Ester Lucero

Cassie Essary Tim Petete Ethnic American Literature November 12, 2009 Angel’s Psyche in Ester Lucero One of the most fascinating aspects of any story is the formation of it’scharacters. The way the author chooses to describe them, give them personalities, is how the reader will see their lives. A character’s psyche and the way he thinks about events around him change the way a reader perceives the story. Authors have an amazing chance to shape and bend a story to fit what they want it to be through the characterization of the people they write about. If an author is incapable of making characters believable and understandable, the story won’t survive. In Isabel Allende’s â€Å"Ester Lucero†, Angel is described in a way that makes the reader understand his impulses and desires, even if they areof a completely foreign nature to the reader. Allende is an extremely skilled writer that used her ability to make a character believable to her advantage for this story. Angel’s psyche is one of the most interesting elements of this story. When he returns from the war in the jungle, he seems to be in a state of inner turmoil. He’s searching for something to help him deal with the war and the things that he did and saw happen there. When Angel sees Ester Lucero for the first time, he believes that he is seeing a mirage. Nothing could possibly be that perfect, and he has to search her out. When he finally finds her, he is â€Å"shamed by his unseemly passion for a child who still had not reached puberty† (Pearson 10) as she is 12 and he is 30. Angel gives the impression that he picked Ester as the object of his interest because she is unavailable, therefore he never has to worry about what might happen if he did somehow attain her. Although he is attracted to her, he never makes a move to do anything about it, other than â€Å"watching her walk by on her way to school; attending her when she caught the measles; providing her with vitamins†¦;teaching†¦the multiplication tables† (Pearson 10). The simple fact that he is â€Å"dumbfounded not to find a whirl of suitors around Ester Lucero† (Pearson 10) leads the reader to believe that Ester is really not that special or beautiful, but is only special to Angel. Instead, Angel seems to have fixated on Ester as a way of getting past his ownproblems. Ester became something that he desperately wanted, but could never allow himself to have. She was a child, and he would not allow himself to touch her for that reason, and because his obsession with her is what keeps him going. Ester became the focus of all his attention so he didn’t have to deal with anything else in his life. Another issue with Angel is the fact that he has a bullet in his groin. The women of the town question his masculinity and begin to wonder if â€Å"maybe the malaria or that bullet he has there in his crotch rid him forever of a taste for women† (Pearson 10). They don’t realize that he has become completely engrossed with Ester and therefore uninterested in the other women of the town. Since Angel does have a bullet in his groin, and purposefully chose an unavailable girl to fixate on, it makes the reader wonder if the bullet did cause some sort of dysfunction. Perhaps the reason that Angel deliberately chose a girl that he could never have was because he knew women wouldn’t want him if they knew that he was impotent. Early on, when it is Angel’s turn with a â€Å"bride-for-the-moment† he â€Å"found no consolation †¦he would have to search for that girl, if for no other reason than to determine whether she was a mirage†(Pearson 9). This passage leaves the reader hanging as to whether Angel was unable to perform, or simply didn’t enjoy it. Angel’s masculinity is questioned by the people of the town, as well as himself throughout the story. The four main aspects of Angel’s psyche discussed here really help tell the story of whoand what Angel really is. Ester as a distraction from his own problems shows us that even though Angel is an extremely capable man, he can’t get past his own demons. He’s a doctor and a combat veteran, yet when he sees a little girl in the crowd, he chooses her to think about in order to avoid his own problems. The magical realism displayed in this story is a stroke of genius by Allende. She uses the herbs to add an element of suspense and terror to the story that wouldn’t have been present otherwise. The herbs and dance enable Angel to save Ester while dealing with some of his own problems at the same time. When the town women begin to question Angel’s masculinity, he does a sort of tailspin into the next main point in his psyche, which is obsessive love. He could probably choose any woman in the town, yet he chooses a 12 year old girl, and the love is not exactly pure. Angel’s obsessive love ties all four points together nicely. The love he has for Ester is not pure, but obsessive. He chose her because he needed a way to get out of his own head, and perhaps because he is impotent and couldn’t deal with the threat to his masculinity, and when he cured her, Angel really just needed a way to outwardly express his capability of taking care of her, even if he could never have her. Works Cited

Environmental Impact of Aviation Essay

Today, the world is bothered by the environmental issues reverberating in different parts of the world. Part of this environmental issue is focused on global warming. As part of the whole world’s response on the important concern, laws and policies have been drafted. Some of the known environmental policies are Clean Air Act and the Kyoto Protocol. Meanwhile, the Kyoto Protocol is an agreement between different nations, mainly industrialized, adopted on December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 2008). The central function of the protocol is to set a target on the greenhouse gas emission for member countries (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 2008). This is to further reduce the impending consequences of the greenhouse effect. Since the report of international scientist that climate change is worsening, all sector of the society and all nations have been invited to participate in activities primarily to help cut gas emissions. Each government of member nations also implemented programs in order to reduce the gas emission that is aggravating the global environment situation. For the past years, the reality of the phenomenon has been severally debated, even among politicians. Eventually, environment was considered as priority in the policy making. Additionally, the international concern on global warming has reached every sector, big or small, in the society. Among the business sectors, rules and regulations have also been adopted internationally in order that a standard of environmentally hazardous substances be eliminated or minimized. An example could be the non use of lead. In Europe, the Restriction on Hazardous Substances was adopted and imposed upon all its suppliers worldwide (ROHS, 2008). According to the guidelines, minimum amount of the hazardous substances should be maintained. Hence, quality of the product depends on the substances comprising the product. The environmental issue, however, is not only limited to gas emissions and global warming. Instead it covers all kinds of pollution. In the field of aviation, policies and guidelines on environmental compliance also apply. Aviation plays a vital role in transportation. It is the easiest, fastest, and more convenient means in transporting people and goods from one border to another or from nation to nation. Being an essential factor in the growth of economy, it also has an essential contribution to global warming and other environmental problems. Remarkably, the aviation contributes to various environmental problems. One of the major problems faced by aviation industry is the noise pollution being suffered by the residence nearby airports (Kutz, 2008). At present, the aviation is one among the growing business opportunities. Since new and more improved planes have been introduced, the air traffic also increases. As such, there is also intensification of the environmental concerns. The second environmental problem affecting the industry is the climate change. Climate change is the foremost environmental phenomenon that is bothering the international community. In addition, it is believed to be the cause of the drastic change in weather and the emergence of illnesses. The third major problem being caused by aviation is the poor air quality (Kutz, 2008). All these environmental concerns are mandated by laws to be addressed by the aviation industry. In the field of aviation, BAA is widely known for being the world’s leading airport company (House of Commons, et. al. , 2004). At present, it is operating eight airports namely; Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Southampton, and Naples (BAA, 2008). At present, its success still continues to shine and more developments are being planned in the future. In a report propounded by the BAA for year 2005-2006, the company laid down in details the achievements and plans of each airport. Aside from that, it also presented its financial statement to show the financial operation of the company. At a glance, the company has indeed a successful and is in a stable financial status. The over-all operation and employee handling are excellent. According to Mick Temple, Divisional Director, the company recognizes the existence of the environmental issues (Temple). But, the report of BAA did not actually addressed all issue about environment related to airline or airport. In addition, the BAA presented its report in a categorical yet orderly manner. After presenting the achievements, developments, and plans of each airport, the BAA also discussed issues faced by the company. It has specified corporate responsibilities. In scrutinizing the report, the BAA did not actually address all environmental problems. As stated earlier, aviation industry is challenged by problems on poor air quality, noise pollution, and climate change. In the report of the BAA, the report laid down the corporate responsibilities of the company but in a summarized and general form. Although it has addressed all the problems cited, it did not actually specified its future plan, present programs, current status and its over-all stand on the impending environmental problems. In addressing the environmental problem on air quality, the report stated its concern on the problem that is affecting both local and national (Temple). Notably, airports around emits nitrogen dioxide and other fine particles that have negative effect on heath and environment (BAA, 2008). In addition, it has stressed on government’s declaration of Heathrow’s compliance to EU Air Quality Standard (Temple). Contributing to poor air quality, however, are M4 and M25 traffic (BAA, 2008). Likewise, the report merely added measures it can implement in order to comply with the standard. These measures include â€Å"investing in public transport, promoting alternative fuels for airport- based vehicles, and using charges to penalise aircraft with poorer emissions standards† (Temple, p. 35). However, no other reports were propounded to show that these measures have been adopted. Furthermore, the company merely reiterates its desire to review its emission while extending help to other companies with regard to the problem. As to noise pollution, the aviation is considered as one among the major contributor due to noise caused by take offs and landings? taxiing, and engine tests (BAA, 2008). With regard to BAA’s stand on noise pollution, the company has laid down its strategies in minimizing the noise. In addition, it stated its desire to work with local government, airlines, and air traffic controllers to jointly implement these strategies. First strategy is the encouragement on the use of quieter new aircraft and engine by the manufacturers (Temple). The second strategy is giving reward to those airlines using a quieter aircrafts. The fourth strategy is the improvement of compliance with quieter operating practices (Temple). The last strategy is concerned with updates of information by keeping the noise-sufferers informed better (Temple). Today, the company is doing its part in addressing the complaints of those affected by the noise of airports. Furthermore, on the most relevant environmental issue on climate change, the company proudly stressed its target of 15% reduction on its carbon dioxide emission by 2010, which is even higher than the standard (Temple). The company’s strategy is focused on energy efficiency and renewable energy (Temple). Moreover, it has also implied its adherence to Emission trading which allows business incapable of achieving the target to buy permits from those industries that are capable but only within an overall cap (Temple). At present, the company is lobbying for the recognition of the emission trading to be an acceptable mechanism in greenhouse gas emission. In addition, in its desire to reduce the impact of climate change, the company is committed in investing into new energy efficient technology, sourcing out more renewable energy, reducing emissions of vehicles in the airport, among others (BAA, 2008). Based on the above mentioned, the report of BAA may be said to have mentioned the major environmental problems faced by airlines and airports. However, it was not able to state its impact on environment. It did not also laid down the programs it has adopted to address the issue. But nevertheless, it has recognized its role in the environment. By looking into the context of the report, is can be said that the company has been unfairly assessed. It is unfair on the reason that the report presented more on the developments, future plans, and achievements of the company but did not directly addressed on the corporate responsibilities. It is true that corporate responsibility have been included in the middle part, but there is no clear stand of the company. The report stressed on the company’s plan to expand, increase passengers, intensify investment but there are no more details as to the company’s action on environmental issues. Significantly, it did not state any of its achievements in helping in the abatement of the environmental problems. It merely presented it strategies but no update has been included as to the implementation and status of the company. Interestingly, the report of the Managing Directors of each airport has concentrated on the importance of shareholders. Hence, the report was concentrated on the good sides about the company. Airports and airlines are considered as one among the places vulnerable of being attacked by terrorist groups. Notably, in 2007, Glasgow Airport has been attacked by terrorists (BAA, 2008). On that very threatening day, the company has been given an idea on the loopholes on the airport’s security. It is also of no doubt that millions of passengers and employees come in and out of the airport. In line with this, the treat of terrorism has made passenger paranoid about safety. Hence, it is but necessary that safety should be the paramount concern of the company. In response to the attack in July, 2007, the company declared its dedication in making its passengers secure. As part of its response, the company has closely worked with the Department for Transport (DfT) for guidance on its security measures (Temple). Moreover, in concurrence with the government’s standard, the company has conducted a full range review of its security systems (Temple). In order to show its sincerity in making its airports secured and safe, the company has started using technological innovations such as hold-baggage screening, new security screening and x-ray screening (Temple). In line with the company’s purpose of ensuring safety and health of its passengers and employees, policies and programs have been adopted. Additionally, according to the report, the company’s stance on security is that it is considering it as a crucial issue. Aside from its possible effect on the company’s reputation, it also recognizes its effect on passengers’ experiences. As such, the company works closely with the government agencies, armed forces, and police force in order to upgrade its security system and match with that of government security (Temple). Furthermore, it has committed itself to comply with regulations concerning safety. In accordance with this, the Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) Executive Committee have been founded with the primary goal of determining and addressing these issues affecting the company (Temple). With the growing environmental concern, some say that aviation industry is not a sustainable business. However, BAA has proven this statement wrong. In order that environmental issue be addressed and at the same time maintain or increase the profitability of the company, the company may enhance its training on environmental awareness to its employees and passengers. In addition, carbon dioxide emission can be reduced through the use of biodeisel and other alternative energy. Moreover, through reducing its flight, the company could decrease its environmental impact but can increase profit because all flights would be certainly be filled. Another measure could be on the retail sector. Since the airports are open for stores, environmental measures should also be imposed upon them. Some of the policy that can be adopted is the ban on non-recyclable things. Through this measure, all waste coming from stores would be put to recycling areas. Finally, the company could enhance its pro- environment policies despite cost on its part. This way, the cost would be repaid by the loyalty and continued patronage of the passengers. References BAA. (2008). Corporate Responsibility. Retrieved October 31, 2008, from http://www. baa. com/portal/site/default/menuitem. a875fc32913746f398a5e186c02865a0/. House of Commons, Great Britain Parliament – Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee. (2004). International Challenge of Climate. London: The Stationery Office. Kutz, M. (2008). Environmentally Conscious Transportation. London: John Wiley and Sons. ROHS. (2008). Restriction on the Use of hazardous Substances (ROHS). Retrieved October 31, 2008, from http://www. rohs. gov. uk/. Temple, M. (2008). BAA Annual Report 2005/06. Corporate Responsibility. Retrieved October 31, 2008, from http://www. baa. com/assets//B2CPortal/Static%20Files/BAA_Annualreport_05-06. pdf. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (2008). Kyoto Protocol. Retrieved October 31, 2008, from http://unfccc. int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830. php.

