort, Germany to Danish parents. Erik found himself in quite an identity crisis while growing up. He was a blonde hair blue eye Jewish boy that found it difficul t to study in Jewish temple because of his looks. And in grammar school he was out casted for being Jewish. He also studied art and a variety of languages during his school years, rather than science courses such as biology and chemistry.He did not like the atmosphere that formal schooling produced, so instead of going to college he traveled around Europe, keeping a diary of his experiences. (Personality Theories, Dr c. George Boeree. ) After a year of doing this, he returned to Germany and enrolled in art school. After several years, Erikson began to teach art and other subjects to children of Americans who had come to Vienna for Freudian training. Erick than met a Canadian dance instructor named Joan Serson who was also teaching at the school where he worked. The couple married in 1930 and went on to have three children.In 1933 he came to the U. S. and took a teaching position at Harvard. In addition to teaching at Harvard he also had a private practice in child psychoanalysis. La ter he held teaching positions at Yale, San Francisco psychoanalytic, Austin Riggs center and the center for advanced studies of behavioral Sciences. He published a number of books on his theories and research, including Childhood and Society and The Life Cycle Completed. His book Gandhi's Truth was awarded a Pulitzer Prize and a national Book Award. Erick retired in 1970. He however continued to write, do research and occasionally lecture.In 1950 serious health problems ERICKSON’S PSYCHOSOCIAL THEORY 5. forced him into full retirement. Erick died in 1994 at the age of 91. (Personality Theories, Dr C. George Boeree. ) Erick Erickson was however probably known best known for is Psychosocial Theory. Erickson’s theory was one in which eight stages of psychosocial development unfold through out a humans lifetime. Each stage consists of a unique developmental task that confronts individuals with a crisis in which must be faced. (Santrock, 2008,16) The first stage, Trust vs. Mistrust, occurs from approximately birth to one year.Erikson defined trust as an essential trustfulness of others as well as a fundamental sense of one's own trustworthiness. He also said that some mistrust is necessary to learn to discriminate between honest and dishonest persons. If mistrust wins over trust in this stage, the child will be frustrated, withdrawn, suspicious, and will lack self-confidence. (Santrock, 2008,16) The second stage, Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt, occurs between ages two and three. During this period it is important that the parents create a supportive atmosphere for their child so it can develop a sense of self-control without a loss of self-esteem.In this stage, Erikson said the child encounters rules, such as which areas of the house he is allowed to explore. (Santrock, 2008,16) The third stage, Initiative vs. Guilt, occurs between ages ERICKSON’S PSYCHOSOCIAL THEORY 6. four and five. This is the stage in which the child must find out what kind of person he/she is going to be. The child develops a sense of responsibility in which the child increases initiative during this period. If the child is irresponsible and is made to feel too anxious then they will have uncomfortable guilt feelings.Erikson believed that most guilt is quickly compensated for by a sense of accomplishment. (Santrock, 2008,16) Erikson's fourth stage, Industry vs. Inferiority, occurs between six years and puberty. This is the period in which the child wants to enter the larger world of knowledge and work. One of the great events and influences of this time is the child's entry into school. This is where he is exposed to the technology of his society: books, multiplication tables, arts and crafts, maps, microscopes, films, and tape recorders.However, the learning process does not only occur in the classroom according to Erikson, but also at home, friend's houses, and on the street. (Santrock, 2008,16) Components of Erikson's prior four stages contribute to the fifth stage, Identity vs. Identity Confusion. This occurs during adolescence. During this period the identity concern reaches climax. (Santrock, 2008,16) Erikson's sixth stage, Intimacy vs. Isolation, occurs during young adulthood. Intimacy with other people is possible only if a reasonably well-integrated identity emerges from stage five. The main concern of Erikson's seventh stage, Generativity vs.Stagnation, is to ERICKSON’S PSYCHOSOCIAL THEORY 7. assist the younger generation in developing and lead useful lives. When the individual feels that he has done nothing to help the next generation then they experience stagnation. The final stage, Integrity vs. Despair, occurs during late adulthood. This is the time in which the individual looks back and evaluates their life. If the previous stages have developed properly then they will experience integrity. If the previous stages have not developed in a positive way then they will feel despair. (Santrock, 2008,16)Ericksonâ₠¬â„¢s model has some advantages and disadvantages to it. One of the advantages is that it is a good model to follow in infancy and in early childhood when there is little or no communication being done between child and parents. The model sets a â€Å"measuring stick† to a child’s normal development that a doctor and parents can use to see if the child is developing behind schedule or ahead of schedule. This all also allows doctors and parents to possibly diagnosis a possible mental abnormality or learning disability. However I believe this model is good to use to assume only if a child is healthy.Once a child or adult is diagnosed with a mental illness of some sort the model cannot be really used anymore. The model also has limitations to it. As I mentioned in the prior paragraph once a child or adult is diagnosed with a mental illness the theory cannot be really only used to a degree. Dependent on what type of learning disability or mental disability the child or ERI CKSON’S PSYCHOSOCIAL THEORY 8. adult may have the person may not be able to recognize these developmental needs that happen throughout his or hers life.The adult or child will heavily depend on his or her caretaker to either support these developmental stages for them or the caretaker may have to be the one that actually supplies these needs and offers the reassurance that is needed to person’s stages. The relevance to society this offers is that it shows us how a healthy individual should develop through life. It is a model for us to follow to know proper developmental stages of a human being from infancy to late adulthood. It helps parents know what is the â€Å"norm† for there children and if maybe there is something developmentally wrong.In older adults it also helps us guide our way into later stages of life. It may help people who feel that they have not been successful in society feel that they are in the normal. They may see that they have developed and contributed to what the normal is expected. This paper helped me realize that there was such a model to develop developmental stages. I realize looking back to my adolescence years I have hit these stages and remember dealing with these problems. It also prepares me for what’s ahead and what to expect in later developmental stages.Being better prepared for my upcoming stages should make my transitions through them much easier. ERICKSON’S PSYCHOSOCIAL THEORY 9. References Essential of lifespan development, John Santrock, University of Texas at Dallas, published 2008 Erickson’s theory of psychosocial development, Kendra Cherry, http://psychology. about. com/od/psychosocialtheories/a/psychosocial. htm Simply psychology, Erickson’ theory, Saul McLeod, published 2008, updated 2013. http://www. simplypsychology. org/Erik-Erikson. html#sthash. byyb8hC6. dpbs Personality Theories, Dr c. George Boeree. http://webspace. ship. edu/cgboer/erikson. html

