Decision of Allowing the Procurement of Used Items Essay

Discussing the pros on the decision of allowing the procurement of used items in public sector (PPA 2011): * It is economical; This is because of the liquidity crisis and improvements in product quality control hence some governments are opting for secondhand purchases. The current update in this regard is that, According to BBC News (Feb’2009) the Indonesian military is currently negotiating with the US Army to purchase secondhand F-16 fighter jets in a bid to modernize its air power military capability. Mark you Indonesia is the largest economy in Southeast Asia and one of the dynamic emerging markets in the world. The country is also a member of the elite G-20 major economies. Quality control especially technically aircraft never get old as such because they are meet international standards and principles that govern air transport. * It is affordable to procure at low cost of acquisition, in case of emergencies circumstances to rescue situations especially those of public interest, the * government should allow procurement of used equipment under exceptional circumstances to serve people, that are evaluated on case by case basis procurement in the need The Bank understands that the decision between the outright purchase and lease arrangements depend on the economic loss and benefits, however, given the potential risk associated with used equipment, the government should consider leasing as the preferred alternative only in emergency. * It helps and is the way to go if the government is to fulfill its obligations as far as capital intensive investments are concerned. â€Å"Purchasing secondhand machines suited Tanzania at the moment because many countries were applying the same strategy on costly machines such as planes, train engines and ships. * Equipment may be available immediately, that result to shorten procurement process of acquiring used equipment, compared to the time  required for the acquisition of new equipment because it involves ordering which took sometimes up to delivery period. Discuss the cons on the decision of allowing the procurement of used items in public sector (PPA 2011) * May lead to procure poor quality items that do not meet intended purpose that is performance requirements of the goods, and minimum standards for age, residual economic life, and quality of materials. That might result in massive economic losses this is refer to the economic life cycle of goods procured. Since they will not be expected to originate from Tanzania, it will be difficult to get authenticated record of the time they had been used and condition at the time of sale. * Failure of getting loans from world Bank at deficit circumstances, this is according to World Bank Procurement Manual Draft (2001)- Procurement of brand new Goods policy, which explain that it the Bank’s general Policy is to finance the procurement of new goods only. Borrower’s procurement should be to the new. * Procurement of used goods does not correspond to the principles of value for money, since the experience in the country has shown there were no credible personnel to undertake such kind of purchasing with evidence of quality of such used items together with its residual value, relevant to the cost of purchase/money spend on buying. * Creation of a fertile ground for rampant corruption because the government/institutions functionaries might use this loophole to buy junk equipment through underhand methods thus causes great losses to the taxpayers. * Higher running expenses, It is cost fully in case of running expenses such as maintenance and service for used item than for brand new equipment, when government institutions decides to purchase used items, will result to incur a lot of money spending on frequently buying costly spare parts and  maintenance as a result to high total cost of operation hence less productivity. Summary: The decision of allowing the procurement of used items in public sector have their respective advantages and disadvantages to the national economy and general social welfare issues as follows. The advantages of procurement of used items are; it is economical, It is affordable due to low cost of acquisition, Used equipment may be available immediately, procurement of more items for the same budget, improves transparency and integrity. The disadvantages are Lack of competitive bidding, failure of getting loans from world Bank, May lead to procure poor quality, does not correspond to the principles of value for money, Creation of a fertile ground for rampant corruption, and Higher running expenses.

