Music Concert Report Essay

On Wednesday May 8th I attended a steel band concert for the first time. Experiencing new music is something that I like to do, so when it was assigned to attend a concert I was pretty excited. When I attended the concert I was greeted with many surprises. Overall attending Erie Community College’s steel band concert was a great entertaining eye opening experience. Before attending the steel band concert I was not sure what to expect. When I heard the words â€Å"steel band† I thought of a band with tubas and trumpets, not of a band with Caribbean type steel drums. As soon as the band members started to play I was shocked, in a good way. I was expecting boring music not Caribbean type music that wanted to make dance. My favorite song the band played was a song by Steve Butters called â€Å"Don’t look back†. The Steve Butters song was my favorite because it was so surprising hearing that type of music played by a band here at E.C.C.. The music really reminded me of Caribbean type music because of the sound of the steel drums, it made me feel happy as if I was on a vacation. Not being exposed to this type of music made the experience so much better because it was something new and foreign. All in all the steel band concert was an entertaining and eye opening experience. In the future I would definitely like to attend another steel band concert. The vibe of the concert was a great one making it a cool place to be.

Fast Food Affects on Obese Children

Fast Food Restaurants Affecting Obese Children Fast food restaurants have been around for ages from McDonalds to Wendy's. All have been giving processed foods to people for very low prices. Some say fast food restaurants are the only reason for Obesity, some say fast food is the perfect combination of food and low prices. Obesity has majorly increased since the early 1970's and so has the amount of fast food restaurants. They have even expanded close to schools. When fast food restaurants are too close to schools they affect the student's weight.More and more restaurants are putting the nutritional facts in the menu, changing people's minds about what they eat. With these arguments you can see that it's obvious fast food restaurants cause obesity. Fast food restaurants have grown in popularity, size and distribution. With its popularity growing drastically, the percentage of children from the ages 6-19 that are obese has increased from 5 to a whopping 17 percent since the early 1970' s! with the years going by, more and more children are getting overweight because of fast food restaurants.Fast food restaurants are sometimes too close to high schools affecting the students weight and eating habits. If during class you look out the window and see a fast food restaurant it's hard to resist the temptation. Although only 7 percent of fast food places are within a tenth of a mile 65% are within half a mile. Also listing nutritional facts changes peoples food choices in McDonalds especially. When fast food restaurants list these facts it increases the likelihood of parents choosing healthier food choices.Researcher Dr. Pooja Tandon from the Department of general paediatrics at the University of Washington in Seattle, when parents have the nutritional facts about the food they choose 100 calories less than parents that don't have the info. In low-income areas, the information does not affect the parents. So now that you've read these few arguments, don't just forget abo ut it do the right thing. Make a decision and stick to it before more people get stuck on fast food.

A definition and discussion on special education Essay

A definition and discussion on special education - Essay Example Basically, special education is in line with acceleration programs for the gifted and talented students and the enrichment programs for fast learners (Slavin, 2008, p.379). The development of special education can be considered as a positive advancement in the social structure and norms. This can be attributed to the fact that before the 1800s, the people with disabilities such as the retarded, the mentally ill, deaf, blind and physically challenged are maltreated and considered to lack the chance to be educated. The maltreatment even became extreme due to superstitions. People with disabilities are even being killed at some point specifically during the era of witch hunts (Sacks, 2001, p.2). During these period although the advocates of education for all groups of people are few, the roots of special education can be considered to have started with certain educators who saw the importance of providing education for the survival of people with disabilities. Included in the educators are Ponce de Leon who educated deaf students to communicate, Pablo Bonet of Spain who established finger spelling for the blind, Jacob Rodriguez Pereire who made sign language simpler and made a machine for calculation and arithmetic and most importantly John Locke who is an important personality in the field of education and was able to differentiate idiocy or metal retardation from insanity or mental illness.

Is Sims Metal Management making the right strategic initiatives in the Dissertation

Is Sims Metal Management making the right strategic initiatives in the metal recycling industry - Dissertation Example The research was conducted using questionnaire method on the employees, which were 32 in all. The results reveals that the firm has not been practising CSR internally but tries making an external image of a good corporate firm. Moreover, the firm has been indulging in growth strategies with acquisitions, mergers and diversification. The employees also shed a light on how beneficial these strategic moves may be for the firm and whether the firm is taking care of its employees or not. Towards the end recommendations like, taking safety measures for employees, being informed about legislations in the global industry, forming an emergency unit, technological advancements and employee training has been given. Table of contents Chapter 1-Interduction 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Background 1 1.3 Purpose of the research 1 1.4 Research problem 2 1.5 Research methodology 2 1.6 Aims and Objectives 3 1.7 Layout of the report 3 1.8 Validity limits 4 Chapter 2-Literature Review 2.1Introduction 5 2.1I ndustry Overview 5 2.3 Sims Metal Management Metal Management 6 2.4 Competitive analysis 7 2.5 Demand for recyclable metal 8 2.6 International business management 9 2.7 Supply chain and metal recycling 9 2.8 Pestle analysis 11 2.8.1 Political/legal environment 11 2.8.1.1 Regulations 12 2.8.2 Social Environment 12 2.8.3 Economic environment 13 2.8.4 Economic risks involved 13 2.8.5 Ecological environment 14 2.8.5.1 Structured changes 14 2.8.6 Technological advancement 15 2.9 SWOT analysis 15 2.9.1. Strengths 15 2.9.1.2 Strong structure 15 2.9.1.3 Business development 16 2.9.2 Weakness 16 2.9.2.1 Insufficient safety measures 16 2.9.2.2 Ineffective management 17 2.9.2.3 Complicated legislations 17 2.9.3 Opportunities 17 2.9.3.1 New markets 17 2.9.3.2 New recycling units 18 2.9.3.3 environmental consciousness 18 2.9.3.4 Efficient processes 18 2.9.3.5 Incorporate technology 19 2.9.4 Threats 19 2.9.4.1 Industry threats and prices 19 2.9.4.2 Developing countries 20 2.9.4.3 The legislative barriers 20 Chapter 3- Methodology 21 3.1 Introduction 21 3.2 Research Paradigm 21 3.3 Questionnaire method 22 3.4 Sample 22 3.4.1 Sample selection 23 3.5 Questionnaire 24 3.6 Data analysis 24 3.7 Privacy of the subjects 24 3.7 Trustworthiness of the methodology used 25 3.8.1 Reliability 25 3.8.2 Validity 25 3.8.3 Ethical validity 26 3.8.4 Generalized validity 26 Chapter 4 Data analysis 27 4.1 Introduction 27 4.2 Internal environment of Sims Group UK 27 4.3 Is the firm growing in the right direction in the economic downturn? 33 4.4 Technological incorporation in the firm 35 Chapter 5-Conclusion and Recommendations 37 5.1 Conclusion 37 5.2 Recommendations 40 5.2.1 stringent safety standards 40 5.2.1 Emergency unit 40 5.2.2 Business strategies 40 5.2.3 growth strategies 41 5.2.4 employee training 41 5.2.5 Technological advancement 41 5.2.6 CSR 41 5.2.7 Legislative information 42 5.3 Limitations of the Research 42 Appendix 43 References 45 Chapter 1-Interduction 1.1 Introduction In cha pter 1, the author gives a detailed account of the research topic explaining why it was chosen. The background of the research is also given along with the reasons why the research was conducted. The methodology of the research has been given in detail along with the research paper layout. 1.2 Background According to Eddolls (2012), Sims Metal Management is an Australian based global concern that recycles metal. The firm has 42 recycling plants in

French Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

French Revolution - Essay Example Very early in the course of activities that unfolded during the revolution, the revolution lost its impact. This can be supported and said on the basis of the fact that entities like Reign of Terror came into existence(Lutz and Lutz, 194). Reign of terror, as the name would imply was one outright reactionary, and non elected entity. It was completely violent in its outlook and it worked on principles of revolt and reactionary mindset. Revolutionary measures and not evolutionary measures was the cry and manifesto of Reign of Terror. The initial troubles faced by France in form of offensives by Prussia and Austria termed it another failure at hand, given the fact that the country and its people were faced with the problems from inside, least to solve and spare out resources for the external aggression. The only democratic entity that came into power was the Directory. It lasted from 1795 to 1799, however it was marred by plethora of flaws and shortcomings in its own. It was faced with challenges of corruption, inability on behalf of the elected members, the lack of institutions and various other elements that make or break a democratic institution and organization. Hence from this perspective as well, the French revolution may not be termed as the successful story. The rise of Napoleon Bonaparte to power marked the severe blow towards the entire activity of the revolution. He was a military man who had taken over the power in Brumaire coup, and later on paved his way towards the life long Emperor of France (Scott, 2). Hence, the revolution that was initiated for the purpose of bringing about democracy in the country ended up providing a platform for a usurper like Napoleon Bonaparte to enact his own empire and declare himself the emperor. This hawks naked and wide into the eyes of those who declared the revolution a success. The final blow was suffered by French Revolution in the wake of the

WAG case analysis Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

WAG analysis - Case Study Example Financial Analysis of the Wag’s Judgments and Method of Calculating Net Income According to Canadian accounting standards for private enterprises (ASPE), WAG’s financial judgments and methods used have resulted to overstatement and understatement of net income in various ways. First, the method of calculating and awarding dividends and salaries has resulted in the understatement of net income. In Wiki Art Gallery (WAG) dividends are shared on 50 per cent basis on monthly basis and this was paid up to $400 until April 2012. The amount of dividend paid out to shareholders determines company’s annual net income because they determine the difference between assets and liabilities. According to the Canadian accounting standards for private enterprises (ASPE) a company is restricted from paying out dividends before passing balance sheet test whereby the declared dividends must be equal to or less than the difference between the assets and liabilities. The act of paying dividends on monthly basis instead on annual basis leads to the understatement of WAG’s annual net income as it prejudices the company’s ability to pay creditors therefore increasing the cost of liabilities. Additionally, the increased interest rates should be captured in WAGs annual income statement to reflect the true net income. Moreover, reduction of Stephen salary by $2,000 in fiscal 2012 was not included in the annual income statement and according to the ASPE principles on full disclosure of expenses such changes if effected during the fiscal year must be provided as additional information to the financial document. Therefore, if Stephen buys WAG Company based on the stated net income and decides not to change the methods of calculating dividends, he will be held liable for violating ASPE that might attract legal penalties for wrong disclosure of financial returns. Secondly, the depreciation of assets method as used by WAG leads to understatement of net income as well as overstatement of it if considered in different perspectives. The disposal of assets with zero residual value at any given cost other than zero is treated as income to a company under the ASPE. WAG disposed of computer server that had zero residual value at a price equal to the book value and this was not captured anywhere in the annual income statement. This also has an effect to the company’s net income as it understates company’s gains realized on the disposal of assets thus leading to underreporting of the net income. Note Withstanding, WAG records equipment at cost and charges depreciation on a straight-line basis on its equipment which decreases in value every year due to depreciation charged on it. The depreciation expense is captured in the income statement while the assets true value remains overstated. This implies that the net income is highly overstated because the depreciable assets are not recorded at the book value. Therefore if Stephen buys WA G Company based on the Rob’s calculation of depreciation that informs the current net income calculation, he would buy assets that are overstated and this may affect his eligibility to acquire more capital for the expansion of the company. Thirdly, the method of capitalizing intangible assets adopted by Rob leads to understatement of net income through the charging of amortization costs in the income statement. WAG capitalizes intangible assets