Musical Education and The Laws by Plato

Musical Education and The Laws by Plato This essay will open with several important quotes from The Laws by Plato, for example: â€Å"It is least acceptable when someone asserts that music should be judged by pleasure. If there should exist somewhere such a music, it should be sought as the least acceptable; what should be sought as serious is music that contains a resemblance to the imitation of the beautiful1†.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Musical Education and The Laws by Plato specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There is another very interesting quote related to the definition of good music, namely, the Athenian stranger points out that the best music is the one that â€Å"pleases the man who is distinguished in virtue and education†2. These passages represent some of the Plato’s views on music, its evaluation, as well as importance for the city. Moreover, they can give us a good idea about Plato’s understanding of musical e ducation. First, one should say that this philosophical dialogue places emphasis on the importance of music for the development of a person. The Athenian stranger acknowledges that a person, â€Å"who is finely educated will be able to sing and dance†3. These skills have to be among the attributes of a person. Nonetheless, the main function of musical education is to channel or control the passions of an individual who must act a responsible citizen of the state. This is one of the reasons this text frequently makes connections between music and virtue. This discussion presented by Plato focuses on the effects of music on an individual, rather then skills. Furthermore, this philosophical work does not accept purely aesthetical view on art, and pleasure, which a person derives from it, is not the main criterion. Musical education must not focus only on performing skills; more likely, its purpose is to teach people to understand harmony and subsequently become harmonious. In th is context, such term as harmony can be interpreted as the agreement of opinion, action, and feeling. Hence, one can argue that music cannot be separated from moral education. This is one of the most important claims made in this dialogue. Nevertheless, this text does not identify the specific strategies of achieving the goals set by the author.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Moreover, such utilitarian interpretation of music may not be accepted by modern educators and musicians. Certainly, Plato’s dialogue does not focus only the music; however, this art occupies a very important place in this work. The second important aspect is the selection of music which is suitable for young people. The first quote presented in this essay can tell us much about the Plato’s views on musical education. This statement implies that the educators have to develop methods of a ssessing this art and decide what kind of music can be accepted or rejected. Judging from this dialogue, the selection of musical pieces must be entrusted to more or less elderly people who have achieved a significant status in the community and whose moral reputation cannot be questioned. This argument has very significant implications for musical education since it implies that not every kind of music is appropriate for educational purposes. The dialogue does not explain how these assessors of music will be trained and selected. Although, it is not explicitly stated by the author, this dialogue suggests musical education has to be under control of the state. This claim can certainly be disputed by contemporary readers of The Laws. The main issue is that this work does not explain who will educate the educators. This drawback can undermine Plato’s approach to musical or any other education. It should also be noted that at the time this dialogue was written musical education was closely tied to poetry4. This is one of the reasons why the discussion in the Laws often focuses on chorus singing. Thus, the educators must carefully choose the songs and verses that are suitable for the chorus. The Athenian stranger argues that these songs must be imitation of â€Å"noble†5 and good things. Again, this argument indicates that musical education must not be separated from morality and citizenship.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Musical Education and The Laws by Plato specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to this dialogue, the music has to represent a â€Å"close imitation of the beautiful†6. This statement suggests that there are some criteria for judging the aesthetic value of music. Yet, they are not properly specified. Therefore, modern day teachers can surely disagree with some Plato’s views on musical education. The key issue is that there are not strictly defined criteria distinguishing good music from bad music. Overall, the ultimate goal of musical education is to raise a person who is able to tame his/her passions and who always strives to rely on reason and arguments, rather than force or violence. Any form of aesthetic education must be subjected to the needs of the state and welfare of the citizens. This philosophical work tells us very little about the needs of an individual, and his/her emotional life. It is quite likely that The Laws will be criticized in the modern age of individualism. Admittedly, the ideas expressed in this treatise can surely be disputed by modern educators and musicians. There are several reasons for possible criticism. First of all, the author does not identify the specific criteria according to which one can evaluate music in terms of its appropriateness for educational purposes. For instance, one can point out that it is difficult to determine what kind of instrumental music can be appropriate for a young p erson. Secondly, the critics of Plato’s approach can argue that the evaluation suggested in The Laws is entirely subjective. Furthermore, modern composers and performers do not always reject purely aesthetic perspective of music. This work that we have discussed is aimed at connecting musical and moral education. It strives to single out the social roles played by music. This issue still remains interesting to modern musicologists and educators. Despite the fact that many arguments put forward in The Laws cannot be accepted nowadays, the questions raised by the author are still of great importance to educators. First, one still has to determine the goal of musical education, especially if we are speaking about children or adolescents. More importantly, many critics and performers still debate about the selection and evaluation of musical pieces, especially it is necessary to decide whether they are suitable for educational purposes.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More To some extent, this debate can be traced to this work by Plato. Finally, we need to mention the main claim advanced in this philosophical treatise, namely the importance of musical education of the life of the community and virtuous behavior. Bibliography Lippman, E. A History of Western Musical Aesthetics. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1994. Plato. The Laws. Translated by Thomas Pangle. Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1988. Footnotes 1 Plato, The Laws, trans. Thomas Pangle. (Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1988), 50 2 Ibid, 39 3 Ibid, 34 4 Lippman, E. A History of Western Musical Aesthetics. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1994), 10. 5 Plato, The Laws, 53 6 Plato, The Laws, p 50

Frankenstein and Models essays

Frankenstein and Models essays He was a monster, no one enjoyed him. They knew not what to do about the terrible creature, so they chased him from the world. He was so distraught by this and the fact that his creator abandoned him because of his appearance; he disappeared into the darkness of the North Pole. He was unable to connect with society because of his appearance. What does this say about humanity! Humanity is so based on how someone looks, that the people are unable to fit in with society and should basically walk into the freezing cold areas and waste away. This certainly doesn't say much about how well "ugly people" can live in our society. The ripping action of the modern peoples shows how biased they are. If you look into a magazine, you can see how terrible times have gotten. No one can live with the sickly thin models that show up in those awful areas. They have no meat on them, and would be better off just lying down and eating a couple boxes of chocolate. The digitally altered women in the magazin es do nothing to help with mentally distraught teenagers in todays society. The people make me sick. They cant even stick with the reality of the situation. If the population is going to live on fast food and boxed meals, how do they expect people to look the way the people do in magazines! The inability to ascertain the reality of the situation is thoroughly disturbing. It is almost annoying to hear the people complain that they are fat or ugly. When will society realize that they are all ugly in some way, that the models in those magazines are just pretty pictures with airbrushed bodies and faces. ...