Comparison of Wilfred Owen Poems Essay

Wilfred Owen is a twentieth century poetry writer who was born in Oswestry in Shropshire. In 1915 he enlisted fighting on the western front. During a spell in the Craglockhart hospital he met Seigfried Sassoon who encouraged him to develop his poetry. Owens’s poems are amongst the most famous and poignant of the war. He died in1918 trying to cross the Sambre canal. From his work I will analyse and study two poems. The poems which I have chosen are Dulce Et Decorum Est and Disabled. The reason why I decided to analyse these poems is because I felt that they both told a catastrophic and heartbreaking story of what war was really like. Both of these poems were written at a time when Wilfred Owen seemed to be bitter, some may say disenchanted by the whole situation. Arguably his most famous poem, ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’, is a fine example of his narrative, first-person poems, written through his own eyes and based on his own experiences and views of the war. I have chosen to describe Dulce Et because it shows the struggle of a group of people who have to overcome the most extraordinary events day in day out. I have chosen Disabled because it shows the struggle of one man who everyday contemplates his wasted life. All he has are the memories but they seem to become more distant as the days go on. Dulce Et Decorum Est Pro Patri Mori translated in to English means It Is Sweet And Honourable To Die For Ones Country. If someone is reading the poem for the first time and learns of the English meaning of the title before reading the poem they may feel it is a poem that represents the army in a positive way. However this assumption could not be further from the truth. After reading the poem a number of times I have come to a conclusion that Owen has titled this poem Dulce Et Decorum Est because of the strong statement that he makes in the poem. In a way I get the feeling that Owen was mocking the saying but I do not think he was mocking the army as a whole just that single principal. The soldiers are weighed down by all the things that they are carrying, perhaps they are even weighed down by the expectation of their country. Owen says, † Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs† The soldiers are exhausted and so tired that even when the flares go off behind them they do not have the energy to or even feel like turning around to see them. Owen describes the soldiers as being â€Å"Drunk with fatigue† He is saying that the soldiers are so tired that it is as though they are drunk. Owen is trying to say that the soldiers are as though they do not know entirely what they are doing. They are just being led along like zombies because they are inexperience and have no clue to what is happening. These men are but mere shadows of the bright vibrant people that started on this epic journey. The pace of the poem quickens in the second stanza. The soldiers are awoken by a gas attack. This effectively shatters the mood that Owen has told of us in the opening stanza. The soldiers are now awoken by the fact that their lives are in extreme danger and they now have to be fully aware of all their surroundings. Owen says, † Dim through the misty panes and thick green light, As under a green sea, I saw him drowning† The green light Owen talks of is the sight of toxic gas which they can see through their gas masks. Owen uses a simile saying that the man is drowning in a green sea. The reality of this is that the man is drowning in a sea of his own toxic blood. He tells us how this memory has stayed with him. The sickening sight of a man plunging at him. Owen seems to have a great fear of the gas attacks when he talks about them. He talks of all of the nightmares he has had because of the war and this event in particular He states, â€Å"In all my dreams before my helpless sight† The word ‘helpless’ shows that he could not do nothing to help that man apart from stare at him and feel sorry for him. He describes how the man was taken away and the narrator Owen walked behind and saw his face. Owen is still haunted by the nightmare. â€Å"We flung him in† The dead bodies are treated like meat there are so many deaths it becomes like a routine thing. He realises the horror that is standing behind the man who has been gassed to death. â€Å"My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory.† Owen is saying that if you could see the horrific events he had seen then you would not believe the lie. By saying this he is expressing the bitterness he has not only for the army but the situation as a whole. He believes that the army has portrayed the life of a soldier at war as being heroic and exciting but in real life it is the complete opposite. Owen adds more examples of this throughout the last stanza for example he says, â€Å"If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood Come gargling from the froth coming-corrupted lungs,† In this quote he describes the situation that the men where in and how their lungs were pumping out blood instead of air. Owen is trying to make the reader understand that the war was told to be very fascinating and an intriguing experience but in reality that is far from the truth. Owens main question to the reader in the last stanza is before going into the army think carefully about what you are doing as you might experience something in great contrast to what you may have imagined. The poem is describing a terrible shocking death by gas, how can it be sweet and honourable to die for ones country if you die like this. This is the country that sold him the old lie. â€Å"Dulce et decorum Est pro patri mori.† In the poem ‘Disabled’ Owen is describing someone that he knew in the army. This man was in the Scottish regiment, He has had his leg blown up when he was fighting in the war. His disability is extremely severe, because he has no legs and his arms are sewn at the elbow. He has to be dependant on other people to feed him, clothe him and wash him. He is in an institute, a nursing home of some sort. He wants very much to be in the dark because then everything will be quiet. He is sick and tired with life and is waiting to die. He hears voices of boys singing, these are voices of people playing just as he had once played. He talks about the evenings. He says that at this time the towns atmosphere was fun and happy everyone is dancing having fun. He is very sad that he will never again experience this. He says the girls look upon him like he has some kind of disease. He talks of how he will never again feel the waist of a woman, he also talks about how he, â€Å"threw away his knees in the war†. This quote is a metaphor and it means that his leg got blown up during the war and it does not mean that he literally threw his knees in the war. This type of literary device is used so that the poet could compare one object with another directly instead of using like and as. In the third verse Owen describes the effects after war and how your appearance could change drastically. He says, â€Å"For it was younger than his youth, last year. Now, he is old; his back will never brace.† Owen is trying to show that this person went to the war very young and now as he has came back he is so old that he can not even support his own back. Owen is showing the truth about war and that you do not become heroes when you come back from war instead you become unpopular and hated by people. His negative opinion about war becomes even more apparent when he mentions the blood lost by many soldiers during war. â€Å"He’s lost his colour very far from here, Poured down shell-holes till the veins ran dry.† Owen portrays the war in a pessimistic way and tries to influence people to listen to what he is saying and that war is horrible because it could ruin many people’s lives He feels that he has given so much for his country and he does not get anything back in return instead many people do not even want to know him. â€Å"And leap of purple spurted from his thigh.† He loved his youth. When his leg had blown away a massive part of him was now missing. One time he saw blood down his leg from a football injury, he thought this was great. Now he has no leg. He wonders why he joined the army. He tries to impress people as they told him he would do well in the army. There were a couple of reasons why he signed up the first reason was that his dear Meg would be pleased of him and the second reason was that in those days men thought that if they went to fight in a war the ladies back home would find them more attractive and think of them as heroes. At the time he was not frightened of being afraid. Owen says â€Å"And no fears of fear have come yet† He had thoughts of all the swords and other weaponry that he would receive in the army. He felt very happy in handling all the sophisticated machinery. He had great thoughts of wearing the smart uniform and making those proud salutes. At this moment he had no worries about the war and what he would face but instead he imagines all the enjoyable aspects of war. This quote shows that the war in those days was portrayed as exciting and pleasurable and that no one was told about the injuries that happen during war. So I think this is why the person in this poem had no worries because he did not know the disastrous affects that could scare him for life. He thought that playing football was great, the buzz he got from the cheering. People thought of him as hero. He thought that people would cheer for him in the army, he wanted to be a hero in the army. He thinks of the army spirit, the pride in his unit. He tells about how he was given cheers and the noise of the drums as he leaves. He is so very optimistic. When he is brought back the cheers were not like the ones before the cheers are in contrast to what he imagined. This is ironic to him because he thought everyone will be proud of him and greet him with honour but it was the opposite of what he had expected. Only a few people cheered when he came back only one man inquired this man was the priest. This makes him feel in a way betrayed because he was told that you would become a hero after the war and that your family and friends will be proud and thrilled that you fought for your country. As you can see this is not true and many people ignore him because of his appearance. The man feels that what he has done has been of no use because nobody appreciates that he risked his life for the sake of his country. His final thought in the poem is one of total depression. He thinks that life is pointless. He is so helpless he can not go to bed without someone there to help him. He feels as though he only has a few years left. He wants to be put to death as he feels like he has and can do nothing that he feels will make his life tolerable and he feels as though nothing that he does or feels will make him feel his life is worth it. He feels as if he has been demoralised and disheartened by the people that he used to once know. As you can see from both poems they are very powerful. Each of the two poems make a statement. One difference between the poems is that Dulce Est. is a view on the army as a whole and describes the effects of the soldiers. With Disabled it is just a description of the turmoil of one person. One issue that I feel both poems, have in common is that they both talk about how the soldiers were lied to and how they were sold a lie. This is more true of Dulce Et because it shows that all the soldiers where told the lie but with Disabled it just shows that one man was told the lie. Because of this lie many soldiers were affected in Dulce Et and only one person from Disabled was affected by it. If a person wanted an example of army life was like for a platoon at its worst I would show them Dulce Et Decorum. If I was asked about a poem that describes a poem where a person can see how the war affected people. I would recommend the poem Disabled because as you can see, it has devastating after effects. Disabled is in my opinion the most emotional of the stories as it represents a mans struggle for his life. This man can offer nothing to his country now. He can not even offer himself something. His life is in total disarray and nothing in his life is worth living for. While the people in Dulce Et are still alive this mans souls has in effect died. He has lost his colour and can not get used to the fact of being unpopular. I find Dulce Et Decorum to be the most powerful of the two poems. My reasons are as follows, although Disabled is a very good, very powerful poem in it’s own right it only describes the view of one person in the army. I think that what makes Dulce Et so powerful is that Owen speaks for the masses in the army when he talks of the daily horrifying sights and regular attempts by the Germans to gas them. This poem realistically showed the horrifying events which occurred during war. Reading these poems can enlighten a person. At the moment many people around the world must be thinking that their lives are so stressful and are under extreme pressure. But their life is no way as stressful and pressurising as these young men must have gone through. These events can put many social problems into perspective. Everyday this man had to battle through endless pain and suffering in sake of their nation but is it worth it? Is risking your life worth it for your country? I believe that war should never be the solution to any problem and that many people should discourage war instead of encouraging it.