An Analysis of South Park, The American Adult Animated Sitcom and The Issues It Tackles In Society

An Analysis of South Park, The American Adult Animated Sitcom and The Issues It Tackles In Society South Park is an American adult animated sitcom, a production of South Park Digital Studios, LLC that started airing on August 13, 1997, till now. with 20 seasons and over 270 episodes in total, South Park has received numerous awards and even ranked as the tenth Greatest TV Cartoon of All Time by TVGuid. Being famous for its dark, surreal humor that covers a wide range of topics including social problems, politics, and internet sensations. South Park became a popular entertainment among adults all over the world, mainly in the United States. Although South Park had been famous for its well-scripted comedy that applies to different situations, groups and even individuals, according to Roland Barthes’s concepts discussed in Mythologies, there are still tricks played on us that causes us to invest in the ones in greater power willingly or even wholeheartedly. Through the book Mythologies, Roland Barthes shows how truths are hidden behind the banalest and natural aspects of everyday life. According to Barthes, things often present themselves as being natural, therefore, are transparent to the public. His analysis of different â€Å"natural† mythologies today reveals the ideological nature of the products. Barthes considers Myths as speech, that it is a system of communication which bears meaning in itself. He expresses his view on how every symbol conveys a meaning, unlimited by the nature of the symbol, be it a text, an image or even human actions. As Barthes explained in Mythologies â€Å"Every object in the world can pass from a closed, silent existence to an oral state, open to appropriation by society, for there is no law, whether natural or not, which forbids talking about things. A tree is a tree. Yes, of course.† (Mythologies 1972 p.1) He considers every cultural product as a symbol itself, conveying at least a meanin g conditioned by a myth. Any cultural product can be analyzed and reviewed in Barthes’s consideration since there is always a realm of second-class signification which distinguishes its symbolic meaning from its denotation through analysis. Barthes’s explanation of his analysis in the article ‘The Romans in films’, â€Å"Signs ought to present themselves only in two extreme forms: either openly intellectual and so remote that they are reduced to an algebra, as in the Chinese theatre, where a flag on its own signifies a regiment; or deeply rooted, invented, so to speak, on each occasion, revealing an internal, a hidden facet, and indicative of a moment in time, no longer of a concept†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Mythologies 2009 p.28) Applying Barthes’s concept presented in Mythologies on South Park, as an American animated sitcom, it often expresses people’s view and thoughts through comedy and satire, presenting themselves to be true and universal. Ironically, similar to its own c haracteristic of presenting ideas through imaginary characters and stories, South Park is actually a fiction that tricks us into benefiting the more powerful members of the society. Its use of comedic approach to expressing ideas and thoughts increase social acceptability on transgressions. It also decreases the viewers tendency on voicing out, through fulfilling their will of express and reflecting on social issues or problems when they are enjoying the show. The mixing of highly-realistic setting and contents with surreal situations cuts back imagination and expectations of the public on different aspects. South Park slowly dull viewers’ individual and critical thinking and tricks them into being an easier public to mass media or governance by slipping ideas and myths into the show. South Park is famous for its use of humor relating to social issues or taboos, the use of comedy encourages the acceptance of transgressions such as racism and sexism. South Park often over-exaggerate public’s reactions and social problems to create comic yet relatable stories or situations. Although it is considered done ironically to encourage social participation or awareness, it also encourages social acceptance on transgression. Suggested by Brain L. Ott, ‘South Park does not simply depict the violation of social taboos; it enlists viewers participation in them. By watching the show repeatedly transgress the boundaries of social acceptability, public complete the communication circuit vital to the shows violations.’ (Taking South Park Seriously 2008 p.41-42) The constant violation of social taboos in the show made viewers dull towards transgression, which increases their acceptance of the violation of social taboos. In South Park season 20, the theme focuses on internet trolls, the 2016 United States presidential election, and nostalgia. Multiple social taboos are comically discussed and over-exaggerated, in the episodes of the 20th season, numerous racist, sexist jokes and ideas are presented. In the episodes, the Member Berries speaks of memories of older days some quotes that over-exaggerates nostalgia like â€Å"Member when there werent so many Mexicans?†, â€Å"Member when a white man kissing a black woman on national television was considered daring?†, â€Å"Member when interracial marriage wasnt legal?†[1] are racist comments relatable to Americans. Similarly, sexist jokes about women being not funny and irrational are constantly made throughout the season, such as â€Å"Whats the one thing women dont have? Semen and a sense of humor.† Not only in one or two seasons but throughout all airings of South Park, offensive jokes or remarks and extended use of slurs and foul languages often appear in the show . Since it is considered as an â€Å"Adult-only† sitcom, viewer automatically considers them to be only for comical effects. The overuse of offensive jokes with the excuse of â€Å"only for comedic effects† slowly dulls viewer’s negative feelings on the violations of social taboos, by creating the myth of not needing to take violations of social taboos seriously if it’s comical. With long-term exposure of such remarks and language, viewers are unconsciously brainwashed into the acceptance of transgression, believing that it’s not a serious problem. South Park fulfills the viewers’ needs of expressing and reflecting on social issues or problems through the fictional characters’ highly-relatable expressions on up-to-date topics, which my decrease the viewers’ need of expressing themselves in real life. According to Fiske, â€Å"Cartoons and comedies frequently invert normal relationships and show the adults as incompetent, unable to understand, and the children as superior in insight and ability.†(Television Culture 1992 p.197) South Park uses the same tactic, revolving around four 4th grade boys, Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick, and their bizarre adventures. In season 19, the adult’s greed leads to the growing intelligence of online advertisements, while the children are the ones understanding and noticing the problems, being the main force of defeating the â€Å"evil ads† that the adults had created. The reverse in relations are even more vivid in Season 2 0, some adults trolls and bullies people online leading to a potential world war, adults fail to resist the temptation of nostalgia that causes poor decision making, and professionals failed to complete the right formula for the discovery of a new energy; while all the problems are solved with the children’s intelligence and insights. In all episodes of South Park, it’s the children often speaking the truth or intelligence with surreal abilities and ways, while adults are often the ones who cause trouble. As Brain L. Ott had pointed out, â€Å"They are invited to engage the show and the world not as responsible individual adults, but as children at play. Such liberation is an intense but fleeting pleasure because when one turns off South Park, he or she must re-enter the world of social rules and conventions.†(Taking South Park Seriously 2008 p.44) The highly-relatable expressions in the show pleasure the viewer’s need of expressing or reflecting on the s ocial issues and problems they encounter, leading them to believe that their thoughts are similar to concepts and ideas presented by only children with their surreal abilities. And since they are invited to engage the show as children at play, the viewers’ will to express or reflect on those topics are automatically diminished when they turn off South Park. Not realizing that the show had invert the relationships, showing the children to be superior in insight and ability, viewers are tricked into believing in the myth of being a responsible individual adult, is to not fully expressing and voicing out their own thoughts. South Park uses highly-realistic, up-to-date setting and contents but adds in some surreal and imaginary situations. Although the surreal situations on realistic events actually reflect the viewers’ imagination and expectations, the situations often turn out to be delusional or disappointing, which cuts back the viewers’ imagination and expectations on different aspects. The setting and characters are highly relatable and realistic. The show mainly locates in the fictional small town that is within the real-life South Park basin in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado. There are prominent settings, including bus stops, the local elementary school, even various neighborhoods and the snowy landscape. Actual Colorado landmarks and the shops and businesses along the towns main street, are also prominent and are based on the appearance of similar locations in a real town in Colorado— Fairplay. The choice Colorado is simply because of the creators, Trey Parker and M att Stones origin[2], but the realistic setting made the show easily relatable. The shows do not only create relatable characters but also uses real names and persons, depicting an extremely