The Most Common Place Names in America

The Most Common Place Names in America Is there a place name that exists in all 50  U.S.  states? It depends on what you count as a city, town, or village- for example, whether a township name counts as a town and whether youll count county names as well, as they also contain populations. Sources vary widely as to what is the most prolific place name throughout the United States. This piece follows World Atlass numbers for count and MSN for the largest city with that name. Washington (88) Although Springfield is commonly thought of as the most prolific place name in the United States, Washington is the most common, according to World Atlas, with 88 place names. There are even more if you count places where Washington is only a portion of the name. Springfield (41) Springfield is in second place, coming in with 41 cities and towns named it, the first being in Massachusetts, naturally, in 1636, after a city in England. Its a long-running debate among fans of the animated TV series The Simpsons as to which state the family actually lives in, because Springfields are seemingly everywhere and the TV series makes a point never to specify which state theyre in. Franklin (35) In third place is Franklin, with 35 cities and towns named after founding father Benjamin Franklin, who was integral in the Declaration of Independence, served as an ambassador to France, and helped establish the U.S. Postal Service. The most populous Franklin city is in Tennessee and has  68,549 residents as of 2017. Greenville (31) A lot of city and town founders must have enjoyed the scenery where they put down roots, as the name Greenville is next, with 31 U.S. instances. The name appears coast to coast. One of the first founded was in South Carolina,  in 1786. Bristol (29) If there are any city names that sound as if it were plucked straight out of Britain, the place name of Bristol has to be at the top of that list. It has 29 cities and towns named after it in the United States, and in Britain, its historically been a commercial center and important seaport. Clinton (29) The first tie on the list comes up here, with the moniker of Clinton also notching 29 instances in the United States. New York state alone has three Clinton place names, the village, town,  and county of. The most populous city by that name is in Maryland, with more than 39,000 inhabitants, and the city in Arkansas wasnt named after its governor turned president but after New York governor DeWitt Clinton. Fairview (27) Fairview might be popular around the country as a name, but the cities across the United States must be fairly small if the most populous is the one in New Jersey at just over 14,000 residents. Founders of these cities must have liked the scenery around their location and realized that the name Greenville was already taken. Salem (26) Of the 26 Salems in the country, the one in  Massachusetts is where the infamous 1692 witch trials were.  The city in Oregon is the largest, though, coming in at just over  160,000 in population. Madison (24) Known for his work on  US Constitution and the Bill of Rights, fourth president James Madison has 24 place names sprinkled throughout the United States that carry his surname. The largest city is the capital of Wisconsin, which has  243,122  people living there. Georgetown (23)   Being that Washington is tops, its no surprise that George towns  also make this list. The United States has 23 Georgetowns, in fact, though some could have been named for other Georges or even the former king of England. Georgetown, Texas, is the largest city, with a population of  56,102.

Raymond Carver Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Raymond Carver - Essay Example When the family moved to California, Carver became interested in writing and took a course from John Gardner, which had a profound effect on him. He continued his studies at Chico State University, Humboldt State College, and the University of Iowa. He earned a BA in 1963. He became a textbook editor at Science Research Associates, Palo Alto, but was fired in 1970. He went on to teach at universities throughout the United States and from 1980-1983 was a professor of English at Syracuse University. While Carver was at Humboldt, he wrote his first story, "Pastoral," as well as his first poem, "The Brass Ring." Although his biography states he started his writing career as a poet, he confessed he was never a "born" poet (Liukkonen) and although he eventually had his poetry published, it never received the acclaim of his short stories. His story "Will You Please Be Quiet, Please" was written in 1967 and with the editing expertise of Gordon Lish, he published a collection of stories of the same name set in Eureka, California in 1976 (Boddy). During the ensuing years, alcohol was a problem for him and drinking became a full-time pursuit. In fact, alcohol became a subject in several of his stories. On June 2, 1977, Carver stopped drinking and became active in Alcoholics Anonymous. He begin seeing poet Tess Gallagher and divorced his wife MaryAnn in 1982. He lived with Gallagher and married her two months before he died from lung cancer in 1988 (Liukkonen). Carver has said that everything we write is, in some way, autobiographical. In a New York Times article he said he considered the short story a vehicle for transforming the commonplace and said, "it is possible to write a line of seemingly innocuous dialogue and have it send a chill along the reader's spine" (Carver par. 9). His writing style is muted and anticlimactic but creates a tense atmosphere. His life is basically divided into two sections, one before he gave up drinking and met Tess and one after. "Cathedral," a short story contained in a collection by the same name, gives him the chance to write in retrospect, utilizing his life experiences in the first section of his life as part of his writing within the second part of his life. His father's alcoholism possibly led to Carver's addiction to alcohol since an addictive personality can be and often is passed down. "Cathedral" was published in 1983, after Carver had joined AA, but the characters in the story spend a great dea l of time in intervals of drinking and smoking marijuana. There are three characters in the story-the narrator, his wife, and a blind man. The narrator, who would appear to be based on Carver himself, distances himself from the story by being an observer rather than a participant-at least at first. As the story progresses, he unobtrusively fixes himself drinks, and although it is never evident or brought out, the excess drinking throughout the story labels him as an alcoholic, albeit a recovering alcoholic.. He refers to his wife's friend as "this blind man," and it is clear he is dismissing any personal interest in the man's forthcoming visit. "I wasn't enthusiastic about his visit. He was no one I knew" (Carver "Cathedral" 1). Even so, he offers the reader background on the

Poetry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 16

Poetry - Essay Example The first of these poems, Wilfred Owens "Dulce et Decorum Est," is a big example of anti-war poetry. The main theme in this dark poem is definitely war, and it definitely does not show it in a good light. From the very first lines, which describe a group of soldiers as "bent double, like old beggars under sacks, / knock-kneed, coughing like hags" ("Dulce" 1-2), it is clear that this poem is determined to destroy idealized visions of soldiers as glorious defenders of their country. The poem is filled with disturbing images of war, some of which are very realistic. An attack of poison gas is described with unflinching detail, telling how the soldiers, after "an ecstacy of fumbling / [fit] the clumsy helmets just in time" ("Dulce" 9-10). Owen also describes how the unlucky man who did not make it in time was "guttering, choking, drowning" ("Dulce" 16) and how blood was "gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs" ("Dulce" 22). The point of all this is not to gross out the reader, but to ar gue that patriots who "tell with such high zest / to children ... / the old Lie" that was is noble ("Dulce" 25-28) should reconsider their viewpoint. On the other hand, Edward Thomass "This is No Petty Case of Right or Wrong" takes a much more patriotic view. Although the poet seems to argue against war at first, with the lines "I hate not Germans, nor grow hot / With love of Englishmen, to please newspapers" (3-4), as the poem continues it grows clear that what he is protesting is not necessarily hatred of the enemy or love of ones countrymen, but what he perceives as shallow patriotism. This is clear by the end of line four, quoted above, that it is not just for newspapers, or for show, that the poets narrator loves his country. Indeed, for Thomas, it appears impossible to believe that anyone might feel otherwise. It is "with the best and meanest Englishmen / I am one in crying, God save England," he says (19-20), implying