Entreprenuerism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Entreprenuerism - Essay Example The researcher states that there are many facts, that to be understood from the interview with Jay Townsend, who is a mediocre entrepreneur in New York City. The main factor which attracted the researcher to him was the amount of energy and high spirit embedded in this charismatic business man. The researcher states that it is like he is seeing the same young man, who has started his venture in an adverse business environment with all positive energy and determination. Generally speaking, it can be understood that an entrepreneur is not a normal man, but one with exceptional courage, will power, creativity and dynamic personality. He has this ever sparking aura in him that attracts people around him to perform things which are productive and positive. It can be analyzed that starting a venture can be relatively easy, than making it a successful business firm in the competitive market. The researcher learnt from Jay that being optimistic and realistic is the key elements to be a succe ssful entrepreneur. â€Å"Successful entrepreneur has fire in the belly to get going, but are also realistic and practical. They are not emotionally attached to their business idea.† To make a business run successfully needs a lot of patience and understanding of customer needs and wants. One should be ready to suffer losses and failures and consequently to rise ahead in the future with a long term success and prosperity. No business is a cake walk, but a tremendous team work and significant risk taking can make it an adventurous experience.

Chernoble disaster Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chernoble disaster - Research Paper Example The reason for the event is that the coolant pumps which are stopped to test the backup system have caused the core to reach the temperatures which can meltdown the core. In this way the backup generators failed and thus caused the accident. Cooling systems of the plant failed and it became impossible for the workers to stop the reactors or slow it down (Green Facts, 2006). There are many environmental effects that are the results of the incident of the Chernobyl. The radio active ash from the incident place spread widely in the surrounding of the Chernobyl. The ash from the incident place has three types, one is in the form of clouds or very thin ash which has a comparatively less weight and other is a bit thick ash that contains a large amount of radioactive materials. The thin ash is carried by air and can travel a large distance but it has a little impact on humans and environment. The thick ash can remain for many hundred years. The ash can cause cancer and if a person is too mu ch close to the radiation material, the ash can damages his cells, causing a typical type of cancer or a mutation World Nuclear Association. March, 2011). The persons have got cancers that are far from the place. A genetic mutation is fount in the plants and animals of the area and many people are also affected by the radiation. Extraordinary organ growth is now a common day thing in the region.

IBM as the heartbeat of e-business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

IBM as the heartbeat of e-business - Essay Example Next, listen to responses to the ideas presented. The vision may change to include some of the thinking from the employees and other corporations. In the sequence follows reshaping the vision by including the specific details that will give a responsive day-to-day meaning to the organization. That includes elaborating the steps on how to achieve the vision. It states clearly how the changes will transpire. It will push the people to be part of the technology that would revolutionize the world. The leaders are communicating the vision need to be courageous to communicate what is unjust and wrong. That is sometimes very difficult, but the people will definitely see the truth in what you are saying. On open standards, IBM faced the challenge of using the internet as a proprietary sole technology and thus to gain an advantage over the other competitors they opted to use it to respond to needs of their clients thus giving them an advantage (Smh.com.au). IBM also sought to advocate for services that could run on a neutral platform. That faces the challenge of more investment that is more costly and may need extra labor to leverage the technology. Further, the cost of carrying out the research may be expensive especially the infrastructure. As a result, the expected cost may not be as lower as expected. Investing in the Global market has the challenge of diversity in client’s needs, approach, and mode of delivery. That requires IBM to invest in diverse human resource and delivery of content in various forms to suit diverse needs.

The Psychology of Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Psychology of Marketing - Essay Example This might not have been possible without the existence of those valuable possessions. This approach depicts a unique psychology of the consumers, which would be discussed in details in this essay. This trait or characteristics which the consumers portray can be evaluated within the domain of the consumer behaviour. The psychology of consumers cannot be understood without referring to the personal values. Though consumer researchers have largely ignored the importance of value in consumer behaviour, but consumer value has shown signs of being a challenging area in consumer research. Personal values have significant implications for the consumer researchers. The term value means different things in different disciplines. In anthropology value signifies the social elements which drives out or provokes reaction from an individual. In case of sociology, value means to focus on the customs or ideologies. It is a concept which groups together to form a mode of behaviour in the society. Psy chology examines value from the perspective of personal motives and attitudes. Values are accountable for the assortment and protection of the goals which human beings struggle to achieve and at the same time regulate the manner and the method in which the struggle takes place (Vinson, Scott, and Lamont, 2002, p. 44-45). Possession reveals the characteristics of the possessor. So if possession is measured in terms of material values, then a relationship can be drawn between personal values and possession. The link between these two aspects is materialism. Materialism is actually the value which symbolizes the perspective of an individual regarding the position possession should have in his/her life. It has been discussed that the individual holding solid material values put possession and also acquisition of such as a centre of their lives. Value possessions are means to achieve happiness and acts as an indicator of success for the possessor. Thus it can be said that materialism is closed tied to value possession and its usage in an individual’s life (Richins, 1994, p. 522). In this context the difference between personality and value can also be studied. Value has an evaluative component which lacks personality and it relates to our belief that we should do. Personality on the other hand involves those things that we naturally do, without pretending what we are doing. Personality traits of an individual do not conflict with each other, but values do (Parks, and Guay 2009, p. 677).The perception, values, attitudes, self-concept affects the consumption pattern of an individual. It reflects the type of products or services the consumer is willing to use or required. The consumption pattern is also largely affected by personality traits of an individual such as aggressiveness, compulsivity, etc. Apart from this self-identity, or self concept also affects consumption. The elements of value such as ethics, materialism, influence the buying behaviour or consu mer behaviour largely (Ruvio, and Shoham, 2011, p. 1089-1091). There are three psychological terms that needs to be discussed in this context are the self-image, self-identity and self concept. It becomes important to discuss these concepts which evaluating the significance of personal values and possessions. Self image denotes the total subjective insight of oneself, which includes the impression of the individuals’ personality and capabilities. It has been also said that self-image is the mental

Disaster Relief Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Disaster Relief - Research Paper Example When the government relief operations machine hums efficiently, we see our government at work and conclude that its disaster relief policies are working. But how are these public policies on disaster relief formulated? What happens behind the great doors of congress that makes the policy as it is? What happens at the oval office that makes a difference in the public policies of the United States government? However, the most critical is the last question: What happens outside of these government offices that affect the outcome of our public policies? In this paper, I shall attempt to evaluate the different roles performed by different agencies in the formulation of our public policy on disaster relief, including the dynamics between and among these entities. Public policy is defined simply as â€Å"whatever governments choose to do or not to do.†2 In other words, every action by the government’s three branches – the executive, legislative and judicial – is governed by a pre-determined course of action. It necessarily includes the decision not to do anything about a certain issue. Interestingly, this interpretation also works in reverse wherein government action and inaction results in public policy. That is, in the form of lessons learned from its previous mistakes. There have been identified distinct stages in the policymaking process. These are problem identification, agenda setting, policy formulation, policy legitimation, policy implementation, and policy evaluation.3 For each of the aforementioned stage, a different group of actors is involved and a different dynamics between these concurring and opposing interest occur. Each actor is espousing a specific opinion or direction for the policy being formulated, each trying to promote its interests. It is the democratic process’ hopeful expectation that when different groups try to put into the policy their