Employee Perception On Commitment Oriented Work Systems Article

Employee Perception On Commitment Oriented Work Systems - Article Example The research attempted to identify the relationship between employee trust or loyalty to managers and employee’s in-role and extra-role performance in comparison with that of organizational commitment in the organizations. Due to the increased popularity of the idea of employee commitment, researchers in this study turned their attention to multiple commitments in that in addition to the organizations as a focus of commitment, other important factors such as management, performance, and occupation were incorporated in the study. There are several theories included in this study. For instance, McGregor’s’ theoretical differentiation between theory X and theory Y has been applied. Theory X shows employees dislike work, lack motivation; avoid work and external motivation such as punishment is used as a way of motivation. This, in turn, results in poor performance. Theory Y, on the other hand, states that poor performance cannot be attributed to human nature but to a n imperfect work system. Therefore, managers should realize that employees want self-control, self-direction, seeks and accepts responsibility. In turn, Theory X calls for use of a commitment oriented work system. The theory advocates for a universal employee preference for autonomy, self-control, and responsibility. Thus, an effective commitment HR system should fit these assumptions better than the control HR system. The experimental design in this study relied on variables such type of work and type of contract. These variables were efficient in that they presented the relationship that exists in the workplace when an employee knows the kind of work he or she does. The problem with this design is that it relied more on primary data. In this case, the results cannot be effective since it involves individual response. In addition, validity was jeopardized by experimental procedures, pretesting and differential selection among employees of the organization.

Romance without Finance Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Romance without Finance - Research Paper Example Though two princes sought Portia’s hand in marriage, their royalty and riches did not impress her, settling instead for Bassanio who did not have an impressive title or riches but pleasant character impressed her and they married (Smith 45-47). This play is reflected in current romantic relationships whereby some flourish without finances while others fail. Finances play a crucial role in romantic relationships, but they are not enough to sustain them. In society, Smalley (1997, p12) notes that the roles of men and women are well defined in family, and other social places. These roles are clear from ancient times and they are included in religious texts including the Bible, the Koran among others. Providing the family with security and other necessities is the role of man, while the woman is supposed to take care of the children and the husband (Smalley 17-21). According to Christian teachings, the man is the leader of the family responsible for making all decisions even witho ut consulting with his wife (Smalley 41). In this regard, a man is supposed to dedicate his efforts working to ensure that his wife and children are well provided, while the woman should dedicate her life doing domestic chores and taking care of the children. ... Men for instance are supposed to be aggressive and competitive while women are required to be submissive and loyal to their husbands. Consequently, men hold most leadership positions in the society while women are relegated to lower segments. For long period, women remained in the periphery of the society, due top lack of economic and political power. Because of the imbalance between the two sexes, women for long periods have remained completely dependant on their husbands in families and in relationships. Thus, the role of man as the sole provider is so entrenched that women expect men to provide them with emotional and material resources in romantic relationships (Bach 54-59) Many relationship experts contend that the current romantic relationships are based on the traditional roes of both sexes, whereby women are expected to be that helpless girl, waiting to be rescued by a handsome, armored prince (Smalley 53). In the current society, it is widely accepted for a woman to depend o n the husband for financial support, but if the woman is the one supporting the husband, it is considered that there is no romance in the relationship. In the modern society, the welfare of the women has changed dramatically from the traditional woman whose role was restricted to domestic work to powerful and more assertive individuals. Today, women hold prestigious positions, including head of states, chief executives of large multinational companies, and successful business owners among other influential positions in the society. While submission and humility characterized the traditional woman, many of them nowadays are competitive and risk takers who know exactly what they want in a relationship. In an ordinary family set up and in relationships,

Critical Response to an Analysis of the Tempest by Shakespeare Research Paper

Critical Response to an Analysis of the Tempest by Shakespeare - Research Paper Example Wylie explains how the play shows that the discourses of colonialism and geography were already complex in the early seventeenth century. He calls it the â€Å"foundational colonial allegory† which is narrated by the ruler of the island, Prospero. Prospero recalls how he was usurped by his brother Antonio and King of Naples, Alonso who were shipwrecked but Prospero and his daughter Miranda reach the current island from which he speaks. The island was completely deserted except for one person whom they found, named, Caliban. Although Caliban owns the land, Prospero compels Caliban to start serving Prospero and consider him his master through his magical powers. This is indicative of the fact that the colonial forces always created an environment for the native people to feel obliged towards the settlers from abroad. The island which Shakespeare sketches in the play is probably one of the islands from the late sixteenth century located in the Mediterranean or the West Atlantic w hich shows how colonialism was a matter of history.

Provisions for elite performers Essay Example for Free

Provisions for elite performers Essay Many elite performers start to progress after representing their school at competitions affiliated to the English Schools FA, such as the ESFA Coca Cola National Cups. These national competitions attract attention from district scouts. After representing their schools talented performers may be selected to represent these District teams. Then the performers could be selected to play for their county or to train with professional clubs youth teams. I believe that Britain is behind America in progressing their young sporting talent. There are no real scholarships in Britain like there are in the US. Students are expected to complete all school work as well as trying to improve at their chosen sport. There is also very little funding for less glamorous sports than football.  It can also be seen that although footballers who are regularly being paid tens of thousands of pounds a week are living a glamorous lifestyle, there are also thousands of players in the lower leagues who are being paid considerably less. These top-class footballers are set for life, however the less fortunate players who play in the lower leagues will have to retire at around the age of 34 or 35. The retired players usually have no real future as they have given all their lives to football. When they were young they were kicking a football around when they should have been studying. Many face financial ruin. Additional agencies and bodies  There are many additional agencies that help to ensure the smooth running of football clubs all over the country:  Organisations such as the St Johns ambulance service are at every Sutton United game.  UNICEF has teamed up with non-governmental organizations, private businesses, government agencies and football superstars to establish educational and recreational programs around the world that involve football. The global appeal of football is a tool for engaging young people in a positive future. TWS Associates Ltd is a specialist consumer marketing agency with over 20 years experience in football focussed campaigns, supporter research and relations.  The government also specifies that all people working with children are child protection officers. This helps to keep all participants free from any harm.  Provision for female competitors It can be clearly seen that there are many local football teams for men, however there are much fewer for women. This is also the case at professional level in the UK. There are now no full-time professional womens clubs. This is in contrast to women in football in the USA. The women have their own professional league with there seeming more interest in the womens game than in the mens. Due to this, the American womens national team has been very successful, winning two world cups. This shows just how far the British governing bodies are behind their American counterparts. In the past it has been seen unfeminine for women to play football in the UK. This has come from sexism in previous governments. Female football gets much less coverage on TV with only the Womens FA cup and internationals shown on TV. Some English women have had to resort to travelling to America to earn a living from football. Nationwide has sponsorship of the three womens leagues, under the banner of The F.A. Nationwide Womens Premier League. Nationwide also enjoy sponsorship of The F.A. Premier League Cup and partner sponsorship of The F.A. Womens Community Shield, The FA Womens Cup and the England womens teams.  Although there are girls teams at schools at the moment, there is much less participation than by the boys. This is because there seems to be no importance in the womens game. There are local cups as well as county and national cups. Unlike with the boys where there are teams for each year, there are teams for a group of ages, such as under15s or under 18s. This is again due to the lack of participation of the girls. There are a few scholarships for elite womens footballers at places such as Kingston and Richmond universities, but nowhere near the amount of their male counterparts. These scholarships are obviously only for the elite women footballers. At the moment womens football in England i s not very popular. Even the Womens World Cup and Womens football in the Olympics do not draw a lot of viewers. I believe that the only way that womens football could become more appealing would be if it could be hosted in this country. This would draw a lot of attention to the womens game. Provision for disabled athletes  Although there are huge numbers of people playing football all over the country, there are very few organisations who cater for disabled participants.  The British Football Association for the Visually Impaired, was established in the late 1970s to allow the opportunity for those individuals aged 16 and upwards with visual impairments, whether totally blind or partially sighted, to participate in football.  From those humble beginnings where only a handful of teams were involved came the implementation of a league system in 1980 and the visually impaired football league catering for partially sighted players has evolved progressively to this day. Today the British Blind Sport Football League comprises two divisions each containing 7 teams playing 5-a-side indoor football nation-wide teams from as far a field as the north-east South Shields and the south-west Avon Sports based in Bristol. The North West are represented by Northern Sports (Manchester) and Inter Cosmos mainly Cheshire based. The Midlands have a number of clubs; Birmingham Sports, Midland All-Stars, Loughborough Lions and the Royal National College for the Blind, RNC. The capital is represented by London Sports. Fulham Deaf FC was founded in 2003 by a group of deaf footballers led by Nick Beese who was somewhat concerned about the lack of deaf football opportunities in South West London and very keen to make a contribution in improving deaf football welfare in South West London, prior to the setting up of Fulham Deaf, there were only three deaf football clubs registered in the British Deaf Sports National Cup from London, whereas previously there used to be twelve London representations. The number of Deaf football clubs has decreased over the last decade unfortunately due to the lack of support and commitment from the community. Lack of understanding from the outside community has also contributed to this temporary downfall. However it does not mean that the numbers of deaf footballers in London are on the decline, as there are many active deaf five a-side teams in the capital competing in local five-a-side mainstream league.