Uranium processing plant in Tokai Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Uranium processing plant in Tokai - Essay Example criticality (a limited uncontrolled nuclear chain reaction), which continued intermittently for 20 hours.† IAEA remarked the cause as â€Å"human error and serious breaches of security principles† (World Nuclear Association) The accident took place when three workers were fabricating fuel for the JOYO experimental fast breeder reactor. It contained 18.8 percent enriched uranium. Then it was for the first time in three years that this reactor was fuelled and it was also found out that these workers were not professionally qualified and trained for operating such a reactor. The concentration of uranium was in excess inside the reactor which led to the accident and eventually, radioactive products were set out in the building. The workers who were near to the reactor showed symptoms like breathing trouble, nausea etc soon after the incident. The urgency lasted for around 20 hours. The sole cause of the accident was a critical error from the workers, that is, they filled a wrong concentration of uranium nitrate in the tank. The Chernobyl disaster of 1986 which is known as world’s largest nuclear disaster is also said to have occurred due to human errors. A commission of the USSR state committee attributed the flaws to the unscientific design and management of the power plant. The direct cause was similar to that of the Tokai accident. This accident also happened when some inexperienced hands involved in the maintenance of the reactor IV in the power plant. The Three Mile Island disaster which took place in 1979 was also an aftermath of human errors (The Japan Times). Blemishes in the user interface engineering were cited as the cardinal cause for the disaster. This directed to an incorrect understanding of the valve status. This provided another entry to the list of nuclear disasters. In all these cases, it can be noticed that human errors turned out to be the paramount antecedent for the mishaps. It is a known fact that tiny glitches can lead to behemoth

Cultural Considerations in the Design and Localisation of Essay

Cultural Considerations in the Design and Localisation of International Websites - Essay Example ses who want to make sure they can gain profits more efficiently in the fierce market competition should definitely design their websites in different languages and localise them to adapt to the local culture. Sun (2004), who is a senior localisation specialist from a software localisation company in Shenzhen, defines localisation as a process to custom-make software, websites, or documents according to the demands of the target country, or market, in order to eliminate the cultural barriers. For example, in the context of a company the term localization refers to the transformation of the company’s image to an international standard. Thus, it reaches more countries beyond that which it is mainly based in both expansion of services to target region and meeting their specific, cultural resemblance. In fact, other definitions of localisation also stress that website localisation is meant to revise the website to give the website a linguistic appeal in aagreement with the target culture so that the information on the website can be accessed and used by the target users more easily. It is an all-round process so the designer of the website must consider all business and cultural aspects. The designer should not only be a programming expert since great web design is not enough in business localisation. Thus, the web designer should also be familiar with the target culture knowledge, and of course, master the target language. It can be seen that, through restructuring of the web content and emphasis of a cultural appeal; the basic object of localisation is to eliminate cultural barriers. Therefore the cultural considerations are definitely necessary and even the most important concern in the design and localisation of international websites.The essay is going to start with describing the necessary of localisation of international websites. Next there are some analyses of important cultural considerations, such as language, colour, images and symbols, layout and data

Personnel Guidance in Research and Development Essay

Personnel Guidance in Research and Development - Essay Example A research involving a creation of a new technology may be termed as a high level research. A highly critical issue usually involves a team and each team member contributes in his way towards the research. Research involves discovery of a truth and therefore it should taken seriously and with immediate attention. It does not involve only the searching; rather it is one's effort to find the truth using a series of trials involving various aspect of the issue. A research must be taken with a positive frame of mind and should never be a matter of fun. Before one is ready for research, he must have an objective and should be fully focused on it (Gredler and Shields, 2008). A research involves deep and thorough knowledge of the subject and therefore, the researcher must be aware of the various factors that can affect the scope of the research. A researcher must always start by finding a person who has a deeper knowledge of the subject and with whom he can discuss the various outcomes and the possibilities and the scope of the research. Generally, this person should be much higher in experience and knowledge than the researcher. This person can then be termed as a Research Guide. Performing a research under a guide boosts up the confidence of the researcher and provides a better way to proceed in the work. 2) A Research Plan The researcher must have a plan in order to proceed with the research. One must completely have theoretical as well as a practical approach for the subject. The availability of a research lab helps in attaining better results. It also provides the practical approach where in a real time issues can be simulated. These simulations provide a clear picture of the subject. This helps in better judgement of the subject and therefore a practical approach to deal with it. 3) Finance Another big constraint involving a research can be finances. Sometimes, research may involve high finances. Like a research in the field of automobile engine and emissions may involve a multiple changes in design of the component. Thus manufacturing a new component such as an engine part, with course of the research, involves a lot of resources which will prove costly. Therefore, a researcher must look for funding options if available. To get funding for a research, one must put together all the authentic and genuine facts for the research that must convince the funding authority. Available funds can prove very crucial as these when utilised in an efficient manner can several times get the researcher the best he wants. The researcher then has full freedom to take care of the aspects which he might overlook due to lack of resources. 4) Available facts and figures Another area that needs to be taken care of is the updates that are connected to the field of your research. One

Cultural Considerations in the Design and Localisation of Essay

Cultural Considerations in the Design and Localisation of International Websites - Essay Example ses who want to make sure they can gain profits more efficiently in the fierce market competition should definitely design their websites in different languages and localise them to adapt to the local culture. Sun (2004), who is a senior localisation specialist from a software localisation company in Shenzhen, defines localisation as a process to custom-make software, websites, or documents according to the demands of the target country, or market, in order to eliminate the cultural barriers. For example, in the context of a company the term localization refers to the transformation of the company’s image to an international standard. Thus, it reaches more countries beyond that which it is mainly based in both expansion of services to target region and meeting their specific, cultural resemblance. In fact, other definitions of localisation also stress that website localisation is meant to revise the website to give the website a linguistic appeal in aagreement with the target culture so that the information on the website can be accessed and used by the target users more easily. It is an all-round process so the designer of the website must consider all business and cultural aspects. The designer should not only be a programming expert since great web design is not enough in business localisation. Thus, the web designer should also be familiar with the target culture knowledge, and of course, master the target language. It can be seen that, through restructuring of the web content and emphasis of a cultural appeal; the basic object of localisation is to eliminate cultural barriers. Therefore the cultural considerations are definitely necessary and even the most important concern in the design and localisation of international websites.The essay is going to start with describing the necessary of localisation of international websites. Next there are some analyses of important cultural considerations, such as language, colour, images and symbols, layout and data