St.Regis Doha Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

St.Regis Doha - Essay Example This in turn has augmented the significance of strategic management in organization to quite a great extent. A sound and viable strategy that results from a proper planning process is therefore dubbed as the pivotal instrument for striving and maintaining a high performance in the market place. However, due to the increasing rapid changes in the global business environment, strategies formulated by organizations have to be resilient or adaptive in nature. This will aid in the process of continually creating an endogenous innovation or coping up with the exogenous changes (Bloodgood, 2007). Therefore from an overall point of view, the resilient and adaptive tactics of the company help in maintaining an adequate strategic fit between the strategy adopted by a firm and its surrounding external and internal environment (Aarika-Stenroos and Sandberg, 2012). This report aims at analyzing the business as well as the overall marketing strategy of St. Regis Hotel based in Qatar. After the ana lysis of the strategies pursued by the company, the study will attempt to identify the problems associated with the strategy. On the basis of the findings, the study will then recommend the most appropriate and relevant solution to the company. Lastly, a conclusion to the study will be drawn by highlighting the key findings and an overall gist of the report. The report will begin by providing a brief overview of the chosen organization and will then slowly move towards the analysis and recommendation segments. St. Regis: A Brief Overview St Regis was first opened in New York in the year 1904 and since then they had expanded in different parts of the world (Starwoodhotels, 2013a). St. Regis Doha is one of the premier hotels in Doha and is one of the largest in Qatar. It is five star luxury hotel situated at the heart of the city. The hotel is located in Doha West Bay. The hotel was constructed in the year 2012 and has a chain affiliation with the Starwood Hotels. Presently, the hotel accommodates 336 guest rooms and fifty-eight of them are dubbed as seductive suites. The ancient architecture and the surrounding sand dunes are the inspiration of this landmark in Doha. The biggest competitive advantageous factor of the hotel is its prime location. All the rooms in the hotel offer a mesmerizing view of the Arabian Gulf with the tranquil blue sea. Furthermore, it also has discreet oceanfront cabanas and a private beach. The extensive range of leisure facilities along with the magnificent interiors makes it a favorite destination for both business and leisure travelers. Some of the facilities offered by the hotel are internet and laundry services, concierge services, business center, parking facilities, and several recreational services. These additional attributes along with the superior quality of services marks the hotel as one of the best in the country. The hospitality of St. Regis also demands special mention. The guests of the hotel are welcomed with unmatche d geniality. St. Regis is continuously setting new standards of luxury service and excellence and service delivery within the hotel industry of Doha. The hotel since its commencement has been continuously setting new standards for the industry and has succeeded to add several feathers to its cap. Some of the evident ones are Best New Hotels 2013 by Travel+Leisure, achieving a position in the 2013 Hot List by Conde

Quality and Patient Safety Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Quality and Patient Safety - Research Paper Example Moreover, human factors such as fatigue, depression, pressure, unfamiliar settings and medical complexities like use of powerful drugs, prolonged hospital stay and complicated health care technologies increase the probability for medical error occurrence. Furthermore, poor planning and decision making strategies lead to occurrence of system failures like complication development due to an increase in nurse staffing because of an increase in the number of patients and cost cutting mechanisms adopted by the health care facility also contribute to poor health care execution (JCR 114-124). To increase public awareness on this predicament, this report will discuss various quality health care and patient safety improvement activities that have been employed in the health industry. Quality and patient safety encompasses various activities which seek to improve patient safety, efficiency of health care to be more patient-centered, equitable and timely. Most of these activities have been summarized in models used to improve quality and patient safety in health care institutions. Health care facilities have taken the initiative of subjecting their physicians to a learning culture and team-based system approaches to enhance delivery of quality health care services that emulate patient safety. This is because physicians play an important role in the delivery of health care services. Therefore, their leadership and involvement in quality improvement activities is crucial to the success of implemented quality and patient safety programs.

The Impressive architectural structure of the Parthenon Term Paper

The Impressive architectural structure of the Parthenon - Term Paper Example The building’s architecture was done by Kallicrates and Iktinos and supervised by Phidias. In this regard, the style incorporated in its design is known as the Doric style. Moreover, the building included other characteristics that are ionic in nature such as the Freize (Stevens, 139). Incidentally, the Freize traversed the inner walls on the upper region as well as the Pedimental statues and along the Metopes that constituted the sculpture that decorated the Parthenon. Evidently, the fascination and remarkable nature of the building is credited with its innovative architectural masterpiece. From both a lay and informed person’s perspective, the architecture of the Parthenon is synonymously impressive. Greek temples were synonymously constructed with three types of columns. These were the Doric, Corinthian and Ionic. The difference among the orders is evident from the proportions. For example, the Ionic columns were slimmer and taller, while the Doric columns were shorter and thicker. The order were however more distinguishable in terms of the tops of the columns. In this regard, the Ionic tops have the curlicues also known as the volutes, the Corinthian tops were synonymous with acanthus leaves while the Doric tops have the most simplistic design. The Parthenon is constituted by the Ionic and Doric orders (Waddell, 18). Evidently, the amazing view is accentuated by its positioning on the Acropolis, the columns made of marble emitting power and strength as well as its immense scale (Waddell, 20). However, a deeper insight to its architecture reveals intricate skills that are deserving of praise. Evidently, the entire building has been constructed from a subjective point of basis as opposed to and objective one, Moreover, the building was not constructed to be reflective of mathematical accuracy but an adaptation to the spectators eyes. This is in recognition to the numerous optical refinements that are