Person Centred Therapy: Overview and Analysis

Person Centred Therapy: Overview and Analysis Person-centered Therapy Ong Khai Lun Abstract This article discussed about Person-centered Therapy which is developed by Carl Rogers. Carl Rogers who is the Humanistic psychologist believed that there are needs that needed to be fulfilled by individual in order for the wellness of the individual. Person-centered Therapy is developed based on the Humanistic approach in the psychology field. In this article, whole of the Person-centered Therapy will be discussed, the core elements that need to be practiced by Person-centered therapists will be discussed and the critical condition in order for the therapy to be success will also be discussed in this article. This article is to help understand Person-centered Therapy and what requirement that needs to be followed when practicing Person-centered Therapy. Introduction In Person-centered Therapy, Carl Rogers believed that the client should focus on the present and the future as opposed to Gestalt Therapy that focused only on the present. Carl Rogers also believed that by focusing on the present and the future, the client would be able to understand more about himself or herself (McLeod, 2008). In Person-centered therapy, the client will be the main focus rather than the focus on how good is the therapist. This is due to Rogers believed that the self-healing ability and the personal growth that helps lead the client towards self-actualization (McLeod, 2008; Love Pinkowitz, 2013). The main purpose of Person-centered Therapy is to allow the client to have the opportunity to develop the sense of self where the client will be able to realize how their attitudes, their feelings and their behaviors that are being affected negatively (Love Pinkowitz, 2013; Swartout Swartout, 2012). Based on Person-centered Therapy, the self-concept is main element of our experiences and self-concept is influencer that will mold our perception towards the world and the perception towards the individual himself or herself. For example, an individual who is very confident towards himself or herself will behave confidently. The self-concept might not always fit the real world but as every individual is different in nature, the way we see ourselves and others see us might be different. For example, individual A might be a fun person to the eyes of others but individual might see himself as boring person, so individual A behave as a fun person to increase his or her self-esteem. The way individual A sees himself or herself might reflect how individual A values his or her self-esteem. In Person-centered Therapy, those who came for the therapy will not refer as ‘patients’ instead they will be referred as ‘clients’. This is due to the therapist and the clients are viewed as equal partners. The client is responsible to improve his life or her life and not the therapist (Corey, 2009). This is the part where Person-centered Therapy differs from psychoanalysis, where the patients is diagnosed by the psychologist and treated by the psychologist. The clients will be consciously and rationally make decisions for themselves about what is the right things to do and what should be done. The therapist in Person-centered Therapy is viewed as a friend that will listen to the problem and encourages the clients on an equal level rather than the therapist that view himself or herself as superiority in the session (Corey, 2009; Hagner, Kurtz, May Cloutier, 2014). Hagner, Kurtz, May Cloutier (2014) state that there is no absolute counseling technique to be applied in Person-centered Therapy as every counseling relationship that built with the clients are unique by itself. The quality of the therapeutic relationship between the client and the therapist is more important compared to the therapy techniques. There are three important elements that should be practiced by Person-centered Therapists is congruent, unconditional positive regard and emphatic. The first element that needs to be practice by Person-centered therapists is congruence. Congruence means that therapists need to be genuine in the therapeutic relationship. The therapists need to fully involve himself or herself in the therapeutic relationship in order for the wellness of the clients. The client is allowed to experience the therapist’s experience as Person-centered therapists can use their own experiences to enhance the therapeutic relationship (Cornelius-White, 2008). The second element that needs to be practice by Person-centered therapists is unconditional positive regard. Carl Rogers believed that in order for an individual to grow and fulfill his or her potential, it is very important that the individual is valued as himself or herself. This means that Person-centered therapists need to care about their clients deeply and genuinely in order for the growth and potential development of the clients. This also means that the therapists need the attitude of a ccept their clients as how the clients are (Corey, 2009). Thus Person-centered therapists need to always carefully maintain positive attitude toward their clients. The third core element that needed to be practiced by Person-centered therapists is empathy. By practicing empathy means that the therapists have the ability to understand what the clients’ experience and the clients’ feelings at the current moment. There are six critical conditions that need to meet in order for therapeutic change for the clients; therapist-client psychological contact, client incongruence, therapist congruence, therapist unconditional positive regard, therapist emphatic understanding and client perception (Corey, 2009; Cornelius-White, 2008). Therapist-client psychological contact is a relationship that needs to be established between the client and the therapist. Client incongruence means that there is an existence of incongruence between the clients’ experiences and the clients’ awareness. Therapist congruence means that the therapists need to be congruence in the therapeutic relationship. The therapists need to fully involved in the relationship and also they can use their own relationship to facilitate the therapeutic relationship. Therapist unconditional positive regard means that the therapists need to accept their clients as they are. This will help to increase the self-concept of the clie nt. Therapist empathic understanding requires the therapist to have empathic understanding towards the clients’ inner-self. Adequate empathy will allow the clients to believe their therapists have unconditional love towards them. Client perception is where the clients perceive the therapists’ unconditional positive regards and the therapists’ emphatic understanding. These six critical conditions are then summarized into three important elements; congruent, unconditional positive regard and emphatic (Maslow, Fazio, Ortigara, Kuhn Zeisel, 2013). As a conclusion, Person-centered Therapy requires the clients to concentrate in his or her present and future, which the clients will be able to know himself or herself more. Besides that, Person-centered Therapy will concentrate on the clients self-healing ability and the self-concept of the clients. In order to promote the self-concept of the clients, the therapists would need to practice three main elements; congruent, unconditional positive regard and emphatic. Aside from that, for the therapeutic relationship to be successful, the therapists need to ensure six core conditions to be presence; therapist-client psychological contact, client incongruence, therapist congruence, therapist unconditional positive regard, therapist emphatic understanding and client perception. References Corey, G. (2009).Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy(8th ed.). Belmont,  CA: Brooks/Cole. Cornelius-White, J. D. (2008). Reexamination of Rogers (1959) Collection of Theories on  the Person-Centered Approach. Person-Centered Experiential Psychotherapies,  7(3), 201-208.   Hagner, D., Kurtz, A., May, J., Cloutier, H. (2014). Person-Centered Planning for  Transition-Aged Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal Of Rehabilitation,  80(1), 4-10. Love, K., Pinkowitz, J. (2013). Person-Centered Care for People with Dementia : A  Theoretical and Conceptual Framework. Generations, 37(3), 23-29. Maslow, K., Fazio, S., Ortigara, A., Kuhn, D., Zeisel, J. (2013). From Concept to Practice:  Training in Person-Centered Care for People with Dementia. Generations, 37(3), 100-  107. McLeod, S. A. (2008). Person Centered Therapy. Retrieved from  http://www.simplypsychology.org/client-centred-therapy.html Morhardt, D., Spira, M. (2013). From Person-Centered Care to Relational Centered Care.  Generations, 37(3), 37-44. Swartout, K. M., Swartout, A. G. (2012). Shifting perspectives: Applying person-centered  analyses to violence research. Psychology Of Violence, 2(4), 309-312.  doi:10.1037/a0029910 Why Did Margaret Thatcher Win? Why Did Margaret Thatcher Win? The essay has been divided by 3 parts, equally with the 3 periods of time that Mrs Thatcher campaigning to be in power. Each part Id state the key events and policies circulated by Mrs Prime Minister and the Conservatives Party and also the opposition partys activites, together to conclude the factors that contributed to Mrs Thatchers 3 consecutive General Election victory and her 11 years in power. Why did Tories/ Margaret Thatcher win the 1979 General Election? The period of time from 1974 to 1979 is when the two dominant British political parties were under controlled by their two leaders: Jim Callaghan for Labour and Margaret Thatcher for Conservatives. The February 1974 General Election saw a hung parliament as a result and Labour was the largest party (Owen and Howe, 2011). The leader of the Labour party was Harold Wilson. In April 1976, he was succeeded by Jim Callaghan, who was the first and remain the only Prime Minister to hold the role in all three offices of state, which are Home Secretary of State and Chancellor of the Exchequer (1964 70), Foreign Secretary of State from 1974 before holding office at number 10 Downing Street (BBC News, 2001). Meanwhile, Margaret Thatcher successfully challenged Edward Heath for leadership of the Conservatives party to be the first woman to lead a major political party and the Tories had got its very first woman leader. The economy at such this point wasnt an alliance with the Labour government t o leave them in a well-controlled position. After the quadrupling of oil prices in 1973-74 of the O.P.E.Cs oil prices crisis, inflation rose sharply to over 24% and the sterling pound ( £) reached an alert point in the international currency market. During 1971 and 1974, inflation had been arrived at a rate of 9.3%, but had a peak of 27% in 1975. Between 1974 and 1978 the average of inflation was 17.3% and later on fell down to 9.3% in 1979 (Visitor6 Website, 2012). To keep up and to survive with costly goods in such an inflationary era, its inevitable for all the workers to claim for higher wages to live with the situation. Greater paid amount for workers was campaigned by the unions, in fact, they would favour a rise in wages up to 22% for fireman, 14% for bakers, despite the limit of 5% of the government policy (ibid, 2012). In consequence, the strikes began. Strikes carried on by truck drivers and oil tanker drivers, garbage collection services stopped in Liverpool, resulting in rubbish all over and pile up on the streets. Even worse, the grave-diggers went on strike, dead bodied were not buried, making this the most depressed chaos ever and making the government looks like it couldnt cope with the situation (ibid, 2012). This, was so-called, the Winter of Discontent, which was a significant factor contributing to the victory of the Conservative in the 1979 General Election, as the Labour government was seen with nothing to rely on. Another thing to note is that, by April 1976, after two days Callaghan holding the Prime Minister Office, the Labour party has lost its majority to be a minority government of 1, as a result of the resignation of the formal Cabinet Minister John Stonehouse, and the 2 backbenchers left to establish a new Scottish Labour Party (BBC On This Day Website, 2005). This was also a miscalculation of Callaghan, when he had the right to call an election by October 1978, but he didnt as the economic performance started to get a little bi t better, and then the Winter of Discontent (WoD) appeared. Meanwhile, the Conservatives were getting every single opportunity out of their excellent media campaign. Mrs Thatcher was more than welcome for the attraction of the media and to provide journalists lots of photo-opportunities. The Tories also managed to get an efficient use of TV broadcast, and also the influence of their poster Labour isnt working delivered by advertising agency Saatchi and Saatchi, imitating a queue of jobless people (Bunn, 2010a). The Conservative manifesto advanced greatly away from the Keynesian economic policies which had been adopted since 1945 by all government. Instead of applying demand management like previously, Mrs Thatcher adopted the idea of monetarism policies, which stated by the Chicago economist Milton Friedman that money supply is the main reason rising the rate of inflation, hence for the government to be able to control inflation, public expenditure shall be cut down and the amount o f money circulated in the business flow should be well under controlled, although all of this would lead to further unemployment rate (Owen and Howe, 2011). To be focused on lowering the rate of inflation, the Tories reckon that small inflation would create greater developing environment for firms and businesses, therefore providing greater demand for jobs because of the non-fluctuation condition in the market (Visitor6 Website, 2012). Other policies including leaving the market opened and free movement of the economy, breaking down the excessive power of the Trade Unions and tax cuts. The Conservatives party now seen as the party of Law and Order, giving Britain a new begin to escape from the so long chaos (Owen and Howe, 2011). The 1979 General Election results putting the Conservative back into power after with the total win of 339 seats, winning a solid majority of 44, marking the first of the 4 consecutive Genereal Election victories in the following years of the Tories, and Ma rgaret Thatcher became the first woman to be the Prime Minister and serving on number 10 Downing Street (Bunn, 2010a). Thatchers first term in power: 1979 1983 The first two years of the Thatcher Government were a remarkably difficult time in British politics. As stated above, Thatcher was massively inspired by the idea of monetarism, which believe the biggest demon of government is inflation, and to be in a good hand of controlling inflation rate, government need to control the flow of money supply (EconomicHelp Website, 2007). Indirect taxes were increased, government expenditure was lowered down and higher interest rate as government was fighting inflation (ibid, 2007). In the first Budget introduced in 1979, income tax rates were cut by 3%, from 33% to 30% but VAT was increased to a single rate of 15%. Interest rates were kept high, even raised up to 14%. The result was an economic recession (1979 81) in which manufacturing productivity fell by nearly 20% (BBC Budget Website, 1997). The subsequent rise in unemployment made it difficult to reduce government spending, which, as percentage of GDP, increased until 1983, although thereafter it fell noticeably. On the other hand, as a result of the recession, inflation fell significantly. By 1982, it was at 5% which was the average of the OECD and then reached its bottom for almost 20 years at 2.6% in 1986 (Owen and Howe, 2011). The turning point for the Conservatives Party during this tough period before the 1983 General Election was the Falkland War. Four months before the Falkland conflict, Mrs. Thatcher was the most unpopular Prime Minister on record according to the early 1980s opinion polls (Owen and Howe, 2011). After the island attack, her popular ratings increased from 41% in April and to 56% in May 1982 and when the invasion was finally over in June, her approval ratings was favourably reached 59% (IPSOS Website, 2007). Nevertheless, even before the Falkland factor happened, the economic was slightly recovered from the recession, backing up Thatchers image, and also there was obviously public support behind the governments decision of fighting and getting back the island. The Economist conducted a survey showed that 83% seen the decision of sending the naval task force to Falkland was right, followed by 85% in a later week and 85% in early May (ibid, 2007). Hence, the Prime Minster was doing what t he people also desired to do and expected to do so, and with the successful achievement of the invasions outcomes, Mrs Thatcher was seen as a strong and patriotic leader. Adulations were honoured to Mrs Prime Minister by the tabloid press across the nation (Owen and Howe, 2011). There was clearly the Falkland factors behind the Conservative win on the 1983 General Election, but theres others factor supported Thatcher too, such as what was happening on the side of the opposition party. The Labour was divided, and appeared to middle-class voters as extremely left-wing and too close to the Unions. Their Manifesto for the 1983 election, later describes as the longest suicide note in history by Sir Gerald Kaufman, was the most left-wing manifesto ever as believed (Rayner, 2013). The party wished to exit the EEC by the end of the next term and non-business with all nuclear weapons. It would not let the market to be left freely and pledged to more state intervention in the economy with the association of the Trade Unions in paying and other decisions. It also wanted to nationalised again all the assets to the state, including the bank of England. Finally, the party was saying to end one of the most popular policies of the Tories, The Right to Buy council tenant houses (Bunn, 2010b). Adding all of the elements stated above, the result was a second victory for Margaret Thatcher and a landline winning for the Conservative Party with 397 seats and an overall majority of 144 (Bunn, 2010b). With that massive amount of majority, Thatcher would be able to perform even more radical reforms in her next following term in power (Rayner, 2013). The second term in power: 1983 1987 Not long after the 1983 election, Thatcher in 1984 attended a summit of European Union leaders at Fontainebleau, France. She has been wrangling many years to claim for the rebate that Britain should have earned as contributing a massive amount to the budget of the EEC, for example Britain was the most imported agriculture-products country and paid heavily for the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP)s financial statement (Zijlstra, 2005). I want my money back with this legendary saying at the summit, Mrs Thatcher put British Euroscepticism into words clearer than anyone else before. The event was seemed to be successful for the Iron Lady, but on the other hands, distanced herself with other EU leaders in the area (Owen and Howe, 2011). The key event associated with Mrs Thatchers second term in office is undoubtedly the Miners Strike Defeat (1984 85). Since 1974, Mrs Prime Minister believed a strike could be expected, as when the miners had heavily tackled down the Heaths government. In addition, in the 1983 general election, the Labour party again was unable to be in power with Michael Foot being its leader, she said a strike would naturally arise (Craig, 2013). The National Coal Board was planning the strike by shutting down many of the uneconomic pits and stem financial losses running into billions (ibid, 2013). Ian MacGragor was appointed as the boards chairman by Mrs Thatcher, foreseeing the strike and stocking a massive amount of coal at power stations with orders and support from Nigel Lawson and later Peter Walker, the Energy Secretaries of State (ibid, 2013). The miners leader, Arthur Scargill, was negotiating with the Colonel Gaddafi of Libya and Mikhail Gorbachev for sufficient fund for the prolonging st rike. He was said to have got  £150,000 from Lybia, but by forecasting the strike long ahead, Mr Gorbachev agreed not to support the miners after Thatchers successful persuasion (ibid, 2013). By the end of 1984, the miners and their families facing financial shortage and poverty, returned to work and the strike was seen as admitting its defeat. This Miners Strike event was a direct hit on the Trade Unions, weakening its power, and as Thatcher wrote in her memoirs, What the strikes defeat meant was that Britain could not be made ungovernable by the Fascist Left (ibid, 2013). The 1980s also can be clearly seen as the era of privatisation. The nationalised assets had gradually been selling to private buyers and investors: British Telephone (1984), British Gas (1986), British Airways (1987), British Steel (1988). Electricity privatisation begun in the 90s, British Rail was privatised by Major later on. The Thatcherite support for privatisation was that it created more options and competitions in the market, hence provide the best service and offer best prices to customers, and also contribute extra funds to the Treasury (Owen and Howe, 2011). Approximately  £440m was raised by the privatising progress by 1987, which is the perfect condition for government to allow further direct tax cuts. Despite the increase in inflation rate, these were seen as the economic feel-good factors, putting the Conservatives Party on another term in power, but turn out to be Thatchers last election victory (ibid, 2011). Bibliographies BBC Budget Website (1997), http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/budget97/background/bud1979_92.shtml (accessed 7 May 2013). BBC News (2001) Elections Battle 1945 1997: 1979: The Thatcher Era Begin, http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/vote2001/in_depth/election_battles/1979_over.stm (accessed 7 May 2013). Bunn, M. (2010a) 1979 UK General Election, http://suite101.com/article/1979-uk-general-election-a231103 (accessed 7 May 2013). Bunn, M. (2010b) 1983 UK General Election, http://suite101.com/article/1983-uk-general-election-a231863 (accessed 7 May 2013). Craig, J. (2013) Miners Strike: Margaret Thatcher Triumph, http://news.sky.com/story/1075351/miners-strike-margaret-thatchers-triumph (accessed 7 May 2013). EconomicsHelp Website (2007) UK Economy under Mrs Thatcher 1979-1984, http://econ.economicshelp.org/2007/03/uk-economy-under-mrs-thatcher-1979-1984.html (accessed 7 May 2013). IPSOS-Mori Website (2007) Political Commentary The Falklands Factor Revisited, http://www.ipsos-mori.com/newsevents/ca/273/Political-Commentary-The-Falklands-Factor-Revisited.aspx (accessed 7 May 2013). Owen, V. and Howe, C. (2011) Politics. Essex: Pearson Education. Rayner, G. (2013) Margaret Thatcher dies: time and achievements as Britains first female PM, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/margaret-thatcher/8081313/Margaret-Thatcher-dies-time-and-achievements-as-Britains-first-female-PM.html (accessed 7 May 2013). Visitor6 Website (2012) The Reasons why the Conservatives won the General Elections of 1979, 1983 and 1987?, http://visitor6.com/political-thought/the-reasons-why-the-conservatives-won-the-general-elections-of-1979-1983-and-1987/ (accessed 7 May 2013). Zijlstra, T. (2005) The people want their money back, http://www.cafebabel.co.uk/article/1311/the-people-want-their-money-back.html (accessed 7 May 2013). Why Is Play Important? Why Is Play Important? The right to play is a childs first claim on the community. Play is natures training for life. No community can infringe that right without doing deep and enduring harm to the minds and bodies of its citizens. By playing, children learn and develop as individuals, and as members of the community. Letting children go out and play is one of the best things that parents can do for their childrens health. A mix of active, imaginative and creative play makes for a brilliantly balanced diet of play. Some children prefer to spend most of their time with creative play, some with imaginative play and others with active play. There is nothing wrong in liking one toy or game in particular, but a balanced diet of play is best for development. In other words, its good for your child to play in lots of different ways. Each type of play contributes in its own way to all-round psychological progress. Your child gets something different out of playing with different toys. Encourage your child to achi eve a balanced diet of play by offering a regular change of play activities. You can suggest new types of games and new toys. A balanced diet of play is as important as good food or love. According to Dr Richard Woolfson (an educational psychologist with 30 years experience and a qualified nursery and primary school teacher), a portion each of three types of play each day helps with every childs healthy development: Creative play is about drawing, painting, playing music, cooking, or making something (anything!). It doesnt matter what your child makes, or whether theres a perfect result. Through creative play, your child expresses his- or herself, learns about process, discovers cause and effect and gains pride in their achievements. Imaginative play starts in your childs head. It can be role-playing, creating a new game, giving toys a voice, inventing adventures or playing a word game. Through imaginative play your child begins to understand the world, investigates fact and fiction, and develops positive relationships with themselves and other people. Active play is how your child moves in the world. It is running, jumping, catching and dancing all of which build strength and boost coordination. Active play is also a great way to learn about teamwork, release tension and feel truly free. Play is a serious business, as far as children are concerned. Play makes an immense contribution to your childs development in lots of important ways.As a child plays, they learn all about themselves and what they can do. Play helps them make friends, enjoy company and discover the world around them. Your child has fun while playing and at the same time is exercising, discovering and developing both emotionally and physically. Thats what makes play so wonderful! Improving Confidence Through Play Play boosts your childs self-confidence in many ways: Exploration. By learning through discovery, your child develops belief in their skills and abilities. Movement. As soon as your child can move, they want to play. The I got there by myself expression shows your childs growing confidence. Playing is also a fantastic form of exercise and as the facts show us, children need regular exercise. Facts: Welsh children are the second most overweight in Europe According to recent research by the World Health Organisation -in Wales, 23% of boys and 17% of girls are obese. 60% of children spend up to 4 hours a day watching TV. Only 60% of children have regular opportunities to play outside. Imagination. Children use their imagination in pretend-play. This is a new and exciting experience for children, and they love it. Creativity. Every child can be creative in play. Your child will be delighted when you smile at their drawings and paintings. Socialising. Playing with friends is a great way for your child to learn important social skills like sharing and taking turns. Problem-solving. Your childs confidence is boosted by solving a puzzle they would rather do it without too much help. Language. Playing with others builds up your childs vocabulary, speech and communication skills. Individual Play Patterns The way your child plays depends on many different factors. First theres their age and stage of development play becomes more complicated as your child grows older. Personality matters too an enthusiastic child will get stuck in to toys immediately while a passive child may hold back. The range of toys and games available affects play a child who hasnt got a pedal toy, for example, wont learn how to make it move by pushing the pedals. Every child instinctively needs to play. But there are many distractions that can grab young interest. For example, a television programme or a computer game may attract your childs attention away from toys and games. A Balanced Diet of Play Some children prefer to spend most of their time with creative play, some with imaginative play and others with active play. There is nothing wrong in liking one toy or game in particular, but a balanced diet of play is best for development. In other words, its good for your child to play in lots of different ways. Each type of play contributes in its own way to all-round psychological progress. Your child gets something different out of playing with different toys. Encourage your child to achieve a balanced diet of play by offering a regular change of play activities.