Growing up as a child in my family Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Growing up as a child in my family - Essay Example I fell pregnant on five separate occasions but had a total of six children, all of whom were all girls. I gave birth for the first time in 1977 and had my last child in 1981. In conjunction with being a full-time mother, I also worked two jobs to help support my children. In 1989, a met a really nice guy who was to be my future husband. We have now been together for 22 years and are still in love with each other just as much as we were back then. In the year 2000, my husband and I decided to become foster parents. We have cared for over 32 kids since then and have gone on to adopt three of those kids, all of whom are girls. These girls were so adorable that we had no choice but to open our hearts and accept them. They are currently aged 11, 14, and 17 years old respectively. For the last 26 years I have been working as a C.M.A. All this time I have been trying to finish raising my girls. It is only now that I have realized that I need to go back to school in order to finish my high s chool diploma. I don’t have much to say about my childhood except I became a mother far too soon. I thank God every day for each of my three kids. I am part of a gospel group called God’s Chosen Generation, of which I am the group’s manager; my husband is in charge of the music. My two youngest daughters sing as part of the group along with my friend’s daughter too. Every Sunday we go to church and participate heavily in the church’s activities. This is the story of me â€Å"growing up as a

Blackberry Case Study Essay Example for Free

Blackberry Case Study Essay Once the leader of mobile devices for business associates across the United States, in recent years BlackBerry has loss significant market share to its competitors such as Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android. Struggling to keep afloat, although BlackBerry only holds five percent of the total mobile device industry, it still succeeds in its consulting business solutions that BlackBerry offers its clients. BlackBerry Business Solutions offers hardware, software, and applications to improve businesses’ performance in several industries such as healthcare, wholesale and retailing, pharmaceuticals, and financial services. The need for efficiency and access to data in the healthcare industry has recently become a standard protocol of how physicians and healthcare providers treat patients. Especially since the handheld electronic devices and e-commerce applications markets have been expanding rapidly, this trend has in turn provided an outlet of immediate access and diversity of physician-oriented applications available in the marketplace. Research conducted by Manhattan Research states, â€Å"more than 80 percent of U.S. physicians [have] smartphones [in] 2012up from 64 percent in 2009and half of that group will use their phones for patient care, administrative functions†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Versel). BlackBerry has recognized these needs from the healthcare industry providing unique and customizable solutions to various clients’ problems by providing them with solutions and applications offered by their 70+ Healthcare ISV (independent software vendor) partners (Partner Solutions). BlackBerry has distinguished their business model by, â€Å"still dominat[ing] among physicians and healthcare application developers, through the iPhone and Google Android are closing the gap quickly†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Versel). BlackBerry can see their successes throughout the entire healthcare continuum by offering e-commerce solutions that improve business and clinical performance across several categories within the healthcare industry which differentiate the services the can offer various businesses than Apple and Android. For instance, Mercy Health Partners, a conglomerate of 30+ hospitals across four states, needed to be able to provide immediate mobile access to patient records and clinical information at the bedside so physicians can more efficiently manage patient care (BlackBerry). BlackBerry Business Solutions were able to uniquely assess Mercy Health Partner’s needs and expand their health information systems by offering an e-commerce application called Clinical Xpert Navigator provided by on of their partners, Thompson Healthcare (BlackBerry). The Clinical Xpert Navigator gave Mercy a way to access and securely deliver patient information such as patient medications lists, transcribed report, lab results, and electronic health records at their various locations and right at their patients bedside tables. As a customer, Mercy Health Partners received an exclusive BlackBerry Enterprise Solution as apart of their business solutions model, which ran on BlackBerry smartphones and tablets making it a cost-effective use of their technology. This cost efficiency has in turn resulted in benefits seen in both Mercy Health Partners’ business performances but also their clinical patient care performance. The necessity for time in today’s society is critical for any industry. BlackBerry’s Business Solutions offer clients within the healthcare industry more time through e-commerce applications that directly improves the quality of care, access to care, and continuous care they can ultimately offer their patients in need and help save more lives. http://www.itproportal.com/2012/03/30/iphones-share-us-smartphone-market-very-close-android/ http://sg.blackberry.com/newsroom/success/Mercy_BCS.pdf