Four Views to The College Conspiracy Essay Example for Free

Four Views to The College Conspiracy Essay In May of 2011 a video by the National Inflation Association (N.I.A) surfaced on YouTube gathering over two million views and opening the eyes of people to the American college system. According to the producers of this video, College is the largest scam in US history! Is college a worth-while investment? Is it just a way for the government to stimulate the economy? Are college degrees really a necessity in performing on the job? All of these questions have been asked and answered with both yes and no. Four writers with different views on this matter have written up articles concerning this issue. While reading through the articles one will notice that the views for each author are backed up by examples and statistics but differ in viewpoints, resulting taking different sides to this topic. In the first article, by The Christian Science Monitor, examples of successful entrepreneurs without degrees like Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Peter Thiel of Paypal were given to the audience. The writer then expresses his belief that not everyone is cut out for college, some would be better suited to vocational training, but the United States needs more well-educated people to compete in the world economy. Statistics on how college degree recipients have a decreased likelihood of unemployment and receive increased wages on average are then given. The next article, from the New York Times, opens up by revisiting America’s past decision to make high school open to the public and how education has benefitted the United States. The writer makes a comparison between the current situation of the importance of higher education to the America’s past decision. Studies stated that prove a bachelor’s degree is an asset even for those whose jobs do not require any degree. He states that, beyond the monetary value of a degree, education seems to make people happier and healthier. Quoting M.I.T economist, David Autor, writer states his opinion on how not sending a child to college would be a disaster. Different statistical evidence were then used. Once financial aid was taken into account, the average net tuition of public four-year college were approximately $2000, a lot less than what most people presume the cost to be. A recipient of a college degree makes 83 percent more than those with only a high-school diploma. Citing the Hamilton Project, a research group in Washington, an investment in a college degree has a 15 percent annual return, 8 percent more than stock investment, and 14 percent more than in real estate. On the other hand, article three, by John Stossel disagrees with the potency of a college education in the working world. He starts the article with examples of successful non-degree holders, Michael Dell, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Mark Cuban, Richard Branson, Simon Cowell and Peter Jennings. Stossel then shares his opinion that for many people, college is a scam. He then states the opinions of his Fox Televison partner Richard Vedder. Sharing similar view points, Vedder reasons out that students who do well in college often did well in high school, even though most students, even those who did poorly in high school, are pushed into college. He then asks as to why colleges accept the lower-tier of students and answers that question by stating that government loans ensure students are able to pay for college, even at the risk of long term debt, which fuels the academia. Giving out some statistics to back up the claim, Stossels points out the high percentages of baggage porters, bellhops and taxi and limo drivers have a college degree that they did not require to obtain their current jobs. The last article comes from Marty Nemko, a career counselor. She gives her personal experiences during her job when students are disturbed by the amount of money they have already spent on their education but still lack the units to complete their degree program. She then gives out the statistic that among college freshman who graduated in the bottom 40 percent of their high school, 76 percent won’t earn a diploma even if given 8 Â ½ years. Yet colleges admit these students and take their money. 23 percent of the students themselves are unprepared for college and students learn less in college than what is led on to believe, only having 16.4 percent of students satisfied with the instruction given to them. These four sources gave their own personal opinions and back them up with sufficient evidence in the form of examples, testimonies, and statistics. The Christian Science Monitor takes into account, not only each individuals need for a college degree, but also the country’s need for college graduates to compete in the world market. The New York Times’ article takes finances into account giving reasons to why college degrees are actually affordable, with the proper financial aid, and how they pay off once they’re put to good use. John Stossel takes his views the college system as a for profit organization, where, although some are able to use their education in the working world, many don’t and the college system takes advantage of the mass of hopefuls who try to better their lives, successful or not. Marty Nemko draws from her own personal experiences as a career counselor dealing with college students and their problems in taking the college route. What the discussion comes down to is how are the four authors interpreting the data they are given and how do their own viewpoints make them subjective to the matter. One side believes that a college education is a worth-while investment while the other believes that it is just a waste of time and money. Works Cited Americas Most Overrated Product: Higher Education. What Colleges Must Do: What Parents Must Do. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. The College Scam. Fox News. FOX News Network, 06 July 2011. Web. 24 Jan. 2013. Is College a Scam? The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Sept. 2011. Web. 25 Jan. 2013. Leonhardt, David. ECONOMIC SCENE; Even for Cashiers, College Pays Off. The New York Times. The New York Times, 26 June 2011. Web. 26 Jan. 2013.

Shame on Trump or Shame on You?