realistic social setting. Although the show is highly relatable and realistic itself, each episode of South Park opens with a simple disclaimer— †All characters and events in this show—even those based on real people—are entirely fictional. All celebrity voices are impersonated..poorly. The following program contains coarse language and due to its content it should not be viewed by anyone. The comical disclaimers remind viewers of its fictional content while the truth is that most of the content is based off real-time, up-to-date events of since each episode is written and produced during the week preceding its broadcast. Since they are based off real-time events, expectations and imagination of the public on related topics are also depicted, such as the common expecta tion of Americans on NASA having great discoveries on projects of Mars, or the wish of having a peaceful cyber-community. Just like all the other common depiction of dreams or expectations, the expectation on great discoveries of Mars as well as the dream a peaceful cyber-community turns out to be dilution and disappointing in South Park Season 20, since the project on bringing mankind to Mars is destructed by an explosion and first mail of the newly built cyber-community is still about trolling. Both situations is a common imagination or expectation of the public, but through the mixing up of realistic characteristics with scripted delusional outcome, viewers might unconsciously expect the same delusional outcome in real life. They might cut back their own imagination and expectations on different aspects, believing in the myth that imaginations and expectations will always end up as a disappointment. â€Å"One learns how to watch South Park as surely as one learns how to take in Shakespeare (we learn for instance that Kyle is almost always right and Cartman is almost always wrong; that if Kenny dies, he most likely will be back again in the next episode; that Chef’s advice invariably has more to do with libido than with the actual problem at hand, and so forth)† (Taking South Park Seriously 2008 p.19) Ironically similar to the hidden rules among the characters in South Park as well as the show itself being an American animated sitcom, South Park is actually a scripted fiction that tricks us into benefiting the more powerful members of the society. The show slowly shapes the viewers into an easier public for mass media and governance through the myths hidden in the show itself, causing viewers to be more accepting on transgression, being less criticising on social issues, and being less sensitive to the cutting back of imagination or expectations. And by simply putti ng on a disclaimer and listing itself as a satirical American animated sitcom for adult viewers only, South Park can protect itself from all the possible critics with the expectation of the viewers themselves.

What does it mean to be free What is Individual Freedom Essay

What does it mean to be free What is Individual Freedom - Essay Example There are some people who feel obliged to take accountability of family members and communal affairs. People should pursue their dreams regardless of what others perceive about it in order to realize full joy in life. Individual autonomy has different meaning to different people. What a person thinks is fine, may be perceived differently by other people. People should pursue their own decency regardless of other people’s opinion. For example, in Bellah (3), Brian believes that personal autonomy is attained when a person is able to accomplish individual dreams. For example, those who want to pursue success in trade, their joy becomes absolute the moment they are able to achieve that vision. Relatives or communal commitment should not hinder a person from achieving his or her life happiness. For example Brian had to put extra effort after he got married in order to sustain his family. He used to burn the midnight oil so that his family could have a decent living. According to hi m, family commitments made him sacrifice his personal independence. However, autonomy means doing what one desires without limitations (Bellah, 167). Without money Brian could not be able to enjoy nice trips or meet successful people in life. However, Brian later came to realize that he could not achieve full joy in life without family affection. Being able to provide for the family and achieve other essential things in life is a great victory. Regardless of the means used to acquire wealth, being able to provide for the family, such as paying school fees for the children and providing magnificent building, amounts to personal independence. With material possessions, people can do what they want at their own will (Bellah, 21). The dilemma occurs when it comes to gauging the level of achievement attained in a particular moment, and in appraising it with previous success or relating to what others have achieved. However, there is no need to contrast your victory with others, but the m ost essential consideration is your ability to achieve what you purposed to achieve in life. People should put effort towards helping their families and the society. The success of the community in which individual comes from also determines their victory (Bellah, 8).This is because, individuals and the society are reliant on each other. A person should contribute towards success of the society. In the same way, the community will also influence individual’s victory in one way or the other. Also, taking care of the family makes the person feel esteemed. Similarly, an individual draws happiness from the family and the society. For example, Joe engaged in activities of the society and his pleasure was in helping the public (Bellah, 54). Those organizations which are interested in satisfying the public will always ensure they give back to the community. They will design community activities and ensure they succeed. People who come from successful families or societies feel conte nted, and such contentment is what makes a person free. However, it is difficult to compare different communities or families to determine which family or society provides better satisfaction than the others. What matters are not comparing oneself with others but to be contented with own situation and work towards improving existing conditions. Those who find fulfillment in their own victory rather than communal tends to be deceitful. They can deprive the community of its resources to enrich themselves (Bellah, 63).

What does Qualitative Research mean to me Essay

What does Qualitative Research mean to me - Essay Example The essay will ultimately conclude on the importance of qualitative research Introduction The selection of appropriate approach to be employed in a research is typically preceded by issue selection and a paradigm.  Flick (2009) defines a paradigm as the entire construction of viewpoint, standards and processes within which research occurs. Maxwell (2005) defines qualitative study as a process of investigation of human and societal issues that are focused on coming up with an intricate holistic picture obtained from a natural setting. Quantitative research usually takes the approach of studying the mathematical significance of data collected. Qualitative research on the other hand, takes into account the social and human aspect of research by looking into how people’s actions, attitudes, and behavior affect the research and its outcomes (Patton, 2004). Discussion    Qualitative research is concerned with the examination of patterns, which can be traced in the data collected which are usually reflected through the participant’s actions. The qualitative researcher is interested in the presentation of data in a manner that would reflect the participant’s attitudes and feelings concerning the subject matter. The objective of the qualitative research then is the discovery of patterns emerging after close observation, meticulous recording and a thoughtful analysis of the issue studied. Qualitative research usually asks the question what and why. The researcher is employed in the search for something as well as the lack of it. Paradoxes and inconsistencies bin the explanation of people’s responses toward an issue (Silverman, 2009). Qualitative research represents the most used type of study on societal issues. Politics makes use of it to try out new strategies, and to keep abreast of public sentiment, corporations use it to evaluate their products and if advertising is creating the desired impact. Qualitative researchers are investigator s in a variety of perspectives given that they search for clues and study societal and personal drive by means of the myriad of qualitative techniques. Tools Qualitative study in most instances makes use of individual depth interviews and focus groups. In some instances, a mix of methods such as group interviews and divergence groups may be made use of. Qualitative analysis aims at explaining behavior and sentiment through the development of dialogue intended to draw out people’s perspectives concerning a particular issue in a natural way. It is important that the researcher recognize their role in the discussion process by guiding his question asking to ensure that there is no bias in discussion with respondents. While the researcher ought to avoid a bias in the introduction of the topic, he also has to ensure that his questions offer specific hints and key words in order not to make the study a pure regurgitation of previous studies (Flick, 2009). The qualitative researcher ought to be capable of probing and challenging the subjects in order that true perspectives are brought out. A good drafting of qualitative research questions is essential if reliable and accurate results are to be found. A good researcher would be able to draft questions that will elicit novel responses, which they may not have had a chance to air in previous studies. The Researcher The qualitative researcher should listen to his respondent, analyses the respondent and his answers then