Armys Approach To Situational Leadership Management Essay

Armys Approach To Situational Leadership Management Essay The Armys approach to situational leadership is based on the fact that leaders must lead in all situations and ajust to environments that are always changing. In order to prepare leaders for these challenges, the Army uses the concept of situational leadership as a platform. It teaches leaders the impotance of situational leadership, team dynamics and peer leadership (Applied Team Leadership, 2009). The Army stresses that leadership is not about setting rigid, unbending expectations and dictating orders. Good leaders match a style of leadership that matches the current situation, and those that they lead. This paper examines the Armys appoaches situational leadership. It reviews the basic concept of situational leadership, looks at how the Army defines leadership and examines the different perspectives and theories the Army believes to be critical to success. The paper discusses leadership traits and behaviors, and how they are the building blocks for the Armys Leadership Requirement Model. It examines how the Army applies its leadership model using the elements of leadership, both transactional and transformational. And finally, it discusses adaptive leadership, its characteristics, and how the Army builds adaptive leaders. . Table of Contents Introductionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..1 The Basic Concept of Situational Leadership à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.2 The Army and Leadershipà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦3 The Army Relationship Requirement Modelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦4 Transactional Leadershipà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..5 Transformational Leadershipà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦6 Which Style is Best?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦6 Applied Adaptive Leadershipà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..7 Conclusionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦8 Leadership remains the most baffling of the artsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦as long as we do not know exactly what makes men get up out of a hole in the ground and go forward in the face of death at a word from another man, then leadership will remain one of the highest and most elusive of qualities. It will remain an art. James L Stokesbury The art of leadership the Stokesbury alludes to is a subject studied more seriously in military schools than in civilian institutions. Given the life-and-death nature of our business and the importance of the military to a nations survival, this should surprise no one. What is surprising, however, is that most professional military education schools rely almost exclusively on the civilian-orientated Hersey and Blanchard Situational Leadership model to help teach military leadership and management. (Waddell, 1994) The Army believes that leadership is a complex human behavior, and there is no one single way to view it. In order to be an effective leader, one must study more than one model or theory of leadership. This is why the military leader must make use of the studies and histories of military units and figures, and not repeat the mistakes of the past. (Yukl, 1986) While many scholars, sociologist, and historians have analyzed the methods of leadership, there remains no single way to create a great leader. Young Army leaders attending professional development programs need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of different styles and theories. Military leaders are different than leaders in other types of organizations because they are appointed and not emergent. (Yeakey, 2002,) To become truly effective leaders, the Army officer must be more than a one trick pony who can apply only one leadership model. Army leaders lead more intensively than most of their counterparts in civilian life do, in situations where the lack of effective leadership will have catastrophic results (Foundations of Leadership, 2008) The Army Leadership Requirement Model centers on what a leader is and what a leader must do. Because of the stress of combat, the military leader must build trust and confidence with subordinates. To do this, the Army has developed a standard set of attributes and core leader competencies designed to aid in development of leaders who can succeed in a wide variety of difficult situations. US Army Field Manual (FM) 22-100, Army Leadership, also added transactional and transformational leadership styles in the 1980s. Today, the manual has been updated and these two proven styles continue to assist Army leaders in shaping behavior, emotions, and the organizational climate. (Yeakey, 2002) Transformational leadership is at the core of what constitutes adaptive leadership, according to U.S. Army doctrine Field Manual (Bass, Jung, Avolio, Berson, 2003). This leadership approach allows the modern Army leader the ability to adapt to an ever changing environment. Adaptive leadership is an approach by the Army, designed to give the leader an edge in the Contemporary Operating Environment (COE). However being adaptive is more than reacting to a situation. Army leaders anticipate and employ their style of leadership based on that situation. They are able to assume risk, make well informed decisions, and adjust accordingly. The Basic Concept of Situation Leadership According to modern theories of situational leadership developed by P. Hersey, K.H. Blanchard, and D.E. Johnson in their siminal work, Management of Organizational Behavior: Leading Human Resources, there is no one best way to influence people. In Army terms, their theory holds that the leadership style you select and use will depend in the environment and the readiness or ability of the individual soldier (Applied Team Leadership, 2009). Situational leadership is based on an interplay among (1) the amount of guidance and direction (task behavior) a leader gives, (2) the amount of sociomotional support (relationship behavior) a leader provides, and (3) the performance readiness level that the followers exibit in performing a specific task, function or objective (Hersey et al., 2008) Task Behavior Is defined as the extent to which the leader engages in spelling out the duties and responsibilites of an individual or group (Hersey et al., 2008). Examples of task behavior may include developing a list of things to accomplish, establishment of priorities. It might even include following up and assessing the progress made by individuals or teams. Relationship Behavior Is defined as the extent to which the leader engages in two-way or multiway communication (Hersey et al., 2008). Relaionship behavior includes listening, teaching, or counseling. The more you adapt your behavior to the situation, the more effective your attempts to influence will be. No one style is effective in all situations. Each style is appropriate and effective depending on the situation (Hersey et al., 2008). Peoples level of readiness tends to be different, depending on their task. Readiness has nothing to do with values, life experience, or traits; it has everything to do about ones willingness and ability. Willingness is the combination of confidence, commitment, and motivation. Ability is the knowledge, experience, and demonstrated skill that the follower brings to the task and is based on an actual display of abilities. Leaders should not select a leadership style by assuming that the follower should know (Yeakey, 2002). The Army and Leadership An Army leader is anyone who by virtue of assumed role or assigned responsibility inspires and influences people to accomplish organizational goals. Army leaders motivate people both inside andoutside the chain of command to pursue actions, focus thinking, and shape decisions for the greater good of the organization. (FM 6-22, Army Leadership, 2006) For decades, scholars, business leaders, and organizational researchers have continually refined the definition of leadership-based on their findings and expereince, and the latest real-world models and situations. The variety of their theories about leadership stems from leaderships multidimesional nature (Foundations of Leadership, 2008). The Army is always looking for ways to improve itself. Weather developing new tactics for fighting the war on terrorism, or improving its ability to provide care for wounded warriors, improving the force is always at the forfront of the Army. This goal to improve can also be seen in Army leadership. Greater efficiency and effectivness in its leaders led the Army to reevaluate its application of leadership principles. The Army drew on several leadership theories from business and academia to develop its own leadership frame work and definition of of what leadership entails (Foundations of Leadership, 2008). By examining different perspectives and theories, Army leaders are better equiped to deal with the complex nature of leadership in the contemporary operating environment. The Army Leadership Requirement Model The Army devotes significant resources to studying and promoting in-depth discussionof many leadership theories. Its aim is to help develop leaders who can succeed in a wide variety of challenging situations (Foundations of Leadership, 2008). The requirement models basic componets center on what a leader is (attributes BE and KNOW) and what a leader does (competencies DO). An Army leaders character, presence, and intellect enable them to master the core competencies through didicated lifelong learning. The balanced application of the critical leadership requirement model empowers the leader to build high performing and cohesive organizations. It also creates positive organizational climates, allowing for individuals and team learning, and empathy for all. Three major factors determine character: values, empathy, and Warrior Ethos. Some charactoristics are present at the beginning of a leaders career, while others are developed over time. Physical presence determines how others others perceive you. The factors of physcial presence are bearing, phyical fitness, and resilience. Intellectual capacity helps to conceptualize solutions and aquire knowledge to do the job. A leaders conceptual abilities apply agility, judgment, innovation, interpersonal tact, and domain knowledge. Domain knowledge encompasses tactical and technical knowledge as well as cultural awareness. Leader competencies develop from baleanced combination on institutional schooling, self development, realistic training, and professional experience. Building competence follows a systematic and gradual approach, from mastering individual competencies, to applying them in concert and tailoring them to the situation at hand. Leading people by giving them a complex task helps develop the confidence and will take on progressively more difficult challenges. Competencies provide a clear and concise way of conveying expectations for Army leaders. Current and future leaders want to know what to do to succeed in their leadership responsibilities. The core leader competencies apply across all levels of the organization, across leader positions, and throughout careers. Competencies are demonstrated through behaviors that can be readily observed and assessed by a spectrum of leaders and followers: superiors, subordinates, peers and mentors. This makes for a good basis for leader development and focused multi-source assessment and feedback. Transactual Leadership Transactual leadership is based on a transaction or exchange of something of value the leader possess or controls that the follower wants in return for his/her services (Homrig, 2001). The transactual relationship between leader and follower follows an approach where there is either a reward or incentive for achievement; the leader uses punishment or corrective action as a response to unacceptable performance; or the leader actively monitors the progress of work, and uses corrective action to ensure the desired standard is met. While the transactual style of leadership may not be the most popular, or prefered method, it cannot be denied that it produces results. Young recruits who entry the Army live under the transactual style of leadership. These young men and women are placed in a environment designed to break undesirable habits, and build new ones. In order to motivate, and build cohesive teams out of individuals, Drill sergeants who have very limited time, follow the transactual style of leadership using rewards, or punishment to meet acceptable standards. Army leaders often times, because of their situation use the tranactional style of leadership. This is usually only for short periods of time where there is no time to react to other than a direct approach. Examples of these types of situations may include safety situations, or when a unit comes under direct fire from the enemy. Choosing to use transactual leadership involves more than the readiness level of subordinates. The style will change as the situation changes. The goal of the Army leadership today is to create bonds between soldiers with stregnth to motivate even when the leader is not present. To build the kind of lasting bonds that enhance unit cohesion, moral, and performance, Army leaders must look to a higher order of leadership: transformational leadership (Foundations of Leadership, 2008) Transformational Leadership With the introduction of transformational leadership theory into the literature, greater attention has now been paid to understanding how certain leaders are better equipped to elevate a followers motivation and performance to the high levels of accomplishment (Bass, 1985). Tranformational leadership is based on the assumption that people will follow a leader who inspires or motivates them. This method to motivate and inspire is often used to develop a compelling vision by selling it and focusing on developing relationships with followers as a teacher, mentor, and coach might. The transformatioanl leader thus spends a great deal of time building trust and demonstrates a high level of personal integrety to engage his/her followers. His or her ultimate goal is to transform followers while achieving results. In military engagements, leadership, moral, cohesion, and commitment have long been identified as critical ingredients to unit performance (Bass, 1998) Military units demonstrating a high level of esprit de corps and moral have frequently produced the best results (Shamir, Zakay, Breinen, Popper, 1998). Transformational leaders have developed a set of internal values. They have gained a high level of commitment that transends down to their followers. Transformational leaders have the ability to to operate in a manner that best fits the situation. The military professional must weigh the pros an cons of these leader/follower relionships to judge which is best when. This is by no means an easy task and usually results in a great deal of thought, for being a leader is work (Homrig, 2001). Which Style is Best? Each style has its advantages and its limitations. The Army teaches that when choosing an appropraite style, one must consider the amount of time available to accomplish the objective, your abilities and those of the subordinates, and the current situation. Bernard Bass, co-author of Adding to contingent-reward behavior: The augmenting effect of charismatic leadership says The best leadership is both transformational and transactional. Transformational leadership augments the effectiveness of transactional leadership; it does not replace transactional leadership (Waltman, Bass, Yammarino, 1990). People in general look to leaders for guidance and direction; however they want to be encouraged to to negotiate challenges. The successful leader will inspire and motivate groups or teams in the organization to create synergy among them to tackle that challenging situation or obstacle. Transformational leaders will ultimatly build long term pride, competence, and commitment within the organization that goes beyond what can be achieved by using transactual leadership. Transformational leadership is at the core of what constitutes adaptive leadership, according to U.S. Army doctrine Field Manual 22-100 (Bass et al., 2003). Applied Adaptive Leadership Dr. Leonard Wong, a twenty year Army veteran, and author of Developing Adaptive Leaders: The Crucible Experience of Operation Iraqi Freedom, cites leadership researcher Warren Bennis, who defines adaptive leadership: The critical quality of a leader that determines how a leader will fare in a crucible experience is adaptive capacity. Adaptive capacity allows leaders to respond quickly and intelligently to constant change. It is the ability to identify and sieze opportunities. It allows leaders to act and then evaluate results instead of attempting to collect and analyze all the data before acting (Wong, 2004) According to Wong, adaptive leaders need to be mentally flexable and agile. They must possess strong conceptual and technical skills. Adaptive leaders are strong under pressure, and can operate will little or no supervision. Flexible, adaptive leadership is important for leaders to adapt to different situations. Hersey Blanchard point out that more delegation and less monitoring is needed for subordinates who are confident and competent than ones who are not. Change is the only constant. Adaptive leaders know the strengths of self and subordinates, understand the mission, and can quickly diagnose the situation. They manage and adapt while leading and motivating the team. There are no leader institutions within the Army that guarantee leaders become adaptive. The charactoristics of adaptive leadership indicate that training and eduacation are the foundation. The ability to critically think, recognize situations, adapt, and act, requires time and effort. The Army believes that you can learn to be an adaptive leader. As leaders experience different challenging situations, they develop new skills needed to move on to new levels of achievment. According to Wong, adaptive Army leaders competently deal with three aspects of the contemporary operational environement: ambiguity, complexity, and change (Wong, 2004). Ambiguity Army leaders are taught the importance to completely understanding the senior officiers intent. Leaders deal with unpredictabiltiy on a day to day basis, and while the planning is critical to mission accomplisment, do not become consumed with the plan. Leaders need consider the overall intent, and build plan that work for the team. Complexity Adaptive leaders must learn to deal with complexity. Wong interviewed one yooung officer in Iraq, I cant tell you what Im doing tomorrow. I can tell you what Im suppose to be doing tomorrow. Things change so frequently, and you just expect that. You know that every day you live a day at a time. Things you plan change, based on intel reports, based on different changes in the mission. Change This is the only constant. The adaptive leader must anticipate and master transitions. Changing conditions can change the priorities of the mision, and provide new challenges. Leaders need to find a balance, adapt to the situation, and execute while motivating and inspriring the team. Conclusion James Stokes describes leadership as an art. The United States Army agrees, and therfore embrased the widely popular situational leadership as the foundation for its leadership training model. It shows Army leaders that theres no one best way to influence people, and that only through the study of different theories, styles and behaviors, will you master that art. The Army, through its leadership requirement model, has developed a framework that I believe is useful in assisting young leaders with their leadership. Adaptive leadership is critical for Army leaders as they operate on todays modern technically advanced battlefield. Because of the complexity of and ambiguity of the environement that they face, flexible leadership is required more than ever.