Shame on Trump or Shame on You? There has been to this day, forty-five Presidents come into office. All of whom have signed several executive orders while being in office, but our newly President, President Trump has already taken a step no other President has taken so quickly after moving into the White House. On January 27, 2017, President Trump signed an executive order that is being known as the immigration ban. Putting an indefinite ban on immigration from seven different Muslim countries including; Iraq, Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Libya and Yemen. Not allowing any refugees to enter the United States for 120 days and no Syrian refugees until further notice. Some are praising President Trump for his actions, others are despising him for it, but he is the commander in chief so why not just keep your opinion to yourself? People often are getting paid to put their opinions all over the internet to persuade people to agree with their argument or simply just prove why they believe they are right. Some articles on the internet are more opinionated than others, others are more credible, some are more persuasive. There are many criterias for evaluating, say, an article online, such as the language the writer uses, the writers background, the background on the website the article has been posted on, choices of images within the article, title of article, time the article was posted, how much the writer considers both sides of the argument and if the online article has different links attached to support their claims is another way to become credible. All the criteria listed previously are ways Michael A. Cohen, a main contributor for the newspaper, The Boston Globe on national politics and foreign affairs (Cohen, 2017) makes it easy to interpret his highly opinionated but very truthful and credible article posted about his negative opinions and bias thoughts on President Trumps actions of his executive order. The first thing you evaluate when you glimpse at this article are the two things in bold and big; the title, Trumps immigration order Shame on you, Mr. President and picture, a large group of people chanting and yelling while holding up signs reading REFUGEES WELCOME and SHAME ON TRUMP. Both immediate signs indicate to the reader that the following article will be in almost every way against Trumps immigration ban. The title uses charged language, such as the words Shame on you, those words are not typical words an author uses in their title unless their feelings towards it is trying to be made very clear, and in this case, it is because this makes it known instantly that (Cohen) is upset with Trumps decisions. Cohen also distinctly chose a picture of protesting people who are against the ban to simply show that he is not alone and has many supporters when believing that the order is wrong and goes against every American way. Before you start evaluating the article itself, it is important to find out how credible the author is. Michael A. Cohen contributes to The Boston Globe newspaper but he is also an author of a book on pivotal moments in American History called American Maelstrom: The 1968 Election and the Politics of Division. He has been employed as a speechwriter at the US State Department, as well as a lecturer at Columbia Universitys School of International and Public Affairs (Cohen, 2017). Since he has previously been a lecturer at a University, he must have a degree of some sort in world affairs or anything belong to that category, also because of him being an author over a novel on American Affairs and moments in American History adds to his credibility. Therefore, Cohen must know what he is talking about when it comes to politics and national issues because of all the things he has been doing in that field all his professional career. On top of all of that, Cohen has 44.5 thousand followers o n twitter and over 81.2 thousand  tweets. He has a lot of followers so therefore meaning people listen to him and believe him in what he has to say on any kind of topic which also adds to his reputation. Michael A. Cohen is a contributor to the newspaper, The Boston Globe. The Boston Globe has been Boston, Massachusetts primary newspaper for over 100 years. The newspaper has had many different contributors for them, with most of them being experts in their fields and what they write about within the newspaper. They include all different varieties of articles from politics, to sports, to kitchen, etc. It is a larger newspaper so therefore they are aware their reputation is on the line because more people will be reading their articles which in tales that they only hire credible and trustworthy authors who make them look good in the publics eye. First off, when you read this article the first thing that strikes the reader is the word choice Cohen uses throughout the article. He uses very charged language such as fundamentally un-American, slap in the face, Shame on you, pointless and wrong (Cohen M. A., 2017), all negative references towards the immigration ban. He uses such strong language because of how strongly he feels towards Trumps decision to ban immigrants. He states many things about immigrants and how Syrian immigrants are probably the least likely to harm Americans, and the countries that include all of the refugees who have harmed Americans in terrorist attacks are not part of the ban because Trump has business relations with all of those countries but none with the seven countries he banned immigrants from, which is considered to be strange according to Cohen. Cohen calls it fundamentally un-American because it turns against all the American values and slaps the faces of millions who are familiar with the Americ an and immigrant experience. Later at the end of the article, Cohen expresses Trumps immigration order is pointless, counter-productive, and  wrong. Period. (Cohen M. A., 2017) More charged language from Cohen out of anger towards the order because of his past and family history that led him to be in America in the first place. Cohen adds an important story about his ancestors to the article to express the importance of immigrants and allowing people to make their way into this great country. He includes how his mother was born in Great Britain but came to America as a child because her parents were German Jews who escaped from Nazi Germany into the UK where they luckily were basically given a second chance by escaping Germany then eventually migrating to America unlike the rest of his grandmother and grandfathers siblings and family members at the time who were trying to migrate to a new place and had a very difficult time doing so (Cohen M. A., 2017) . He uses this personal story to appeal the readers emotions by trying to reach out to not only people who agree with him, but to people who may be uncertain on how to feel about the order. He explains how without immigration his life would not even be possible right now. His ancestors came to America, the land of the free, looking for a better life and they were able to find it and start a life, have a son (Cohen) and allow him to have a life he may not have been able to have somewhere where they started, but now that is not a guaranteed possibility anymore and it causes pain to those refugees who got that opportunity because other will not and may not. Furthermore, this article is a very biased source for more reasons than just its choice of words. The fact that Cohen does not even consider being a little bit neutral shows that it is a very biased source. Never once does Cohen mention a reasoning as to why he believes Trumps order may be okay or why other Americans may support the order. He makes very clear within his article, Shame on you, President Trump. And shame on any American who refuses to condemn this. (Cohen M. A., 2017). Instantly, he makes it clear that if you, for some reason support the immigration ban then shame on you because you must be just as un-American as Trump has been for setting the ban in the first place. He shows no empathy for those who support it because the article is completely one-sided towards being against the executive order which is a kind of article that preaches to the choir, whose message speaks to mostly people who already agree with them and whos not exactly trying to persuade anyone to think their way by being considerate to both sides, but just degrading the side against Cohens opinion in this case. To add to the previous points, to make his article more credible, Cohen adds links throughout the article to support his claims he is making. When Cohen is stating how not one Syrian refugee has committed a terrorist attack on the United States, and how you are more likely to be struck by lightning or shot by a toddler rather than a refugee, he adds a link of a chart that a European Media Director on Human rights and world conflict who has over 65.5 thousand followers on twitter, tweeted, showing the death causes of Americans annually, and it clearly showing that other Americans and unusual things are killing more Americans than any kind of immigrants coming into the United States. (Stroehlein, 2017) Also, another way Cohen does this is when he claims that the countries who have committed terrorists attacks on the U.S. but who were not banned are all in business with Trump, he adds a link to an article in the NY Daily News that shows and states each country who is a business partner of President Trumps but did in fact have a role in some sort of terrorist attack on the United States, yet still is not on the list of the immigration ban, (Sommerfeldt, 2017) which does not seem to add up the most according to Cohen. Lastly, Cohens article was released just two days after the executive order was announced to the public. Which can go either way, it could be good because the article is so relevant, time wise, to the order so therefore meaning they are not just getting things from his past and using it against him; all the news and facts are all recent and accurate about Trump. Or it could be looked at as, it has only been two days since the order and people, like Cohen, still are absorbing the ban and are just ranting things out of their emotions of anger because they (Cohen) are affected by it more than the next person so therefore wanting to do all they can to express it is wrong and how terrible of a person President Trump is for doing this, which indeed makes this a very biased source in that aspect. To put it all together, Michael A. Cohen uses many different criteria to use in his article that prove his article is very biased and one-sided but also full of information and credible facts that cannot be ignored just because he is very stern with the words he chooses to use throughout his article. He uses charged language, specific images and does not mention or show remorse for the other side of the story to get his point across that he believes what President Trump is doing is wrong but with Michaels credibility, when the article was posted and the different links he uses to back up everything he claims, you should believe that what he is stating is true even if he is not being considerate towards those who have different views as him. It may be too early for Trump to be doing all of this and maybe it is just in time. Everyone is going to have their own opinion on it, and it may not be the same as the person next to you, and that is okay as well. But just because something or so meone seems inconsiderate of all sides and is very biased does not automatically mean that the source is not credible or reliable, and this article posted in The Boston Globe by Michael A. Cohen proves a very biased source can be very credible as well. References: Cohen, M. A. (2017). Staff List. Retrieved from Boston Globe: https://www.bostonglobe.com/contributors/mcohen Cohen, M. A. (2017, Janruary 29). Trumps immigration order Shame on you, Mr. President. Retrieved from The Boston Globe: https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2017/01/29/trump-immigration-order-shame-you-president/3WuTOdNBAOutfbzC1wIxOL/story.html Sommerfeldt, C. (2017, February 1). President Trumps Muslim ban excludes countries linked to his sprawling business empire. Retrieved from Daily News : http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/trump-muslim-ban-excludes-countries-linked-businesses-article-1.2957956?cid=bitly Stroehlein, A. (2017, January 28). How about injecting some facts into the discussion? Retrieved from Twitter: https://twitter.com/astroehlein/status/825388473649594369 Article link: https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2017/01/29/trump-immigration-order-shame-you-president/3WuTOdNBAOutfbzC1wIxOL/story.html