Questions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Questions - Research Paper Example As a science, curriculum design is not a onetime process, but a continuous process with five phases. These phases are: Assessment, Research, Design, Improvement and Curriculum (Avenues, 2014). The process is continuous in the sense that at the output level (curriculum), there is still assessment being done. As a science the curriculum design involves a lot of research so as to come up with a suitable product. There is therefore need of reexamining the curriculum, its fine- tuning and improving it both within the projects and the end of the projects. It is like monitoring and evaluation, to come up with the best outcome. Morality as a principle contributes to my curriculum design philosophy. I believe in doing what is right not only to me, but to the general public. I do believe that I should come up with curriculum design that will benefit my employer, my colleagues in the place of work and the public in general. Given that one of the attributes of Curriculum design is that it is deliberate, I do believe it should be done with good conscious of not harming anyone but changing the lives for the better. It involves therefore the process of identifying what will be done, at what time it will be done, by whom and when with set kind of responsibility to ensure accountability (Avenues, 2014). The principle of Curriculum Design as a knowledge is of much importance. It views curriculum design as not trial and error stuff, but something to be done by professionals. One of the attributes of Curriculum Design is that it is creative. At every stage of curriculum design there are opportunities of novel concepts, innovative and inventive introduction (Avenues, 2014). It requires an idea of how, where and when to place a puzzle and what to expect in return. It needs one to understand the goal set and come up with ways to meet that goal. The Subject centered design is based on the belief that what makes

Week-5 (weeks 1 to 5 journals) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Week-5 (weeks 1 to 5 journals) - Essay Example It is during this first week that I managed to get the assistance of my work mates into explaining minor details concerning my work. For instance, filing papers on criminal activities and judgments was a challenge to me. They explained to me the methods the organization uses in filing papers. My supervisor provided guidance into understanding the methodologies the organization uses in maintaining its papers. During this week, there were numerous challenges in interacting with my coworkers. Poor communication and miss-understanding of our job roles played a big role in these conflicts (Seta, 53). For instance, the secretary of my supervisor kept on giving me in accurate information concerning the instructions of the boss. On one occasion, the secretary asked me to present a file containing accident trials, instead of criminal cases. This issue lead to an argument between me, and the secretary. The situation was resolved when the boss came in, and outlined to us our responsibilities and how we ought to behave. During this week, I learnt perseverance while conducting my duties, as it is the only way of helping me associate well with others. This is because each of us possesses conflicting objectives in relation to our duties. Week two was the most challenging week during the period of my internship. The person supervising my work played a minor role in monitoring how productive my work was. This made me to take extra caution while conducting my duties, for purposes of efficiency while filing, checking and replying mails of the organization, and stamping judicial courts paper works (Seta, 12). It is at this week that a close relationship myself and coworkers developed. This helped in improving the manner in which we executed our duties, making us productive and efficient. My colleagues helped me a lot in filing court cases, since the papers were numerous. I could not meet the deadline of filing these papers, if I worked alone. During this week, the

Oil And Food Commodities Prices. Oil prices effect on agricultural Term Paper

Oil And Food Commodities Prices. Oil prices effect on agricultural commodity prices in Latin American Nations - Term Paper Example To achieve this objective, this paper investigated the agricultural food prices for seven major farm products namely meat, oilseed, egg, rice, wheat, milk and sugar. On the other hand, the macroeconomic investigated were fossil crude oil prices, agricultural food prices indexes, GDP and consumer price index around Latin America as from 1963 to 2007. The study applied the use of Scree test and the magnitude of the variance method for measuring the optimal value of the common factors. The relationship coefficient that existed between the obtained principal function or component and the macro-economic index fluctuates between 0.87 for Latin America GDP and 0.36 for the consumer price index (CPI). According to the findings, agricultural food production index has the largest impacts on the macro-economic index and similarly the crude fossil oil has the greatest influence on the agricultural food production index and as a consequent, the prices of crude has a direct impacts and influence o n the agricultural food prices in Latin America. In the economic advancement process, food supply and its security are imperative issues. Therefore, food prices are an essential effective variable that have a direct effect on its supply and demand. Ever soaring food prices and cases of food riots across the globe and more important in Latin America have heightened concerns about the world food supply and food security. Food prices of major arable agricultural products

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl - Essay Example Nevertheless, there is a woman who has been through better situations as a slave during her childhood that influenced and shaped her life which she revealed in her autobiography. Harriet Jacobs was born in a slave family but was raised with so much love and good bearing. She enjoyed the love her mother who unfortunately died while Jacobs was still young. She was also lavished with the care and concern of her grandmother who seemed to have thought of nobody else but her family. Moreover, she was also privileged to have such a wonderful mistress who taught her how to read and write. These early experiences shaped her to become a respected slave girl who was not only praise-worthy for her work but also for her principles and wit. She later became known among the slaves to be able to read and write that her help was often sought. For instance, there was a time when rumors were heard that there are white men who were interested in helping slaves. With the desire of every slave to gain his freedom, they wanted to verify the information. However, as slaves, they were not able to read. Therefore, they asked Jacobs to read the papers for them and help them to know more about the help being offered. In addition, there was also a Black man who sought her to teach him how to read and write because he wanted to read the Bible. However, such advantages were not the only things that the author encountered. There were so many difficulties that she went through which made her decide to do things which she might not have don under better or different circumstances. First, when she was used by her master as a sex object, being abused not only physically but emotionally and psychologically, she despised him so much that she extremely wanted to have her freedom. With her master not wanting to sell her though, she was hard-pressed on a decision that she thought would become her way of escape. She decided to bear children for a white man who showed goodness to her however, this prove d to be of no help at all. Instead, it became a source of more burdens as she now have the responsibilities of protecting and providing for her children. This shows the difficult situations which could drive slaves to do unimaginable things that they would have never thought about. Initially, Jacobs sought to free herself from the loathsome treatments of her masters, with the male sexually taking advantage of her and the wife being angry and intensely suspicious and jealous of her. However, instead of freeing herself, she made her situation more complicated by having children with a white man. Filled with jealousy and anger, her master never wanted to give her up to other masters although the wife would have gladly released her. Although Jacobs’ intentions were good, she failed to consider that her master would still continue to be very possessive of her despite what she did. Consequently, she was never given the freedom she desired instead, brought her more misery because he r master used the children as instruments to keep her as his possession as a revenge to her. Despite her sufferings though, Jacobs never gave up but braved the thought of abandoning her children to her grandmother’s care if only to prevent them from eternally suffering in the hands of her old master. When she heard that it was planned that her masters were to bring her children to her dwelling place, she ran away and hid herself in the residence of a trusted friend. Although she and her family have been through a lot

Multi-professional working Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Multi-professional working - Essay Example The nations which have paid attention in this issue and taken necessary steps to improve the child and mother health, have achieved drop in new born mortality rates (WHO, 2005). In the cycle of life an individual depends upon the availability of health care professionals not only to save the life but also to improve the physical and mental conditions of the human beings particularly (International Federation of Gynecology & Obstetrics). When taken in the context of mother child care systems these professions range from nurses to experts. They have majorly focused upon the availability of multi professional experts at the time of delivery at the hospitals (Simpson et al, 2006; Mann and Pratt, 2006; Nielsen et al, 2007; Williams 2008). These professionals majorly are nurses, midwives, physicians, obstetricians, neonatologists, anesthesiologists (Physician trained in anesthesia) (ABA, 2009) and pharmacists and the pediatricians who can examine the child right after birth for any kind of disease or life threatening condition (International Federation of Gynecology & Obstetrics). The approach to females with assumed preterm labor has altered slightly in the past 3 decades. The main element to that method is the slowdown of complete inhibition of contractions (Simhan, 2007; Caritis,et al, 1979) but to use such methods only professional team could work. Health care professionals and managers require a very strong and integrated system of care at both the local and the national level (Princeton University, 2007). These are particular in case of deliveries and C-sections. If the system of this multi professionalism is integrated at the hospitals at every level particularly in the gynecological departments millions of deaths and disabilities can be avoided as complications in the delivery can cause severe mental or physical retardations (Lane, 1987; Stockham and Alice, 1891) The major issue in his view point is also the lack of experience during the critical conditions a nd non availability of multi professionals at the time of need particularly in critical or unexpected conditions like C-sections (Ramondt, 1990). The midwifery in separate is not recommended but when the midwives join the complete health care professional team they should be given the status of a special professional (Golden, 2002; Bailey, 1998). This should be taken into account by the fact that they provide quality care and support to the mother during the child bearing and right after birth. This helps the mother to establish a loveable and comfortable relationship with the baby right after birth. They also help the mother to feed the baby immediately after birth which is a difficult task as the new born is a bit tricky to feed (Harper, 2006). To explain all these facts in detail and to establish the importance of multi professionalism in the field of gynecological departments with particular reference to the child delivery case, a special clinical case is discussed below. Case S tudy In this case study we will see the inter relationship of various people and professionals in the child birth procedure. The scenario in the case is that pregnant women with gravid 1 plus 0 primp arrived into the hospital. This means that the woman was having her first pregnancy or she had been pregnant before but had not given birth i.e. she might have had an abortion or miscarriage