Analysis of The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost Essay -- Papers Poem Po

Analysis of The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost ?The Road Not Taken? (1916) tells of someone faced with two of life?s decisions however only one can be chosen. Whichever road is taken will be final and will determine the direction that their life takes. Frost drives this poem by a calm and collective narrative, spoken by the traveler of the diverged roads. Who is speaking with himself trying to convince himself of which road is the better choice. Frost wrote this poem using standard, modern language. In line one Frost introduces the diverging roads, which are his main metaphors. Diverging being the key word in this line because it suggests that the traveler must make a choice. Line two the speaker expresses his grief of not being able to travel both. Yet, the choice is not easy, since ?long I stood? (1.3) before coming to a decision. The next two lines examines the path as best as he can, but his vision is limited because the path bends and is covered over. This indicates that the speaker would like to know more about this road but is prevented by the immediate environment. Six through eight seems to be suggesting that the second path mentioned is a more attractive choice because it appears to have not been traveled recently. However, he seems to contradict himself since he also describes the path as being ?just as fair? as the first rather than better. Although the poet breaks after line ten, the main idea continues into the third stanza, creating a link between these parts of the poem. Here the speaker states that the paths are ?really about the same.?(2.1 0). Neither path has recently been traveled, although he is searching fro a clear logical reason to decide one path over the other, he cannot find a suitable reason. Lin... ...ng were clear. ?The Road Not Taken? was far from complex, its metaphor was blatant and the word traveler left no room for assumption as to what the speaker was referring. I identified with the theme immediately and because we are all faced with important choices in life, I was able to relate to Frost. The poem was psychological because it dealt with thoughts. Through out the entire poem the speaker held an internal conversation. His choices where entirely thought through by himself. It was definitely a psychological narrative. This poem in its condensed state contains a dilemma of everyday life choices. Bringing forth the sometimes-harsh reality that, whichever decision is made ultimately makes all the difference. Works Cited: Frost, Robert. The Poetry of Robert Frost: The Collected Poems, Complete and Unabridged.New York. Henry Holt and Company, Inc. 1979.