Bullying: Types, Effects and Government Initiatives

Bullying: Types, Effects and Government Initiatives Abstract The UK Government defines bullying as; Repetitive, wilful or persistent behaviour intended to cause harm, although one off incidents can in some cases also be defined as bullying; internationally harmful behaviour, carried out by an individual or a group and an imbalance of power leaving the person being bullied feeling defenceless. Bullying is emotionally or physically harmful behaviour and includes; name calling, taunting, mocking, making offensive comments, kicking, hitting, pushing, taking belongings, inappropriate text messaging and emailing, sending offensive or degrading images by phone or via the internet, gossiping, excluding people from groups and spreading hurtful and untruthful rumours. (HOC 2007, Frederickson et al 2008). Contents (Jump to) Introduction Chapter 1: The Types and Effects of Bullying Chapter 2: Educational Provision within Secondary Schools Chapter 3: Government Initiatives and the Education of Children who are being bullied Conclusion References Introduction This dissertation is going to investigate the links between education and bullying within secondary schools. Chapter One will give an overview of what bullying is and why is such a serious issue within secondary education, the chapter will then focus on the different types of bullying that happens within schools and what effects bullying has on both the person who is doing the bullying and their victims. It will include statistics concerning how many children/young person who have reported getting bullied, as well as the types of bullying these children have had to deal with. The remainder of the chapter will focus on the bully or bullies experiences before their started bullying another child/young person, paying particular attention to their educational experiences and disadvantages, but also taking into account any additional contributing risk factors which can affect a childs/ young persons behaviour and their education. These risk factors include risk around the childs/young per sons family, along with wider risks associated with poverty and deprivation. Risk factors such as peer pressure, jealously and being bullied themselves, which relate to education more directly, will be discussed in more details. The following chapters discuss the educational provision available to those children/young people who are being bullied and also those who doing the bullying, analysing the types of bullying the effects of bullying and also the types of provision and factors related to the reasons of why bullying happens. Chapter Two focuses on the educational provisions for the children who have been bullied, but Chapter Three addresses issues around reintegration and wider Government policy. Both chapters critically analyse current provision, whereas the conclusion will draw this analysis together and consider the extent to which the current system can be seen to be working in the interests of all concerned. Chapter One: The Types and Effects of Bullying The UK Government defines bullying as; Repetitive, wilful or persistent behaviour intended to cause harm, although one off incidents can in some cases also be defined as bullying; internationally harmful behaviour, carried out by an individual or a group and an imbalance of power leaving the person being bullied feeling defenceless. Bullying is emotionally or physically harmful behaviour and includes; name calling, taunting, mocking, making offensive comments, kicking, hitting, pushing, taking belongings, inappropriate text messaging and emailing, sending offensive or degrading images by phone or via the internet, gossiping, excluding people from groups and spreading hurtful and untruthful rumours. (HOC 2007:7-8, Frederickson et al 2008:176-177). Bullying takes many forms. It can be physical bullying, this is when a child is being pushed, beaten or thumped by bare hands. It can involve a weapon and threats. Bullying can also be verbal and emotional, racial or sexual. Elliott (1997a:2) it would seem that boys are more likely to be physical in bullying, while girls tend to be cruel verbally. Research by Olweus (1993:19) indicates that girls are more often exposed to harassment such as slandering, the spreading of rumours and exclusion from the group rather than physical attacks. Olweus (1993) continues it must be emphasised that these gender differences are general and that is some schools, girls are also expose to physical bullying. In more recent times there have been cases in the UK in which girls have violently and aggressively attacked other girls. An example of this was fourteen year old girl was cornered in the playground by a gang of ten boys and girls. She was stripped to the waist and had to beg on her knees to get he r clothes back. She was pushed, punched and had her hair pulled. Tell and youll get worse was the parting words from one of the girls. The victim did not tell until they did it again and took photographs. When her mother confronted the school, she was told it was only horseplay. The victim, who attempted suicide after the latest incident, was transferred to another school in which she is now thriving. (Elliott 1997b:1), this incident had a more positive ending, which is not always the case. There have also been deaths caused by bullying within schools, mainly in secondary schools. An example of this was in 2000 a 15 year old school girl committed suicide after being bombarded with anonymous calls on her mobile phone, the inquest into her found that she was being bullied through her mobile phone Mobile Phone Bullying/Cyber Bullying (The Independent, 2000). The incidence of girls being violent does seem to be increasing and is a trend that must be viewed with concern, as female bulli es, especially in groups or gangs are getting just as violent if not more violent then male bullies. Studies show that bullying takes place in every type of school. Studies on bullying within schools date back to the 1980s, were the first UK nationwide survey was conducted by Kidscape from 1984 to 1986 with 4000 children aged 5 to 16. The survey revealed that 68 per cent of the children had been bullied at least once; 38 per cent had been bullied as least twice or had experienced a particularly bad incident; 5 per cent of the children felt it had affected their lives to the point that they had tried suicide, had run away, refused to go to school or been chronically ill (Elliott and Kilpatrick 1996). Subsequent studies have found very similar results. Researchers at Exeter University questioned 5500 children aged 13 and found that 26 per cent of boys and 34 per cent of girls had been afraid of bullies sometime in their lives (Balding 1996). Bullying calls to ChildLine are growing at a rapid rate, ChildLine (2006) counselled 37,032 children about bullying between 1st April 2005 to 31s t March 2006. A further 4018 called ChildLine for other reasons but went on to talk about bullying. Every Month ChildLine counsels more than 3,000 young people about bullying, that is a quarter (23%) of all calls to the services. One area of growing concern is homophobic bullying. (ChildLine 2006). Bullying is not only a UK problem, it happens throughout the world. Olweus (1993:19) has been researching the problem of bullying in Norway since 1973; he estimated that one in seven pupils in Norwegian schools has been involved in bully/victim problems (Olweus 1993). Similar findings in other countries indicate that if adults are willing to listen and investigate, children will tell them that bullying is one of the major problems children face during their school years. There are different forms of bullying behaviour that has been identified, such as indirect and direct, as involving individuals or groups, verbal and physical. It is generally agreed that the most common form of bullying is verbal abuse is and name calling, followed by various forms of physical bullying. Within this type of behaviour/bullying, there are some important differences, based on age, gender, sexuality and ethnicity. The main types of bullying within school, especially within secondary schools, these are physical school bullying, emotional/verbal school bullying, electronic bullying or Cyber bullying and sexual/homophobic bullying. Physical bullying is when an individual bully or a group of bullies physical harm their victim, examples of this type of bullying are punching, shoving and slapping, and this can also be direct bullying. Emotional/Verbal school bullying is when a bully or bullies use poor and offensive language. Examples of emotional bullying includes the spreading of bad rumours about their victims, keeping their victims out of a group, teasing the victim in means ways and cussing them, getting other people/bullies to gang up on the victims, name calling, harassment, provocation, tormenting, whispering to another/others in front of the victim, walking in groups around school and keeping secrets away from a so called friend(s). Electronic bullying or cyber bullying is when bullying happens online or electronically. It occurs when the bully or bullies bully their victims through the internet, mobile phones or other electronic means and devices. Examples of this type of bullying are sending mean spirited text messages, emails and instant messages, posting inappropriate pictures, messages about their victims in blogs, on websites or social networking sites and using someone