Are Energy Drinks Bad for You or Good Essay Example for Free

Are Energy Drinks Bad for You or Good Essay When people ask you, â€Å"What are energy drinks?† Everybody say drinks that give you energy. They are wrong. Energy drinks are beverages that claim to give an extra boost of energy from caffeine. Energy drinks such as Red Bull or Rock star are good and bad for your bodies. Red Bull (Energy Drink) Good qualities that energy drinks have are that there non-alcoholic. This means that the more teens that buy this, the less chance of accidents and situations to do with the law the teens have to go through. Sometimes Energy Drinks keep you awake from times you can’t/don’t want to be asleep. There are many bad qualities when it comes to Energy drinks. If a person of some kind consumed to many energy drinks, it can lead to heart problems or possibly death, as the caffeine rates in these drinks are jaw-droopingly gigantic. Caffeine can also cause Tremor / shaking, chest pains, and lots of headaches. Some teenagers mix alcohol with energy drinks at parties, which is a deathly and dangerous mixture. Questions you can ask yourself is: 1. Do I want to have a body with a lot of caffeine? 2. Do I want to ruin my life? 3. Alcohol or Non-alcoholic? 4. Do I need to suffer? Overall energy drinks are bad and not good for athletes. There are times to use energy drinks and times not too. But before you make your decision, think of the questions I asked you. And see if you want a good body or bad body. Make your mind up ? Energy drinks Water.

Sociodemographic Health Risks in Australia

Sociodemographic Health Risks in Australia Australians regard the country environment a better and safer option in terms of lifestyle and health then populated areas, such as cities and their surrounding neighborhoods (Humphreys Rolley 1991). Moving to rural areas for a much cleaner atmosphere and away from the congestion of traffic. Nevertheless families or individuals who built life for themselves in rural and remote Australia have many health disadvantages in their path, then civilization in city areas and its regions. This is proven statistically with evidence and research that mobility and mortality rates are much higher than those who live in urban areas due to some extensive diseases that can’t be further examined in rural areas to give a full diagnosis and asses their condition due to shortage of resources and medical equipment (Humphreys et al. 1997) . There are many factors that contribute to rural health disadvantages in different specifications in relation to his/her health. This essay will be looking into the four major factors that include, sociodemographics, health status, health risk factors, costs and use of health services. Sociodemographics refers to the variables within a society and its population in terms of race, gender, socio economic statuses and mainly the population’s social wellbeing in both rural and remote Australia. Socioeconomic disadvantages and demographics of the area and its population are major and important determinants of health (AIHW, 2012). It is important to realise the main indicators such as age, health statuses, rates of hospitalisation and mortality rates for rural populations of Australia are determined by certain demographics such as sex and population size, this process is essential to clarify different health statistics (AIHW, 1998a). These points are indications in relation to poorer health, adequate nutrition, better housing and having an education with transport (AIHW,1998), to support your travel needs wither health related or not. Privation of either of these necessities will result in dramatically poorer health. Keeping in mind that if sufficient nutrition is not reachable or used it will have an immediate effect on health status. Needs like education have more of an indirect effect on health (AIHW, 1998). For instance having no educational background can result in the lack of knowledge about certain health conditions like cancer, in rural Australia there are insufficient resources to determine and treat breast cancer, cervical cancer and lung cancer which results from individuals smoking and affecting their health not being health conscious which greatly results in higher death rates (Mathers, 1994). The factors that contribute to the health of a population include social, economic, environmental and an array of lifestyle choices (AIHW, 2012). A number of factors are linked with livelihoods in rural Australia that subsequently affect health status. Factors that affect health status of given population in rural Australia include: employment, ethnicity, business grounds in rural areas other factors are from a demographic point of view looking at climate, geography, aging populations and retrieval of information in relation to health and disability (Frager et al, 1997), (AIHW,2012). These factors take different effects within rural and metropolitan Australia and may result in dissimilarities in the prevalence of an array of diseases and mortality rates (AIHW, 1998a). Australia’s indigenous population are facing poorer health then the overall Australian population. The effect is recognised by numerical categorisation of indigenous people in RRMA sub sections and by use of mort ality data collected and put in Australia’s institute of health and welfare database of mortality (AIHW, 2013). Mortality rates in capital cities was lower than those in rural and remote zones of Australia (AIHW, 1998a). There are different of health outcomes regularly used as indicators for given health populations (AIHW, 2012). Death rates, hospitalisation and cancer incidence rates are all a set of indicators for health status (AIHW, 1998a).   Health risks are the probable factors that decline the health of people from certain medical conditions or diseases. These comprise of certain factors such as their physical environment, pollutants, and communicable diseases, additionally the social environment plays an important part, family matters and disturbances (AIHW, 2003). These all result in the amplification of different diseases affecting people’s health (AIHW, 2013). Behavioral determinants such as inadequate exercise, smoking and reduction of daily activities are linked with increase in disease rates and other medical conditions. Living in rural Australia would be a negative outcome for most when asked simply by being away from health facilities, such as gyms occupying for exercise, doctor surgeries for quick treatment and having less produce stores to buy your five daily fruits and veg’s from for your daily intake. Risk factors are the probable outcomes of disease in people if there’s a link with th e medical condition and factor. Other risk factors for chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease are very complicated to determine. Generally speaking there is not one specific cause to a diseases occurrence rate, there are several factors that need to be assessed before making any thorough diagnosis. Understanding certain aspects in risk factors both rural, regional and remote Australia is the key fundamental in going forward as a nation helping individuals in need. Costs and the utilization of health services across remote and rural Australia is a topic often brought up in the parliamentary senate of Australian states. The idea behind these parliamentary debates are to enhance and better the performance of Australia as a whole country by mending all those gaps that have been left such as expenditure and utilization of health services across rural and remote Australia. The government of Australia has said a lot and personally haven’t done anything to assist with introducing new health resources and supporting the coasts for medical equipment and building safer roads for rural and remote areas so individuals are less likely prone to an accident, therefore it builds better health measures and reduces mortality rates due to degrading the risk factors associated with it. Expenditure levels, amid regions are certainly related with changes in population’s growth size and composition (AIHW), (2011). A district or region with a greater pop ulation are highly likely to have immense total health expenditures then places with lower populations. The age structure of a given population in a specific location is a vital factor in health expenditure, (AIHW), (2011). Reason is due to older individuals and youngsters such as infants and toddlers require greater health diagnosis and care. In remote and rural Australia regions usually consist of younger group sectors in populations then older pupils, (AIHW), (2011). Health care facilities such as hospitals which are the main source of receiving health assessments from ED doctors or getting an x-ray for a broken leg. Procedures in hospitals are surgical and non-surgical whilst they require chemotherapy for cancer patients or even specialist checkups on your health condition to prevent it from actually getting worse. The remoteness of hospitals from rural and regional populations in Australia may impact their access to procedures, (AIHW), (2008). Levels of health expenditure are w idely affected by certain sub factors such as the degree of illnesses and diseases, population and government set out policies and grants alongside the price for these goods and services, (AIHW 2004). Inconclusion for the population of remote and rural Australia there are many positive attributes. In comparison to the National Health Survey they have gathered data that indicates Australians, regardless of their geographical region, have knowledge of certain preventative measures for a better health, and understand the requirement for exercise to keep fit physically and mentally, pap smear tests and protection from the sun by using certain moisturisers to help prevent melanoma or other skin cancers conditions (AIHW, 2011). In addition the health of populations in rural and remote zones of Australia is much poorer then individuals who live in metropolitan regions of Australia. In relation to their health conditions such as mortality as a result of injury obtained, certain heart conditions and diseases, homicide and suicide rates. Overall there are substantial health risks associated with living in remote and rural regions of Australia among them are pollution, road safety, available health facilities, and medical equipment with treatments. However there are positives for the populations of rural and remote zones such as having peace, costs are much lesser then urban areas, less crime and a safer environment with distance from noise. Reference list: Humphreys J/ Rolley F (1991). Health and health care in rural Australia. (Original work published 1991). Retrieved from http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=6442459022. Humphreys JS/Matthews-Cowey S/ Weinand (1997).Factors in accessibility of general practice in rural Australia. Australia: Author. (Original work published 1997). Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (1998). the sixth biennial health report of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.Australia’s health. Retrieved from http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=6442459022. Abduljawad Raeiq Student Number Health Health Behaviour 130 Essay 17688257