Kinship Care: Help for Looked After Children in the Education System

This essay will explore how principles for working with children in kinship care and their carers influence professionals practice towards improving their educational outcomes. Legislations will be explored with an insight to the history and development of raising educational attainment of kinship children. The term Kin child/children is a child being raised by a member of their family because they can no longer live with their parents (Family and Friends Carers, 2011).Kinship care is defined in many ways such as private and informal, registered private and Local Authority foster care. However throughout this essay it will refer to ‘a child who is in care of a Local Authority and is deemed under section 22 of the Children Act 1989’ and is raised by a member of their family (Looked After Children, 2004). According to the United Nations Conventions on the rights of the child (UNCRC) ‘all children have a right to education’ (Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989), this notion will be explored to examine how much this applies to children being raised by a family member. Children in kinship care can be viewed as having more additional behavioural issues than the general population of children which can have a negative effect on the child’s education (Padbury & Frost, 2002), however research what research? from children in care suggests it should be more about a paper exercise and not about being listened to suggesting the emphasis is on school attendance as opposed to the education received. Experience from the carer, the practitioner and the child will be explored linking theory to practice. In the last two decades a number of important pieces of legislation have been directly and indirectly aimed at improving the educational... ...inclusive environment, when there is a risk in producing poor results. Legislation has provided a framework to meet all children’s needs; politically there is some catching up to do, in the way of providing equitable resources. If this is not achieved, it will be difficult for society to embrace the concept of ‘inclusion’, which is so greatly needed. The PEP system continues to be worked and could be a useful tool in attaining good educational outcomes. The government's investment in the PEP has ensured education stays high on the agenda for all involved however it may be more than a paper system. Children with educational gaps can be missed and their behaviour and attitude is assumed it’s about their upbringing. However this is not always the case, the transition from school to school brings along its own social issues.

Essay --

Introduction The relationship among human personalities and social media addiction has both attract attention of not just psychologists but the public as well. Human personalities Social media can be use in both healthy and unhealthy ways depending on the individuals, whether are making use social media to its potential or abusing the right one have causing addiction towards social media making it having similar side effects as substance addiction. Aim of this literature review is to discuss human personalities with the Big Five Personalities Traits as the base of personalities towards the usage social media addiction would either be benefiting or marginalising each individual. Human personalities Studies of human personality has brought great influence and impact towards our society describing how we behave, perceive and state how each person is different from others. The Big Five Personalities Traits is describe as openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism known to be sufficient measure and the base of describing a person personality stated by many psychologists ( McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. C., Jr. 1987 ; Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. 1992) Social media addiction Social media is a massive technological publisher spreading news, discoveries and information through the internet, due to it allows people to connect not affected by time or distance, people can form relationship, business negotiating, political and especially for personal usage, making it to become extremely popular. Social media addiction known as one of the major problems that prevent people from face to face interaction while people are mainly focused on technology devices, is affecting not just youngsters but elders can be also ad... ...ng along with others which makes them unconcerned of others and less likely to extend themselves. Neuroticism Neuroticism is described as the tendency to experience unpleasant emotions easily such as anger, anxiety, depression, or vulnerability. Neuroticism also refers to the degree of emotional stability and impulse control and is sometimes referred to by its low pole, "emotional stability". ( Ehrenberg, Jukes, White, &Walsh , 2008) reported that people who is high in neuroticism had greater instant messaging use, because instant messaging provides additional time for individuals to contemplate their responses making neurotic people are more at ease comparing to face-to-face interaction. Individuals are low in neuroticism are less easily upset and are less emotionally reactive. They tend to be calm, emotionally stable, and free from persistent negative feelings

Chaucers Canterbury Tales - Enslavement and Freedom in the Knights Ta

Enslavement and Freedom in the Knight's Tale  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   In the Knight's Tale, Palamon and Arcite's lives are filled with adversity  and enslavement .   Not only do they live in   physical imprisonment, bound as prisoners of war in a tower, but they fall into Love's imprisonment, which leads them to suffer the decrees of cruel classical gods .   Cooper writes that there "can be no moral or metaphysical justice in the different fates that befall them; yet one dies wretchedly wounded, while the other lives out his life with Emily 'with alle blisse' " (76). One might compare their destinies with that of Jacob and Esau: one is blessed, and the other cursed in order that the providence of God might stand . This essay will argue (1) that even though Palamon and Arcite are enslaved as prisoners of war, prisoners of love, and prisoners of Saturn's decree, both knights are still responsible for their actions, and (2) that Arcite's death brings unity and restores order in Athens.    Palamon and Arcite are introduced into the tale as the only two surviving knights in Creon's army.   Once found by the scavengers, they are brought before Theseus and he sends them to "dwellen in prisoun/Perpetuelly" (1023-4). It is through their physical imprisonment in the "chembre an heigh" (1065) that leads them to 6xsee Emily and to fall into Love's imprisonment.   But Love's imprisonment works on Palamon and Arcite in different ways.   Arcite "falls in love with her irresistibly, by natural necessity   . . .   [whereas for Palamon, the] love of Emelye is a matter of choice rather than nature, as is shown by his repeated demand that Arcite simply stop loving her (1142-43, 1593-95, 1731)" (Roney 62).   But even though their view of love is different, they ar... ...    Elbow, Peter. "How Chaucer Transcends Oppositions in the Knight's Tale." Chaucer Review. Vol. 7. No. 2. Ed. Robert Frank. Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University, 1972.    Finalyson, John. "The Knight's Tale: The Dialogue Of Romance, Epic, And   Philosophy." Chaucer Review. Vol. 27. No. 2. Ed. Robert Frank. Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University, 1992.    Frost, William. "An Interpretation of Chaucer's Knight's Tale." Chaucer Criticism. Vol. 1. Ed. Richard Schoeck. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1960.    Miller, Robert. Chaucer: Sources and Backgrounds. New York: Oxford University Press, 1977.    Roney, Lois. Chaucer's Knight's Tale and Theories of Scholastic Psychology.  Ã‚   Tampa: University of South Florida Press, 1990.    Spearing, A.C. The Knight's Tale. London: Cambridge University Press, 1966.    Chaucer's Canterbury Tales - Enslavement and Freedom in the Knight's Ta Enslavement and Freedom in the Knight's Tale  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   In the Knight's Tale, Palamon and Arcite's lives are filled with adversity  and enslavement .   Not only do they live in   physical imprisonment, bound as prisoners of war in a tower, but they fall into Love's imprisonment, which leads them to suffer the decrees of cruel classical gods .   Cooper writes that there "can be no moral or metaphysical justice in the different fates that befall them; yet one dies wretchedly wounded, while the other lives out his life with Emily 'with alle blisse' " (76). One might compare their destinies with that of Jacob and Esau: one is blessed, and the other cursed in order that the providence of God might stand . This essay will argue (1) that even though Palamon and Arcite are enslaved as prisoners of war, prisoners of love, and prisoners of Saturn's decree, both knights are still responsible for their actions, and (2) that Arcite's death brings unity and restores order in Athens.    Palamon and Arcite are introduced into the tale as the only two surviving knights in Creon's army.   Once found by the scavengers, they are brought before Theseus and he sends them to "dwellen in prisoun/Perpetuelly" (1023-4). It is through their physical imprisonment in the "chembre an heigh" (1065) that leads them to 6xsee Emily and to fall into Love's imprisonment.   But Love's imprisonment works on Palamon and Arcite in different ways.   Arcite "falls in love with her irresistibly, by natural necessity   . . .   [whereas for Palamon, the] love of Emelye is a matter of choice rather than nature, as is shown by his repeated demand that Arcite simply stop loving her (1142-43, 1593-95, 1731)" (Roney 62).   But even though their view of love is different, they ar... ...    Elbow, Peter. "How Chaucer Transcends Oppositions in the Knight's Tale." Chaucer Review. Vol. 7. No. 2. Ed. Robert Frank. Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University, 1972.    Finalyson, John. "The Knight's Tale: The Dialogue Of Romance, Epic, And   Philosophy." Chaucer Review. Vol. 27. No. 2. Ed. Robert Frank. Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University, 1992.    Frost, William. "An Interpretation of Chaucer's Knight's Tale." Chaucer Criticism. Vol. 1. Ed. Richard Schoeck. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1960.    Miller, Robert. Chaucer: Sources and Backgrounds. New York: Oxford University Press, 1977.    Roney, Lois. Chaucer's Knight's Tale and Theories of Scholastic Psychology.  Ã‚   Tampa: University of South Florida Press, 1990.    Spearing, A.C. The Knight's Tale. London: Cambridge University Press, 1966.   