Negative Effects of Globalization Essay

Globalization is not a new phenomena. It was primarily formed long time ago, when Greeks, Romans conquered other countries and spread their power to them. However, the nature of globalization has been changed over time and reached to the stage of modern globalization. In the article â€Å"Spiritual perspective on globalization†, Ira Rifkin (2003) says that the modern globalization could be identified from a meeting on 1944 in Bretton Woods where forty five nations agreed to establish the IMF and the World Bank. The renovation of information technology, especially the spread of Internet has pushed the globalization process to happen faster than ever before and changed the whole world dramatically. Many countries are taking advantage of globalization to stimulate their economic growth, create more jobs and improve social benefits. However, they are also suffering several negative effects of globalization: the disappearance of some traditional culture, the destruction of environm ent, and the disparities between rich and poor. The first negative effect of globalization is that it is reducing the diversity of traditional culture of some small nations. Each country has its own identical culture. However, with the development of advance technology as well as international trade, a lot of multinational corporations are established; result in an interconnected world and the removal of national borders. Some countries are unable to resist the cultural interaction with other countries as well as the cultural imperialism of developed countries. Their traditional culture is losing and replaced by Americans and Western styles. Rifkin writes that the Americans and Western culture have affected or even obliterated the traditional culture of some countries. People in these countries are more and more prefer McDonald’s fast food, Hollywood films or Disney entertainments. In â€Å"The deadly noodle†, Hasting, Thiel and Thomas also mention that the American processed food may be one kind of American cultural sovereign. It has changed the food habits of many countries. In addition, in some extend, globalization also impacts on the way people consider knowledge. In this Information Age, it is easy to get all necessary information on the Internet and they are often formal modern knowledge. Thus, traditional knowledge is disappearing. In â€Å"Exiled to Cyberia†, Kunda Dixit says that we have paid too much attention on formal  modern knowledge, and overlooked the traditional knowledge. These cultural changes also happen in Vietnam. Young people now like to listen to the songs of the world famous singers like Celine Dion, Micheal Jackson or Lady Gaga and keep away most of Vietnamese traditional music. A lot of traditional games are no longer their favorite things. They like to spend their free time playing games online or chatting with friends on the Internet. At cinemas, Hollywood films are advertised everywhere but it is difficult to find a Vietnam film. Gradually, many countries are losing their cultural diversity and identity. And there wi ll be no big differences between countries’ culture because of the powerful spread of America and Western culture. Perhaps the next generations will not be aware that they used to have an unique traditional culture in their society. Another problem which countries are facing with under the effects of globalization is the degradation of environment. Human can be considered the owner of natural environment and have power to change it. However, the impacts of human on environment are more and more aggressive because of the explosion of population and economic growth. Global environment has been destroying in many different ways. In â€Å"Poverty and Environmental Degradation†, Mabogunje writes that the world’s population has increased rapidly, especially in developing countries and urban areas due to medical achievements. This population explosion has put many people in the poor standards of living. As a result, to make a living, they have cut trees in forests and over cultivated their farmlands. Therefore, a lot of species have no place to survive and then be extinct, a wide range of lands become desertification, and losses of topsoil are happening in many countries. The global ecosystem is becoming imbalanced and the environment is seriously degraded. Also, globalization has brought serious pollution for many countries in the world. Air pollution, water pollution and climate changes are now a big issue which requires all countries to cooperate to resolve. There are several factors causing pollution. One cause of air pollution and global warming is the increase in numbers of vehicles in cities, especially in developing countries. In â€Å"If poor get richer, does world see progress†, Knickerbocker tells us that Chinese economy has been quickly developing. In Shanghai, numbers of cars have been increasing significantly every week while the bicycles may be not permitted on some big roads. This change is making  global atmosphere polluted. The situation of Vietnam is as same as other developing countries. Recently, numbers of vehicles have been growing faster in big cities and they are a main cause of air pollution in Vietnamese urban areas. The consumption of the poor people also results in pollution. According to Maboguje, the biomass fuels and other products consumed by the poor are causing serious air pollution. The broad uses of chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides are another cause of pollution. Maboguje says that in order to produce more agricultural products, farmers in many countries have broadly used fertilizers and pesticides which pollute water sources and are harmful to environment as well as people’s health. Lastly, globalization is widening the gap between the rich and the poor. It has affected all the participants who involved in globalization process in many ways. Although some countries have already got out of poverty and developed their economy, wealth countries are those who have taken most benefits from globalization and become richer and more powerful. Multinational corporations in developed countries make huge profits from outsourcing their productions to developing countries where labor costs are very cheap and other production conditions are more favorable. As results, the gap between rich countries and poor countries are increasing. According to Rifkin, the unequal difference between the rich and the poor are widening. More than one billion people in the world are ling in very poor conditions. The rapidly economic growth in developing countries also results in the inequality in income and living standards of people living in cities and those living in rural areas. In fact, the economic growth often happens first in industrial areas and in cities, so people who have good education or working skills can get higher income and improve their lives. In rural areas, on the other hand, people’s lives basically depend on agriculture which is slowly developed so their incomes do not change very much or even decrease because of the impact of environment changes on their agricultural production. Moreover, when economy is growing, the goods price and standards of living are also higher. These things affect seriously to the poor people and make their lives become harder. In conclusion, globalization is  unavoidable trend in this advanced technology era. Most countries in the world were involved in this spiral of globalization. Although globalization has created a lot of significant benefits to these countries, helped them increase the economic growth, improve people’s living standards, it also has brought many challenges and disadvantages for these countries, in which the dismissal of traditional culture, environmental degradation, and disparities between rich and poor are notable issues. Each country suffers the negative effects of globalization on different levels. Thus, many countries may have different solutions to their problems. However, in order to reach to the sustainable development, every country needs to coordinate together to solve the issues and minimize the disadvantage effects. References Dixit, K. Exiled to Cyberia. Global Envision.org. Hastings, M and Thiel, S and Thomas, D. (2003, January 20). The deadly noodle. Newsweek, 141, 3. Knickerboker, B. (2004, January). If poor get richer, does world see progress. Christian Science Monitor. Mabogunje, A. L. (2002, January/February). Poverty and environmental degradation.Environment, 44, 1. Rifkin, I. (2003). Spiritual perspectives on globalization. Woodstock: Skylight Paths Publishers.