Values And Ethics In Educational Leadership

Values And Ethics In Educational Leadership One of the major adversities of applying values and ethics in educational leadership from a innovative perspective lies in convincing academic institutions and administrators to think differently about leadership through Aristotelian principles. Educational executives themselves, are challenged to rethink traditional pedagogical curriculum regarding leadership principles and techniques and are encouraged to utilize Aristotles philosophy, specifically, the nature of practicing right actions, integrity, and espousing these principles through living a virtuous life (Lapsley Narvaez, 2006). In turn, virtues of an academic administrator can be encapsulated in the concepts of values and ethics espoused by school officials. Applying values and ethics in educational leadership includes understanding that supervisors should be men and women of principled character. Applying Aristotles virtue constructs in educational leadership training course work defines such character traits and what it m eans to be a moral agent. As a moral obligation, educational leaders have an responsibility to demonstrate care in the schools that they supervise. Learning to differentiate between Aristotelian virtues and how these values and ethics are to be integrated in educational leadership curriculum programs are the major composition of this paper and will become the fundamental examination of effective educational leadership. Applying Values And Ethics in Educational Leadership Through Aristotelian Principles Literature Review Overview As an introduction to academic administration and ethical behavior, many have proposed the following questions: Does academic leadership training curricula teach ethical accountability? Secondly, is what they teach sufficient? And lastly, is there a direct correlation in the merging of academic leadership with Aristotelian virtues that result in a more authentic type of leader? To be a moral and ethical educational leader, one would need to uphold the ideals of justice, compassion, and empathy for the betterment of each member in the school in which he or she governs. Also, the need to identify and measure the educational leaders commitment to moral character in part to protect the interests of mutual stakeholders is an essential component under consideration when evaluating the effectiveness of academic administrators. Peer-reviewed journals and articles approach varying definitions pertaining to virtue, moral values, or ethical practice in the realm of academic leadership. It is apparent that many have opinions regarding the subject and how each should be addressed. However diverse the definitions are, all authors acknowledge the call to return to more ethical accountability in educational leadership. The challenge presented is one of defining academic leadership through moral ethical dilemmas. Such dilemmas are confronted by diverse course content material that is lacking and considered insufficient to produce appropriate outcomes to solve difficult situations. The paper is outlined to include the following sub-headings for the purpose of direction and mapping subject matter, these include: Applying values and ethics in educational leadership, the principled academic administrator, applying Aristotles virtue constructs in educational leadership, a moral obligation to care in educational leadership, differentiating between values and ethics, integrating values and ethics in educational leadership curriculum programs, and finally pulling it all together in the conclusion. The Principled Academic Administrator Academic administrators are entrusted with the duty to act in accordance to ethical behaviors, with so many ethical misappropriations in the media spotlight, and recent scandals had in academic institutions, many have question if current leadership training curriculum found in administrative educational leadership programs fail to teach sufficient ethical accountability (Propheter Jez, 2012). Curriculum that addresses characteristics traits associated with moral virtues in the context of school administration must question if moral virtue such as those espoused by Aristotelian principles will developed a more authentic leader? Bowen, et al. (2006), notes that doctoral programs should place more emphasizes on ethics than on management. Educational leaders must be able to command leadership skills that are committed to moral character and ethical behavior, have the interest of and mutual respect for all stakeholders at heart, support and promote teacher and student alike, are engaged in justice, care, compassion and empathy and are highly motivated by the individual success of each of the members of the larger community of the school of which he is to govern (Pijanowski, 2007). Academic leaders make decisions that impact the lives of teachers, students and parents, making the act of leadership a moral issue. An educational leaders core set of values, or set of beliefs, is the ethical framework from which a leader develops a vision for the school in which he administers. Associated with administrative leadership, is the constant call for change, thus the academic leader becomes the change agent and will direct, define, and shape the change sequence that leads the schools progression and improvement for all stakeholders. Understanding this concept of leadership helps further define what educational leadership is, Starratt (1991) elaborates by noting educational leadership includes virtual ethics such as critique, justice and caring. That is to say that school administrators will be faced with decisions that will required them to critique hierarchy and bureaucratic boards who may tend to bow to public pressures or sway with public opinions. Starratt argues that justice is formed in some standard but that this standard must be held above one individuals passion and serve the greater good of the many. This Starratt (2004) called the community of moral goodness, wherein many individuals would join together for the greater good of the whole forming a relationship of effective leadership. This would then lead from one state of moral responsibility to a higher state of moral responsibility. In turn, individuals in a community form a relationship in caring not out of obligation but out of a sense of positive regard for one another. Academic administrators embedded with these qualities will constitute the principled leader. Therefore, there is a need for the call of Aristotelian constructs in educational leadership curriculum graduate programs. Applying Aristotles Virtue Constructs In Educational Leadership Applying an Aristotelian philosophy to educational leadership is perhaps the most logical approach to value and ethical driven curriculum specifying virtues in school supervision. Kodish (2006) incorporates the suggestion that Aristotelian philosophy bridges both theory and the practice of moral and right action. Drawing on insights of authentic leadership and virtue, Aristotles (1987) defines virtual states of character as having to do with feeling, choosing, and engaging in actions that do well toward others and doing so until these characteristics form in us habitually. This hypothesis leads us to conclude that a good academic administrator will embrace and exemplify a number of these traits or virtues, in ethical manners especially in regards to his role as the academic head. It is the purpose of this paper in part, to identify a few of these Aristotelian virtues as they are related to educational leaders. A short composition on morals, judgment, respect, genuine, empathy, care, and courage will be explored as basic components of the makeup of the moral fiber regarding the academic leader. Morals. Aristotle classifies moral virtue as the excellent state of an individual and good judgment. He sees this character as an intellectual virtue embracing moral rational and the ability to have moral perception along with sufficient insight to make ethical decision not only for ones self, but for the larger community. Judgment. As moral character is an essential element of choice to act right, so is judgment equal to wisdom and practical judgment in Aristotelian philosophy. Good judgment often requires the academic leader to use wisdom in decision making processes. Ethical administrative judgment is a virtue of academic administration. Aristotle would simply state that curriculum driven programs need to teach students that moral virtues are the characters of acting in good judgment. Empathy Respect. Aristotle would promote the idea that empathy and respect are interconnected and go hand-in-hand. That these two components are essential elements in a school leaders character and as such they exist mutually together and serve the best interests of all stakeholders at heart. He would suggest that these interests are cradled in the simplest proponents of the Golden Rule and promote a climate of mutual worth for all persons. Genuine Authenticity. Starratt (2004, p.3) identifies authenticity as one of the foundational virtues of ethical leadership. To be genuine or authentic as an academic supervisor requires leaders to live ethical, transparent lifes that demonstrate leadership, stewardship, and commitment to a sense of spirituality. Educational leadership is authentic to the degree that it is ethical, sincere, genuine, and trustworthy in action and interaction and that such interactions are consistent with the promotion of others wellbeing. In the context of school leadership, this includes the success of staff and student alike. Justice, Care Courage. Shapiro and Stefkovich (2005) argued that moral virtues associated with leadership have a particular importance to safeguard and promote the best interests of others. When the ethics of justice, care, and courage are joined with an ethic of inclusive Aristotelian discourse, educational administrators have a model to ethical decision-making founded on principle. Moral Obligation To Care in Educational Leadership As moral agents, educational leaders should act in accordance with personal values and convictions that incorporate the respect, trust and integrity for being authentic and true to their values. The ethic of care implores educators to nurture the emotional and moral development of students. This moral value requires educational administrators to focuses on affirmation values such as trust, loyalty, belonging, self-worth, and self-efficacy in the process of education, making academics about individuals in the educational profession. As care agents in education, caring ethics would refer to the relationship created between student and teacher. As administrators over educational institutes, caring incorporates the obligation to respond to the needs of not only students, but staff, teachers and other stakeholders. This may include addressing curriculum designs to meet the needs of a diverse student body, staff needs based on census loads, and responses to classroom environments. Care must not be based on a one time efforts at virtuous decision but ongoing developing ontological relationships. Creating An Ontological Relationship In Educational Leadership Cunliffe and Eriksen (2011 p.1432) would argue that we exist in mutual relationships with others and our surroundings and that we both shape, and are shaped by, our social experience in everyday interactions and conversations. It appears that such theories in relational ontology lay the foundation for mutual members of an organization to extend mutual respect and regard toward one another when such relationships are formed. The basic contention of a relational ontology is simply that the relations between entities are ontologically, as Cunliffe (2009) explains, the Relational leader is more concerned with creating interpersonal relationships and institutions, where the focus is on ethical issues of care, concern, and respect. Ontological relationships in academic leadership should include relationships as more fundamental than the individual leader. This is accomplished by working through various difficulties or differences together with other members of the academic community and assuming ownership and mutual responsibility, where moral relational-responsiveness is demonstrated. In return, mutual respect is enhanced, a sense of safety and nurturance is experienced and mutual regard are honored allowing for positive interaction to be had among all stakeholders who in turn are more apt to further their personal investment into the program. Identifying what are considered values and separating ethical bou ndaries are sometimes difficult in relationships, especially is this so in the guise of administrative roles. Having a better understanding of the essential role of each in educational leadership is important. Differentiating Between Values and Ethics Ethical decision making among educational leaders is an essential element of administration, teaching ethics is only one component of a construct necessary for making ethical decisions, staging values as important in and of itself will not suffice. Instructing academic leaders on this principle is vital in changing the direction of educational supervisors in becoming cognizant driven regarding ethic and value mindsets. Beckner (2004) has indicated research literature on educational administration has placed a greater emphasis on the moral values and ethical practices associated with school administration then has been promoted in the past. Shapiro and Stefkovich (2005) have supported that school officials have a duty and obligation to all stakeholders for whom they are accountable to be moral agents that are informed, ethical, and capable to lead. Darling-Hammond (2005) makes a case regarding educational leadership graduate preparation programs to include real-life dilemmas in curriculum training materials so as to better prepare administrators with the process of ethical decision-making. As Kline (2006) indicates, failure of strong ethical training is at the center of most corruptible educational leadership and administrative dilemma, noting that most dilemmas faced by educators lack sufficient policies to direct how to solve issues before and when they do come to light. As a profession, supervisors who oversee curriculum development, have a moral obligation to ensure that educational administration programs found at the graduate level, train prospective leaders in the principles of virtues associated with the development of ethical operating schools (Shapiro Stefkovich, 2005). As literature review recommends, it is imperative that both moral values and ethical principles become an integrated ingredient of curriculum develop ment in educational leadership programs. The following section of this work will address this critical issue. Integrating Values And Ethics In Educational Leadership Curriculum Programs Avolio, et al. (2009) suggested that authentic leadership includes both a sense of greater self-awareness and self-regulated behaviors that lead to positive community development. Avolio and colleagues feel that authentic leadership is essential and one of the first steps needed in ethical leadership preparation. Curren (2008, p. 338) includes ethical instructions as a vital aspect of leadership training course work for future administrative leaders noting that these cardinal virtues are essential and would be a good start toward articulating what it means to be an ethical academic administrator. Cameron and Caza (2002) incorporate ethics instruction in leadership preparation studies curriculum to include the academic institutions role and its obligation to the student and larger community. Given the obligation that professor have to students in preparing them for the future administrative duties, and that this obligation goes beyond just a professional one, Kline (2006) suggest that instructors of ethical courses must make a deliberate decision to think of the student beyond academic settings. In other words, how does ones behavior reflect on other aspects of the individuals complete life, not just in the administrative role? Ethics must be an essential part of course content. Returning to Bowen et al. (2006), which assert that ethic curricula should include codes of conduct, framework on ethical decision making practicums, and adequate case studies with frequent examinations to ensure future administrators are prepared to deal appropriately with dilemmas that they will be confronted with. Without the commitment to strong ethical integration in curriculum program, ethics courses are seriously compromised. Implementation is as crucial as is the content. The question then becomes how is this best achieved? The State of West Virginias Department of Education operates under a code of ethics. Codes of ethics are design to guide the professional conduct of the members who practice in their fields. As with most ethical course preparation, research of code conduct directive is a must. Students are led to investigate and research content that require review of state and national code of ethics. Graduates should become familiar with these codes and reference them frequently. Opportunity to discuss, debate and examine case studies in ethical dilemma will better prepare future administrators to handle real-life experiences that may confront them as school supervisors. Additional internships with real-time school directors can enhance administrative skill-sets in ethical problem solving outside of classroom content, with hands-on practicum learning. Educational leaders need to develop a working knowledge of Aristotelian virtues from which effective school administrator rise. Additionally, institutions of higher learning need to incorporate these values into graduate curricula programs, emphasis to strengthen academic administrative training program with stronger ethics and value latent material centered on Aristotelian virtues has been the theme of this paper. Review of literature certainly has supported the need and indeed has extended the call for academic leaders who are better prepared to lead educational institutions. Academic supervisors however, must distinguishes themselves and be refined in aptitude through curriculum that include moral values and ethical content rich in ethics, archetype, and critical evaluations that aspire leaders and encourage them to develop critical thinking skills and make decisions that are based on the common benefit of all person in a larger educational community. Academic leaders that adhere and reflect a higher level of insight in discharging their duties as administrators, understand that such considerations have an impact on their lives and the lives of their students also understand that they will influence not only an immediate generation, but will effect generation yet to be born. Conclusion Expanded research is needed to increase our understanding of the ethical dilemmas confronted by academic leaders. Challenges faced in educational institutions require ethical responses and require insights based on values that are saturated in virtue. Values include appropriate morals, judgment, genuineness, empathy, care, respect for others, and the courage to stand for what is right, not what is always popular. Principled men and women who are espoused and trained in Aristotelian philosophy should inform policy and strategies in academic administration to ensure that every stakeholders voice is heard, recognized and needs are being addressed. That too, the best interest of the educational institution is being forwarded. Academic leaders have a moral obligation to care about their staff, students and all constituents who have a vested interest in their academic establishment and to the larger community in which they serve. These relationships are formed from an ontological concept, meaning they are logical. When united in a common act of ethical consideration for one another, we logically uplift one another. Additional consideration should be given to graduate programs training educational professional in academic supervision. Course content should include in curricula development, content rich in Aristotelian concepts leading to the learning and development of school leaders in their activities to attain authentic leadership observance which are embedded in ethical constructs. Content must take care to ensure differences between values and ethics are made clear and how these should be integrated into the curriculum and espoused in the classroom and among all staff members. Applying Aristotelian values and ethics in graduate educational leadership programs may prove beneficial in restoring ethical prudence to academic administrative roles.