Training Practices in Japan

Japan, the home country of tech giants Sony, Panasonic, and Sharp, has faced several talent recruitment challenges that have overturned the amounts reputation of excellence to a reputation that â€Å"Is no longer considered to be on the cutting edge of cool. † The appeal to work in Japan and for a Japanese firm isn't appealing for any longer for several reasons. For a country with companies that â€Å"were next to Western firms in popularity', Japan now has a smaller economy than China and has a less practical workforce compared to the skilled and specialized talent of the young in China, the West, and India.Beyond Japan's poor performing economy, Japan has also faced some political mishaps that also made the country less appealing for the monger talent. With Japan on the brink of a territorial war with China, recruitment by Japanese firms of young Chinese talent has â€Å"fallen by more than half this heavy. Another struggle that job seekers face is Japan's strict and stron g traditional sense and its stubbornness in letting go of traditional work ethic practices and Japan's â€Å"way of professional life. Japan's limited use of the English language has also scared many International talents from seeking employment In Japanese firms. American, Chinese and European new graduates don't want to Invest In the time or energy it would take to adjust their way of life to the Japanese way of life. The most important challenge to the shortage of young talent in Japan is, the belief that traditional Japanese companies don't give new talent much responsibility.Furthermore, the Japanese still feel that employees should start of small and â€Å"learn the ropes over time† whereas the Chinese and western firms hire new talent to utilize their abilities, strengths and specializations. Tankard points out however that there are some Japanese firms such as Reawaken and Deana â€Å"that are no longer following the rotational belief that new hires should be given a reprieve to prove themselves. † These firms also disagree with Japan's traditional â€Å"one-size-fits-all approach† which recently hasn't proved successful as exemplified by Sony lack of innovation and technological advancements.Firms like Reawaken and Deana, have been successful in outsourcing students from MIT and Indian universities and have already given them excellent quality production both successfully and satisfactorily. As many firms are slowly transitioning to this approach, several firms are also using mergers and acquisitions as a gateway to obtain high-quality talent. Taking explains how companies such as Reawaken and NET Data, who are expanding globally through acquisitions, have been successful because they have access to larger pools of talent. II.Analysis Introduction Over the past decade or so, Japan has seen a downward shift in economy, innovation, employment opportunities, and popularity. Even before the earthquake and tsunami that struck the Japa nese islands, several large Japanese corporations such as Sony, Sharp, and Panasonic that were known as industry leaders and were dollied by the rest of the world, experienced horrible financial performance strictly due to a change in talent management requirements and practices that had proven to be more successful than the Japanese professional traditions.It's important to ask; how do the Japanese do things differently? Japanese firms do a number of things extremely well. One is to train their people carefully, a strategy that many successful U. S. Firms also employ. Management attitudes toward quality also are quite different. The Japanese philosophy is that anything worth doing in the area of quality is worth overdoing. Workers are trained for all Jobs on the line, even though they eventually are assigned to a single workstation.This method of â€Å"training overkill† ensures that everyone can perform every Job perfectly and results in two important outcomes or if someone is moved to another Job, he or she can handle the work without any additional assistance and the workers realize that management puts an extremely high value on the need for quality. The Japanese do not accept the common U. S. Strategy of building a product with quality that's â€Å"good enough. † Although Japan seems to believe that it's traditions ND it's the professional way of life is the only and correct way of life, many Japanese natives including Mr..Highchair, the CEO of Reawaken, believe that this one-size-fits-all approach no longer works in emerging Japanese corporations. The training that Japanese firms used to give and that traditional firms still give using the â€Å"training overkill† method is insufficient compared to the education and training that Mr.. Highchair states makes Chinese talent more suitable. It is important to relate the findings by Taking to concepts that we have analyzed in section three of the course text and in specific, chapter ten which cuisses international training and management development.In the next section, I plan to discuss some training functions discussed in the text that Japan can adopt when dealing with outsourced new talent that has proven successful to the both the firm and the talents development. The text does serve a great role in pointing out five concepts that the Japanese can adopt to drive better usage of outsourced talent and it's global workforce. These concepts are: I. â€Å"think and act globally'; iii. â€Å"empower teams to create a global future†; lb. â€Å"make learning a core competence for the global organization†; . ND â€Å"both the global organization and its individual members must constantly reinvent themselves†. [Pages 255-256, International Human Resource Management, E (Global HARM)] I'. Think and Act Globally For Japanese firms to succeed in thinking and acting globally, global Japanese corporations must train talent to think of all markets in the w orld and strategies how to succeed in each individual market and not only the Japanese market. A decade ago, Japan did not have to think and act globally as Japan led markets and industries into thinking that their ways were the best ways.The Japanese were persuasive in their practices due to the success and strength of global Mines such as Sony and Panasonic who led the world at one in innovation, financial success, and employment satisfaction. Iii. Develop Global Leadership Skills Another practice Japanese firms need to succeed is they must also challenge talent with global learning ideas and a build it's forefronts to develop global leadership skills. Reawaken and Deana exemplify how through trust, all firms can build leadership in talents. In Japan the traditional way is to start of small and slow and build your way up.Unfortunately, this out dated practice is no longer suitable for today's working generation, which is always looking for advancement. Giving an talent the tools t hey need is usually enough to get the talent thinking on their own feet, accomplishing tasks with autonomy, and leading others successfully through cooperation, respect and integrity. lb. Empower Teams to Create a Global Future Japan must also empower teams to create a global future to be able to be successfully and competent in foreign and domestic markets.Japanese Mines can empower teams by creating expectations that require for talent to work on projects tit other international divisions. By allowing for talents across multi-regions the ability to perform organizational projects will allow for talents to build better problem-solving skills. As we learn through the course, different regions have different traditions, standards, regulations and ways of doing things. By allowing for cross-team cooperation, talents can find unique approaches and develop practices that can suit headquarters or several regions beyond those involved.With firms in Japan seeking mergers and acquisitions, empowering teams to cooperate globally should only become easier. V. Make Learning a Core Competence for the Global Organization firms strong focus on its goals and missions and task execution. Justine mentions that because of his firms focus, he believes that he will â€Å"emerge with a strong set of engineering skills† that he wouldn't gain elsewhere. With out much realization Deana has really become a core competent global organization that focuses on developing a learning atmosphere throughout all of the firm's doings.By doing so Japanese firms, like never before, can adopt an ability to learn and project outcomes much faster than competitors, which creates a sustainable advantage. ‘. Constant Re-invention of the Firm and the Talent â€Å"Training-overkill† and other traditional training practices followed by the Japanese are efficient for production, but not advantageous or beneficial for the development of the talent. Training-overkill and practices where J apanese talents are trained on every aspect of the position and how to resolve every problem can be detrimental for the growth of the talent.A talent needs to be able to confidently analyze, assess, and gather thoughts on the talents self-development in order to make the next move to advance his or her career. Reassessing also creates room for a talent to seek lateral promotion and assist in creation of strategies that allow for the talent to reach success. In today's highly competitive and everyday globally changing economy, it is important for training practices to encourage talents to strategies to avoid stagnation and lack of interest in their positions. IL. Conclusion The challenges that Japan currently faces are not challenges that are impossible to overcome. With the success of Japanese firms such as Deana, Reawaken, and NET Data, it's only a matter of time that these firms' successes are recognized. Their constant mission to veer away from the norms of the Japanese tradition that they know don't work and veer towards new strategies that develop the firm globally will be the testament to their success.With their continuous efforts to train talent to world standards and beyond, these firms can only perform as well as the talent they recruit. It's also important to realize that with Japanese firms moving toward outsourcing special talents, that innovative standards that were once prevalent in the nation, will soon return. Ill. Discussion Questions If the Japanese were to outsource, how can the â€Å"new' hiring strategies and raining models prepare the talent for today's challenges while keeping the Japanese way of doing things in tact.Mention three new attributes found in new hires from China, India and the Western hemisphere that can be merged with former Japanese practices and traditions. 2. As discussed in the analysis, the Japanese are known for â€Å"training-overkill†. Will the new strategies found in several Japanese firms, such as Reawake n create inefficiency? Will hiring talent based on specific skill-sets be challenging for Japanese who are acclimated to training for every position? How will this affect Japan's strict