Introducting the Characters and Themes in Educating Rita Essay

Introducting the Characters and Themes in Educating Rita GCSE Coursework: In what ways is Act 1 Scene 1 of â€Å"Educating Rita† a good introduction to the play’s main characters and themes? Do you think Willy Russell has made his opening dramatic and entertaining? â€Å"I’m coming in aren’t I? It’s that stupid bleedin’ handle on the door!† is not the way in which we would expect a new university student to talk to a lecture she had never meet before, but as we later find out, Rita, is not a stereotypical student and her lecture, Frank, is not a stereotypical lecture. The play â€Å"Educating Rita† is based on an out going character, who has decided her working class lifestyle, does not fit who she is anymore. She believes she can change her life by achieving a higher education, to â€Å"fit in† with everyone else around her. Changing her name from Susan to Rita is her first step, she had now begun the great leap from the 26year old hairdresser, to a well spoken and well educated higher classed human being. This 1970’s play displays the struggle and frustration of a woman, caught in the working class. Willy Russell uses wit, humour and his knowledge of that time period to create and develop his two characters as they travel through substantial changes in their lives. Willy Russell uses two very different styles of writing for each of his characters, the introduction to his play begins with a conversation between lecture Frank and his wife. â€Å"Look if you’re trying to induce some feeling of guilt in me over the prospect of a burnt dinner you should have prepared something other than lamb and ratatouille†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Russell was determined to show Frank’s striking upper class exterior, with the usage of such formal and polite languag... ...appy with life until Rita was able to show him his true colours. Using the snappy, chatty atmosphere so early on in the play, Willy Russell was able to keep his fairly long opening; dramatic, entertaining and enjoyable to watch. Willy Russell’s choice to uses such different characters to base his piece around, made one hundred percent sure that his audiences anxiety levels would have been raised as they became more and more intrigued, to find out if the characters would clash or get on like a house on fire. But I believe it was Willy Russell’s pure talent that enabled him to places to different characters in the same scene and make it work. Using the two different styles of writing and such different character personalities creating an opening, which was not only dramatic and entertaining but will be remembered in history as the starting point for woman.

Behaviorism, Constructivism, and Cognitivism: Multiple Approaches To Le

A. Behaviorism, constructivism and cognitivism are relatively common theories used in the classroom as ways to approach student learning. Behaviorism focuses on observable behavior, such as students answering questions correctly, or being able to follow directions to complete a task as instructed. Characteristics of a classroom that uses behaviorism might be memorization of facts, writing vocabulary words, or a token reward system to inspire the desired behavior and decrease undesired behaviors. Constructivism, as indicated by the root word â€Å"construct,† focuses on the construction of new ideas, or expanding on what is already known. Students in a classroom using constructivism as a means for learning might seem more actively engaged in the learning process; they often learn something new through applying what they already know about the content area, and exploring new matter to further their understanding. This type of classroom often uses hands on manipulatives to allow students to actually build, create, or experiment with what they are learning. A cognitivism approach to learning might be explained by the minds capacity to process information – such as how a learner might remember something, retrieve information, or store new concepts. Learning through this method often depends on how the student processes what the teacher is presenting. Classrooms using this approach might incorporate learning strategies that help students categorize and sequence information to assist with processing. Like constructivism, it can be an active style of learning. A1. Support Personal examples of a behaviorist style of instruction are based on the widely renowned theory by B.F. Skinner, which in the classroom can be summarized by reinf... ...speaker and the listener. The student can store often used responses, and prepare anticipated answers prior to situations where he will be meeting with those less familiar with his speech capabilities. By implementing this type of device, the student has become more confident and can communicate appropriately for a student his age. In this instance, the integration of technology into the learning environment may make a difference as to whether the student is employable or overlooked due to the inability to communicate well on the job. Works Cited Brewer, E.W., Campbell, A.C., Petty, G.C. (2000). Foundations of Workforce Education. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company. Standridge, M.. (2002). Behaviorism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved May 9, 2012 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

William Blakes The Tyger Essay -- William Blake Tyger Essays

William Blake's The Tyger In â€Å"The Tyger,† William Blake uses meter and rhyme to enhance both the meaning and the rhythm of his piece. The chanting nature is reinforced by frequent end-stop and catalectic endings for the lines. By melding these devices, Blake has managed to create a powerful poem – hidden in the casual style of a nursery rhyme. The meter of â€Å"The Tyger† is mostly trochaic tetrameter (four feet per line; stressed-unstressed). Or trochaic three-and-a-half meter, really – Blake uses a catalectic ending (the dropping of the last unstressed syllable) on every trochaic line. This, along with the insertion of several iambic tetrameter lines, allows every end syllable to be stressed – thus forming a forceful beat to the poem, reminiscent of the tiger’s power. The set beat goes along with the words of the first stanza to create an image of a tiger prowling steadily through the dark forest. Blake uses this chanting, plodding rhythm as an almost musical backdrop for the reading of his poem – where he varies, it simply adds to the harmony. The first instance of iambic tetrameter occurs in the first stanza’s last line. Personally, I think Blake switched meters for that line in order to draw attention to that particular line, and place more emphasis on the first (and pervading) question of the poem. That line is the first to be non-catalectic, and, as a result, seems more complete – which is supported by the meaning of the line. The speaker is wondering what higher power could possibly have created the tiger; in speaking of a higher power, it seems only natural that that line should somehow bigger than the others, and have more weight or emphasis. Blake uses the same idea in the fifth stanza, where both ... ...to folded steel, he personifies the stars, who â€Å"water’d heaven with their tears† – presumably at the beauty and power of the tiger. This lends majesty to both that which brought them to tears – God – and that which received the tears – the tiger. The stars give the reader almost an ‘outside’ perspective on the tiger; Blake uses them in order to show what others feel for its majesty, which reflects into what conclusions the reader will draw about the subject. Through his meter and techniques, Blake well manages to enforce a chanting rhythm and powerful voice. Demanding questions and vivid images belie the simple nature of his end rhyme – which turns out to be not simple at all, but to explore a deep, driving question. (All while alluding to his previous work.) â€Å"The Tyger,† upon close inspection, is shown to both sophisticated and complicated in its methods.

Cultural Identity in Education Essay

Nowadays, the problem of cultural identity should not be underestimated. In fact, in the modern globalized world there is a strong trend to losing national identity in the result of the amalgamation of culture, or, to put it more precisely, in the result of the growing impact of western culture on other culture of the world. At the same time, individuals naturally cannot live without identity. This is why willingly or not they develop certain cultural identity under the impact of a variety of internal and external factors that actually shape their personality. In fact, individuals’ identity is inseparable from their personality. Consequently, human relations are, to a significant extent, predetermined by their cultural identity that effects dramatically their communication. As a result, it is always necessary to take into consideration the peculiarities of cultural identity of each individual, especially in education because modern education, being an extremely complicated process, is based on the idea that each individual is unique and his/her needs should be met in the process of education. Cultural identity in the modern world Before discussing cultural identity in the context of education, it is primarily necessary to briefly dwell upon the concept of cultural identity in the modern world. In fact, the modern concept of cultural identity is based on two key elements, notably modern identity implies being alike other people within a group and common categorizing of outward phenomena, such as race or clothes people wear . However, in recent year such an attitude to identity is considered to be simplistic and specialists insist that it should be expanded. Obviously, such a definition of identity implies that cultural identity is basically formed in the process of the development of individual, i. e. it is acquired in the result of social relationships of an individual with other people. In stark contrast, to this position, there is an ultimately opposite view on cultural identity as the product of human nature. To put it more precisely, A. J. Ayer insists that â€Å"the general criteria of personal identity may be solely physical in nature that means that the idnividual’s identity is based on his/her physical identity† . Nowadays, such a view is widely criticized, and Baum for instance, underlines that in the postmodern world identity is becoming reconstructed and redefined and, what is more, â€Å"the problem of identity is one of avoiding a fixed identity and keeping our options open† . Nevertheless, regardless the concept of ‘flexible’ cultural identity it is necessary to underline that that it is still an integral part of the individual’s personality. In actuality, â€Å"we are neither only what we inherit nor only what we acquire but, instead, stem from dynamic relationship between what we inherit and what we acquire† . In this respect, the ‘flexibility’ of cultural identity also implies individual’s freedom which is actually based on what an individual inherits and what he/she acquires . Cultural identity in educational system Obviously, cultural identity is of a paramount importance and its role in education is particularly significant because the individual’s identity is constantly developing and, being submitted to changes, it can affect his/her personality dramatically. At the same time, as cultural identity is shaped in the result of relationships between people, than the education process involves the interaction between people who have different cultural identity, different social and economic background, and whose views may vary significantly. At the same time, it is important to underline that the cultural identity of all agents of the education system, i. e. both educators and learners, is equally important because they constantly mutually influence each other. Also, it is worthy of mention that cultural identity is affected by different factors, including inherit and acquired ones. This is why the cultural identity in the modern education system implies the necessity of the development of such a relationship that would provide the possibility to possibly fuller realize the potential of each individual on the basis of his/her unique cultural identity. Unquestionably, cultural identity is partially inherited since it is quite natural that an individual acquires certain stereotypes, norms and models of behavior from his/her parents and in the course of times such similarity of a child and parents are growing stronger as the child learns more from his/her parents and develops his/her cultural identity. In fact, in such a situation, a child inherits not just traditions and experience of his/her parents but also traditions and experience of the whole people, or culture, and naturally acquires the experience of this culture that has been accumulating for decades and centuries. Furthermore, cultural identity is, to a significant extent, predetermined by social position of the individual and his/her social background. As a result, it is possible to estimate that cultural inheritances of an individual which he/she receives from his/her family, interact with social reality and position of the individual in the community. Consequently, â€Å"it is in these cultural inheritances that much of our identity is constituted and is thus marked by the social class to which we belong† . Also, it should be said that the development of cultural identity occurs in the process of education. It is important to realize that human beings are conscious of the fact that they are affected by their cultural identity and the effects of their social environment that creates opportunities to â€Å"overcome the strength of cultural inheritance† that can occur in the process of education. As a result, it is possible to say that cultural identity can be changed and this change can occur in the process of education. Moreover, to a significant extent, cultural identity is shaped in the process of learning that is a natural process for human beings who are simply programmed to learn. As a result, in the process of learning individuals create their own historical and cultural worlds, which â€Å"are our products, and †¦ we become animals who are permanent inscribed in a process of learning and seeking† . The role of cultural identity in educational process Obviously, as the cultural identity is extremely important in the educational process, it is quite natural that it is necessary to provide individuals with the opportunity to have freedom in the development of their identity. What is more, their own cultural identity should not be by no means discriminated or simply ignored. In stark contrast, in the modern really democratic school, it is necessary to provide all students from different socio-cultural background with equal opportunities. However, in the current situation, it is quite difficult to do because the problem of equal opportunities is extremely serious and not often the cultural aspect is taken into consideration when educators attempt to solve this problem. To put it more precisely, it should be said that different students have different cultural identity. At the same time, there exist the dominant class in the society which plays the primary role in the socio-economic life of society and tend to dominate in the cultural sphere. Naturally, such relations are extrapolated on schools as well. As a result, nowadays, there exist private schools where basically student from upper classes study and there are public schools where students from lower classes prevail . Naturally, in such a situation the teacher-student relationship may be affected dramatically. For instance, teachers representing the middle class could feel inferior to the upper class students in private schools and, in contrast, feel superior in public schools in relation to lower class students. Obviously, such attitudes are totally unacceptable for progressive educators. This is why it is extremely important to develop normal relationship with students with different cultural identity and treat them objectively avoiding revengeful attitude to upper class students or scornful attitude to lower class students. In fact, it is necessary to take into consideration the cultural identity of students and stimulate the development of the conscious and objective position of students in relation to their self-esteem and, thus, change their cultural identity making it more objective. Practically, it means that working with lower class students it is necessary to stimulate their self esteem and make them feel respectful to their own cultural identity. It is not a secret that often the overwhelming majority of students in public schools represent lower class families. Consequently, as the experience shows, their self esteem is quite low and they do not really believe that they can play any important role in the society. In fact, often they feel as if they are outcasts and, as some students believe, if they disappeared, no one would have even noticed their disappearance. In this respect, it is particularly dangerous when teachers ignore their social background and cultural identity since often such students have very peculiar semantics, accents and syntax which do not correspond to the norms of standard language used in the modern education. As a result, the students from lower classes risk of being academically less successful than students from the middle and upper classes and, as a rule, they actually are. On searching possible solutions of such a situation, it is possible to recommend referring to the cultural identity of students that will help better understand their personality and reveal their real skills and abilities. To put it more precisely, they should have a chance to realize their skills and abilities regardless the linguistic specificity. It means that they may use different terms and language to explain different phenomena but they may be correct. Furthermore, in order to improve the position of lower class students with cultural identity which may be characterized as that of outcasts, it is possible to recommend the improvement of the current education policy which actually leads to segregation of public schools for in some scools the percentage of non-white students is reaching 100%, while white students from upper classes often turn to be in a privileged position studying at private schools, for instance. Conclusion Thus, taking into account all above mentioned, it is possible to conclude that nowadays the cultural identity is extremely important and affects the educational process dramatically. It is necessary to underline that in the current situation cultural identity cannot remain fixed, especially in the sphere of education but, instead, should be constantly modified in order to make students conscious of their own cultural identity and that it is not always an objective concept. Moreover, one of the major tasks of progressive educators is to treat students equally and objectively, taking into consideration their cultural identity. What is more, teachers possess certain authority in education process, consequently, they should use it properly in order to avoid revengeful or scornful attitude to students. At the same time, in relation to lower class students, teachers could change the cultural identity of such students for better and improve their self-esteem.