Ethan Frome Essay

Ethan Frome had nothing but sickness and trouble. His life revolves around taking care of one invalid after another, from his father, his mother to his hypochondriac wife and finally ending up as a disfigured and very image of â€Å"ruin of a man†. He failed to achieve any of his ambitions to leave town and become an engineer and did not succeed even in his desire to run away with Mattie Silver. Aside from poverty, the rigid moral character of Ethan prevents him from going against the social conventions in favor of his personal ambitions and fulfillment. Set in New England, in the rural town of Starkfield, Massachusetts, this literary piece was written by Edith Wharton in 1922. The bleak environment of seemingly endless winter aptly sets the tone of the story and the fate of Ethan Frome. A narrator who was forced to stay in Starkfield because of a workers strike was instantly fascinated by Frome’s appearance that looks quite old for a man of fifty-two and disfigured since an accident twenty-four years ago when he first saw him outside of the post office. He went on to find out more about him as he â€Å"had the story, bit by bit, from various people, and, as generally happens in such cases, each time it was a different story† (1). The story of Ethan Frome is a portrayal of a passive and unhappy man who is weighed down by his duty to his wife and his bitter existence as a poor farmer. Ethan had been in Starksfield since his youth when his father died and he had to come home to take care of his ailing mother and their farm. Prior to this event, he was taking a technological course in Worcester but the lack of money prevented him from realizing his dream to become an engineer. He decided to marry Zenobia Pierce or Zeena, his cousin who came to help him care for his mother, after the burial as he was afraid to spend the winter alone. Though Zeena was lively and cheerful at first, she later on fell silent and sickly. He woulf often think that had his mother died in the springtime he would not have thought of offering marriage to Zeena. Her illnesses became her obsession as she would go on a monthly trip to Bettsbridge to see her doctor. For rural towns like Starkfield, people with sickness or complications are common topic for conversations and are â€Å"singled out for a great fate†. Zeena’s illness became her weapon that she uses to take control of the household and of Ethan. Mattie Silver actually came to the Fromes to do the household chores in exchange for the food and shelter as she was also destitute after the death of her parents. Since she was not used to doing housekeeping, Ethan would help her out in doing her chores just so she would not incur the wrath of Zeena. Ethan eventually fell in love with lively and cheerful Mattie who gave Ethan respite from the isolation and loveless match with a sickly and whining woman. The illicit relationship however advances to no more than holding of hands as both Mattie and Ethan are too afraid to defy the forces of social and marital duties. The time came though that Zeena decided to send Mattie away because of a broken red pickle dish that is symbolic in the story of the marriage of Ethan and Zeena. The idea of living apart from each other was unbearable for Mattie and Ethan that upon the suggestion of the former, they went on to take a sleigh ride that would crash them into the big elm tree. The attempted suicide failed leaving Ethan disfigured and Mattie a paralyzed woman. The irony of the story is that in the end Zeena seem to overcome her illness and became the caregiver of the now invalid, whining Mattie and the lame Ethan. The entire life of Ethan Frome had been a series of dreams destroyed because of the circumstances of him being poor and his adherence to social duty. His opportunity to leave town and finish education to eventually become an engineer was hindered when his father died and he has a farm and an ailing mother to take care of. Their farm as he said was â€Å"side-tracked† when the railroads where put up and no more people came to town. He blames this as the cause as to why his mother’s condition deteriorated. It could also mean the lost opportunities for the town and also to him as the place got left behind in the course of development. Ethan was one of the people stuck in Starkfield, a place where â€Å"most of the smart ones get away†(14) as Harmon Gow, the stage driver in the story, aptly puts it. The bleakness that surrounds Starkfield, for one thing, is not an environment that would nurture youth and create a field for dreams to come true. The narrator in the story noted that although he initially felt invigorated by the clear blue skies and shocking white of snow, this was soon followed by long periods of cold and darkness that he begun to understand the â€Å"deadness of the community† (15). In an environment that was neither nurturing nor bountiful, Ethan is further subdued into the tangled web of harshness and scarcity. The Fromes practically had to eke living from what little they could get from their farm for their survival. The connection between the land and the people is symbolic in the story. The environment made life for the townspeople difficult such as when Ethan and another man had to struggle in the sleet just to be able to transport logs. Starkfield is isolation in itself, with the places beyond it seen as a place to â€Å"get away† so as to seek a different fortune or freedom from the drab and coldness of the place. The limitations of the environment coupled with poverty further intensified the lost potentials of Ethan Frome. There was the poignant scene where the narrator accidentally left his biochemistry book in the sleigh and later on sees it in Frome’s hand. Ethan was both fascinated and humbled by the book as he exclaimed, â€Å"There are things in that book that I didn’t know the first word about† (18). It shows that Ethan’s curiosity and intellect had very few outlets in that kind of environment. For a fifty-two year old man who found excitement in a book, it is painful to think of what he could have been had he got the chance to explore his potentials. The conflict between personal passion and social convention is another theme portrayed in the story. The character of Zeena and Mattie were so different that the reader would readily understand the choice of Ethan between them. Mattie symbolizes beauty and energy in her ways, in the colors that she uses from the ribbons in her hair to the dish that she illicitly uses whereas Zeena possesses the deathly and sickly qualities in life. The sexual and emotional frustration in the marriage of Zeena and Ethan is symbolized by the unused pickle dish. Though shown as Zeena’s most prized possession, it remains at the topmost of the china closet left and unused. The barren relationship that they have is further portrayed with them not having children and hardly ever sharing a conversation. Ethan fell in love with Mattie and had come to hate Zeena but his strong sense of marital duty prevents him from deciding to be with Mattie. He acts with uncertainty and frustration under the looming shadow of his obligation to Zeena that it created a conflict in him. Ethan is also hesitant to leave his sickly wife for he believes that if he went away it would leave Zeena alone and penniless. Even in the moment when Zeena went away, her presence was greatly felt in imagined visions and in the symbol of the cat. Conventionally, the society upholds marriage as a sacred bond and is, in fact, at the apex of the set social orders. A man and woman are joined in marriage; it is protected by the norms of the society to keep the union intact. The critical eyes of the society is so that it could even permeate walls of intimate moments like the evening that Ethan and Mattie spent together when Zeena went away from the town to see a doctor. Their excitement though withered when the cat broke the dish and the looming figure of Zeena in their minds. Zeena’s absence bear more weight that her presence that conversation became impossible. The circumstance does not allow them to attempt to recreate a fantasy of life together, spending an evening as a husband and wife would. Their passion was shrouded by guilt and the unseen eyes of the society that both of them felt in the situation. As Ethan noted † in the warm lamplit room, with all its ancient implications of conformity and order, she (Mattie) seemed infinitely farther away from him and more unapproachable† (54). Conformity and order in the living room reminded Ethan that it belongs to Zeena and Ethan and could never be Mattie and Ethan. And when Ethan crossed the line when showed the slightest act of passion by kissing a piece of cloth that she was sewing, Mattie was spurred into retreating, scared of the repercussions with the transgression made. Poverty also limited the illicit lovers from taking serious step in pursuing an adulterous affair. Mattie, for one, was in a very precarious condition being dependent on the Fromes for her daily sustenance. Having nowhere else to go, she is also afraid of going into that kind of relationship with Ethan that could take away the refuge that she now has. Ethan, on the other hand, his duty to his wife and even to the Hales prevents him from acting on the situation like the loan that he planned to take from the Hale in able to elope with Mattie. Ethan did not only sacrifice his chance on love but he also sacrificed his ambitions just so he can fulfill his social duties. He had to give up his dream to move out of Starkfield and of becoming an engineer to care for his father, his mother and the farm. And upon the death of his mother, he end up in frustrated desire to fulfill his dreams for he was trapped in a marriage with a sickly wife whom he cannot bear to leave because of her condition. Though a sympathetic character, Ethan Frome can be also frustrating because of his lack determination to change the course of his life. He allows circumstances to take over him and did not decidedly pursue his interests and ambitions. Like the epitaph of the original Ethan Frome in the graveyard with his wife Endurance, he endures rather than act on his fate in pursuit of happiness and fulfillment. In his relationship with Mattie, instead of finding the courage to address his dilemma he opted for suicide with his lover, which he did not even decide on but took on upon the suggestion of Mattie. This was his only bold decision in the entire novel but this too ended up as a failure leaving him ruined and destined to live his entire life with an invalid lover and a controlling wife. Though Ethan is a sensitive and decent person he lacks emotional strength and determination. Instead of mustering enough courage to defy conventions, he chose not to take decisions and face the consequences of it, The deadened vitality of Ethan Frome from the decades of frustrations and his inability to rise up beyond the circumstances had left him in a situation where is â€Å"not much difference between the Fromes up at the farm and the Fromes down in the graveyard†.

Massively multiplayer online game Essay

Before computer games flourished through the past eras, patintero, sungka, tumbang-preso, tumba-lata, tagu-taguan and sipa were one of the most anticipated outdoor games inside our country. Experiencing these kinds of games imprints almost our half life and we can’t have a complete childhood experience without getting tapped hard on the back, been hit by a flying slipper for it missed the target, playing with shells, screaming and cheering over your teammates, jumping over a person and avoiding getting hit its body part, and hiding and camouflage in a place to prevent from being the ‘it’ of the game. Try asking a child what was his favourite childhood experience, and would tell either scratched his knee from running away from his opponent or been scolded by mother because of going home late due to exceeding allotted time of playing outdoor games. And try asking a child from the present century what he has been doing lately, and might get an answer playing tekken with PSP, or Super Mario or Pacman with Nintendo or Xbox. Difference spotted? When a child is in the climax of playing and been taking the game seriously, he doesn’t want to be disturbed for in some instance might loose on his opponent and can’t advance to the next upgrades. A common reaction received by parents when they call their children to gather around while their kids were busy pressing on joysticks and keyboards and faces were just centimetres away from the screen would be â€Å"Mom! Can’t you wait because I’m already on my way to take down Bowser! † And two probabilities might happen after: either the parents would start screaming and repeat on telling to set aside their loving gadgets or the children would get irritated on the booming loud voices and start stomping away and lock themselves in a room where they could continue praising themselves for they have defeated the ‘boss’ in the game. With the help of advanced technological innovation that has spread around the globe, the beginning of 3D and multi-player online gaming (MMORPG) have surfaced and hooked children the most. Children fell into the gaming world, spending more time in virtual rather than in real, which sooner turns to be their life. Like, children must have a deviant childhood like these; playing computers during their free time and having fun with his co-gamers. They feel like they can play anytime any of the newest released games go on without ending, they continue forever, and they can pick up any character they wanted on the virtual world. If a child started to feel in contact more with gaming, he will spend more time in solitary seclusion. It is difficult for some adolescents (particularly male adolescents) who are vulnerable to the area of prone to video game addiction since it might be transparent to say how popular gaming is in children of all ages, which results to mostly negative results. A report like found in Elyria, Ohio, where a seventeen year-old boy named Daniel Petric shot his parents in the head after they confiscated his copy of ‘Halo 3. ‘ His mother was killed and his father wounded due to the gunshots, and the troubled teen fled the murder scene with solely one item in his possession: the ‘Halo 3’ game (Ridgefield, 2009). A similar report flashed on television says that a child has accidentally killed his playmate, stabbed with a knife after playmate got a higher score on the game Flabby Bird and now been sent under the care of DSWD. Several reports similar to this have rang the ears of the mass since the effect of gaming has become more serious. It all started from playing innocently, never knew slowly by slowly they are being eaten with intoxication of gaming and now swallowed of gaming addiction. Results like killing have been a serious warning to those who are sensationally indulged in playing, but often just ignored. The video games are common to be blamed, which we neglect the fact that some might have done crimes since they are often being neglected by parents. Coming from a single-parent family isn’t a factor, but how a parent sees after his child while growing. Far from my knowledge, it is the duty of the parents to look after their kids when engaged into different aspects of real and virtual life. But most children dare to say that they’ve been controlled over their life, treated like human robots; like told to eat properly, sleep on time, do school assignments and how to spend their time practically. But nobody commands them when they got the chance to get hold of gaming materials, because in there, they call themselves the â€Å"Thug Lords of Gaming†. Fond to their name, with raging adrenaline rush cannot escape the virtual life. Restricting kids from playing won’t help to drive the addiction either, for playing is part of our childhood. The more we drag them away, the more they rebel and really determined into getting along with playing. Personally speaking, life with no play is never fun. Who wouldn’t like to experience playing sipa, tumbang preso, luksong-baka and patintero? Who wouldn’t like to meet a childhood friend? None right? Those might not be similar to the games inside the computer world, but those are the basic foundation of gaming not until the late centuries where video games were invented. With increasing percentage of latter sides of gaming, some parents are over-protective over their kids to the extent that they lock their offsprings into a jail afar from their supposed fun childhood. They never had the chance to have ‘real’ playmates. In some instance, a child who has this experience growing up gathering medals for their parents is the only thing instilled in their minds. On contrary, a child who spent more time in playing grows up quitting almost 70% of his social life. This might lead into several serious effects like having a psychological disorder due to excessive malfunction of the brain. And here’s the tricky and dangerous part: they are the ‘unhappy teenagers’ which later have a growing percentage in the globe. They have lost their confidence in communicating and lowered their self-esteem. They’ve spent all of their time interacting in a virtual world and are extremely uncomfortable when dealing with real people in real time. In order to retrieve the part of them which just got lost, they seek attention from others. Or a probability that they would drive all away from himself and just have a life with the unreal, which might lead to serious killing crimes like what we’ve been fearing to happen. Being a gamer isn’t dangerous. It is having a hard time kicking the habit who’s the real enemy. It is not a dissatisfaction to play computer games, but be careful of getting addicted. Think twice before engaging wholly, for everything that is excessive can cause vicious effects, double the harm we think it would cause to us. We, as being the most users of techno-gaming, are the ones in charge of what might happen when we are drowned in the pool of virtual scenes. And as a gamer, too, playing has just been part of my life. It is just how we balance our time between real and virtual space. Even up to this extent, I would be happy if given a rest time and spending it playing with my favourite computer games and would even dare to challenge my siblings into a multi-player game once again. But my playtime has limits too, and I’m the one who limits myself from the red line before stepping into it. References: Ridgefield, A. (2009). Video Game Addiction. Teen Ink. Retrieved April 23, 2014, from http://www. teenink. com/opinion/movies_music_tv/article/82305/Video-Game-Addiction/.

Great Expectations and April Raintree Essay

A key theme in Great Expectations and April Raintree is the growth and change of the characters towards their acceptance of social class. This will be proven by Pip not accepting himself in the lower class and April not accepting herself in the native class. Then, there will be proof of how Pip and April attempted to change their social class. Finally the proof of how Pip accepted himself in the social class he was in and how April accepted herself as a Mà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tis. Pip did not accept himself in the lower class. He wanted to be in the upper class just like Miss Havisham is. Pip was ashamed of his family and its lower class status. How he wasn’t as fortunate as Estella who is a member of the higher class, especially when Estella insulted Pip saying that he is â€Å"common† and how he has â€Å"coarse hands†. He did not have a reason to think about his class status before this, and now that he does, he’s disturbed to think he might be just â€Å"common.† This ensured Pip to not accept himself in the lower class. He didn’t see any good from it. Pip felt he needed to impress Estella. She was the one who changed Pip’s perspective in everything. Before meeting Estella, Pip really looked up to Joe, blacksmith or a gentleman, Joe’s class status makes no difference. It is not until later, when he learns that the world cares about class, that’s when Joe’s status mattered to Pip. After seeing Estella’s house and everything she had, he wanted more to look forward to. Pip did not accept his life in the lower class. April is a young woman who has so many issues with her family and the people in her life. April always hid her feelings of shame from her sister Cheryl. April did not accept herself in the native class. Although she did not look native, she was sometimes ashamed that her sister Cheryl looked more native than she did. â€Å"There were two different groups of children that went to the park. One group was brown-skinned children who looked like Cheryl in most ways. They were dirty-looking and they dressed in real raggedy cloths. I didn’t care to play with them at all. The other group was fair-skinned and I envied them especially the girls with blonde hair and blue eyes. They seemed so clean and fresh. Some of them were freckled but they didn’t seem to mind. To me, I imagined they were very rich and lived in big, beautiful houses. I wondered what their lives were like and I wished we could play with them. But they didn’t care to play with Cheryl and me. They just called us names and bullied us.† (Pg. 6) Since April was young, she always wanted to be with the people who were fair-skinned. She didn’t like seeing her sister being called names especially, when they had to live with the DeRosiers. Half breeds were all that was said in that house. â€Å"I heard you half breeds were dirty but now I can see that it’s true.† (Unknown :() At one point, April hated being Mà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tis. She felt that being Mà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tis changed her life because when you think of Mà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tis, you think of living off the streets and bums on Main Street. She wasn’t any of these and she didn’t want to be labelled as them. She was not happy being the person she knew she was. April did not accept her life in the native class. Pip changed his social class by going off to school to become a gentleman. He was lucky to have a benefactor. â€Å"I’ve put away money, only for you to spend. When I was a hired-out shepherd in a solitary hut, not seeing no faces but faces of sheep till I half-forgot wot men’s and women’s faces wos like, I see yourn. . . . I see you there a many times plain as ever I see you on them misty marshes. ‘Lord strike me dead!’ I says each time-and I goes out in the open air to say it under the open heavens-‘but wot, if I gets liberty and money, I’ll make that boy a gentleman!’ And I done it.† (pg. 340) Magwitch reveals himself as Pip’s secret benefactor and how he got all his wealth. This quote changed Pip’s idealistic view of wealth and social class by forcing him to realize that his own status as a gentleman is owed to the loyalty of a lower-class criminal. Year after year, he moved further away from Joe and his lower class. â€Å"Pip, dear old chap, life is made of ever so many partings welded together, as I may say, and one man’s a blacksmith, and one’s a whitesmith, and one’s a goldsmith, and one’s a coppersmith. Divisions among such must come, and must be met as they come.† (pg. 236) Joe comes with a smart and content attitude toward the changes in Pip’s social class that have driven them apart, and he shows his goodness and loyalty by blaming the division not on Pip but on the unchangeable nature of the human condition. Pip as a gentleman makes a lot of money and as he gets wealthy, he forgets his family and the people that are important to him. In other words, he worries about trying to impress people, rather than being moral. April Raintree changed her identity of a native by marrying a rich white man named Bob Radcliff. She always wanted to be rich and forget about her heritage. She moved away from Winnipeg to Toronto. She tried running away from the life she did not want, to try to live a life she wanted. â€Å"You think I don’t know why you married Bob? It was to get away from me, that’s why. I’ll be you wished you were an only child. I bet you wished I was dead.† (pg. 155) It was almost like she did not want Cheryl in her life at all. â€Å"You never loved that man. You loved his money. You figured you were going to be Miss High Society.† (pg. 158) April did not love Bob Radcliff; she only married him for his money. Pip learns from his mistakes growing up. After realizing what kind of person he has become, and how he has treated his loved ones, he felt he was better off being in the lower class. Pip realized that wealth and class are less important than affection, loyalty, and inner worth. When he is finally able to understand that, besides the esteem in which he holds Estella, someone’s social status is not what so ever connected to that someone’s character. Bentley Drummle is a symbol to this because even though he is a minor character, he gave an important message. Drummle is an upper class member. He gave Pip proof that social class has no connection to attitude, personality or moral worth. Drummle’s negative example helps Pip to see the inner worth of characters such as Magwitch and Joe, and Pip eventually scraped his immature fantasies about wealth and class. Everything changes for Pip after he learns the class status of his benefactor because he realized that Magwitch , a kind-hearted man who was never able to come out of the status into which he was born but in the end he was able to get wealthy. April realized that she wasn’t happy with Bob, so they got a divorce. From that divorce, she received a good amount of money. She immediately went back home to her sister, but things were not good between Cheryl and April. After Cheryl committed suicide, April found her diaries and read them. She finally realized what Cheryl has gone through while April wasn’t in her life and what she thought of everything especially what she thought of April. April accepted being Mà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tis then and there. Like her sister, she is proud to be Mà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tis. Since she loved Cheryl, she was glad that a part of Cheryl was alive in her son, Henry Liberty. â€Å"All life dies to give new life.† (pg. 184) It was tragic that it had taken Cheryl’s death to bring April to accept her identity but she would strive for a better tomorrow now. For her sister and her son, her parents and her people. In conclusion, Pip accepted himself in the social class that he used to be in. Even though he remained in the higher class, Pip realized that he still cared for his loved ones in the lower class. For April, she accepted herself in the social class she was born in. Even though Cheryl’s life had to be taken away before April realized how important her heritage was. Pip carried a snobby attitude for a great portion of his life. He treated the people he loved without realization of how he wasn’t respectful towards them. April had tried hiding, she had attempted to be someone she’s not, she had tried being with someone she didn’t love, and she had also undertook to blocking her own sister out of her life. No matter what April did, she couldn’t get away from what she really was inside. She was born Mà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tis. She just didn’t feel proud of it nor did she want to be Mà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tis. Pip and April both had issues with the people in their lives and they both found their true identities from being ashamed of their social class to peace with their lives.