elses user name to spread rumours or lies about their victims. Sexual bullying/homophobic bullying is any of the above bullying behaviour, which is based on a victims sexuality or gender. It is when sexuality or gender is used as a weapon by boys or girls towards their victims, although it is more commonly directed at girls. This type of bullying can be carried out to the victims face, behind their back or through the use of technology (cyber bullying). However, it is also argued that sexist bullying or harassment in school is frequently dismissed as inoffensive or legitimised as part of the normal process of gender socialisation, and that it is a form of abuse engaged in by male teachers and male pupils alike (Stainton Rogers 1991). Furthermore, sexual harassment, of a physical as well as verbal kind, has been described as part of the hidden curriculum of many co educational schools (Drouet 1993). Indeed, Duncan (1999:128) presents a complex scenario in relation to what he terms gender abuse in schools. In deconstructs bullying as a manifestation of gender conflict in the pursuit of a desired sexual identity'. He concludes that both girls and boys can adopt a variety of active and passive roles in relation to bullying, but that sexualised nature of much gender abuse serves to remind girls that power is gendered. The threat of rape was identified as a potential sanction against girls who do not conform to male expectations: rape may be (comparatively) rare but physical and sexual assault are not and the lower range of conflictual sexualised gender practices keeps that threat alive on a daily basis. Some school girls have identified sexual assault and even rape within their understanding (and possibly experience) of bullying. Duncan (1999:128). The pervasive nature of homophobic abuse in schools has been widely commented upon, whether the intended target is known to be gay, or not. There is evidence to suggest that homophobic abuse serves to police gender identities, and establish norms of sexual behaviour and gender identity (Mac An Ghaill, 1989:273 286, Douglas et al, 1997) Rivers (1996:19) argues that a significant feature of homophobic bullying is the severity of the abuse. In a retrospective study of gay men and lesbians experience of bullying, one gay man reported having been raped by a teacher, others reported having their clothes set alight, and being burnt with cigarettes while being held down. One lesbian reported having been raped by a male pupil, and another of having been dragged around the playing field by her hair. Other types of bullying are gender bullying which could be linked directly to sexual and homophobic bullying and another type of bullying that is increasing is racist bullying or racial harassment, number of studies on the relationship between bullying and racism. However there appears to be some ambivalence concerning the conceptualisation of racist bullying. Tizard et al (1988:2), for example, report that name calling relating to physical appearance, personal hygiene and race represented the three most frequent forms of teasing reported among 7 year olds. Loach and Bloor (1995:18 20) and Siann (1994:123 134) argue that bullying can function as a cover for racism. A report by the Commission for Racial Equality (1988), describes various case studies of what is defined as racial harassment in schools. Regardless of the terminology used, Gillborn (1993) argues that racism in schools reflects a wider and racially structured society, and consequently, racist abuse carries extra weight . In terms of prevalence, Kelly and Cohns (1988) survey of first (year 7s) and Fourth Year (year 10s) pupils in school in Manchester found that two thirds of pupils said that they had been bullied. Racist name calling was recorded as the third most common form of bullying. In recent survey of Black and ethnic minority pupil in mainly white schools, 26% said that they had experienced racially abusive name calling during the previous week, while at school, or while travelling to and from school (Cline et al 2002:1). However, it is common with many surveys on bullying, that it is likely that racist bullying or harassment is under reported. There is some debate in the literature concerning both the value and validity of identifying typical victim or bully characteristics. Stainton Roger (1991) for example, argues that any child can be a bully or a victim, and that neither denotes an individual psychopathology: bullying is a reflective practice. Bullying creates victims, victims create bullies. On the other hand, Sharp et al (2002:139) claim that some children are more likely to fall into a bully role or victim role, and that is how children learn to manage aggression and assertion in interpersonal skills represents a key contributory factor. Olweus (1993:19) described bullies as physically stronger and victims as having characteristics that differed from the norm, for example in appearance sporting or academic ability. Boulton and Underwood (1992: 73 87) also found that children who perceived themselves to be different in some way, felt more vulnerable to bullying. Olweus (1984:58) found that approximately 20 per cent of bullies were also victims, and that they represented a particularly disturbed group. Others have claimed that some children fall neither into the victim nor bully category and that they therefore provide a useful normative contrast with which to analyses bullying and victim behaviour (Schwartz 1993 and Glover et al 1998). The effects that bullying has on both the bully and especially the victim can be life changing, in a negative way and have severe consequences not just short term, bullying can also have a long term effect on the victims. The effects of bullying have been said to be very serious, it has been reported that around ten children in the UK kill themselves each year because their lives have been made so miserable by being subjected to bullying (NSPCC 2009). There are many effects of bullying, these are include feeling depressed and sad most of the time, having sleeping problems such as insomnia or having nightmares, not wanting to go to school, not eating or over eating, suffering from stomach aches and headaches, feel less confident and also lose their self confidence and stop believing in themselves, feel unhappy and miserable which will result in enjoying life less. The longer the victim is subjected to bullying will probably in turn become a bully themselves, it will take longer for th e victim to recover from it and may continue to destroy the self confidence of the victim, leading to possible suicide. In 1999 Kidscape conducted the first ever retrospective survey of adults to discover if bullying at school affected those who had been bullied in later life. The survey showed that being badly bullied as a child had a dramatic, negative, knock on effect throughout life. The extensive survey of over 1000 adults, showed that bullying affects not only your self esteem as an adult, but your ability to make friends, succeed in education, and in work and social relationships. Nearly half (46 per cent) of those who were bullied at secondary school contemplated suicide compared with only 7 per cent of those who were not bullied. The majority of the adults reported feeling angry and bitter now about the bullying they suffered at school as children. Most received no help at the time to stop the bullying and telling either made the bullying worse or had no effect. Of the 1044 adults who took part in the survey 828 were bullied at school and 216 were not and of those bullied 70 per cent were w omen and 30 per cent were men and of those who were not bullied, 49 per cent were women and 51 per cent were men (Kidscape 1999:1). However, problems may occur if the school fails to recognise and resolve bullying within school, whereby a child may become at risk of truanting and disengagement from education, which could then lead to the risk of self harming and possible suicide. Should a child not experience an educational experience supportive of building resilience against bullying, then those exposed to bullying can turn to someone before it is too late. The following chapter aims to discuss the educational provision available for children who are victims to bullies and the consequences of those who do the bullying. It focuses purely on those children who get bullied in secondary schools. Chapter 2: Educational Provision within Secondary Schools This chapter aims to discuss the educational provisions available for those children who have been bullied and are still getting bullied. It focuses first on the provisions available for children who have been bullied throughout secondary schools, before examining the experiences of those who are living through bullying and also those who are the bullies. The importance of education as a preventative measure against bullying will be discussed along with how education is delivered to those children who are suffering at the hands of bullies. The Government has made tackling bullying in schools a key priority and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has made it clear that no form of bullying should be tolerated. Bullying in schools should be taken very seriously, as it is not a normal part of growing up and it can and will ruin lives. It is compulsory for schools to have measures in place to encourage good behaviour and respect for others on the part of pupils, and to prevent all forms of bullying. The DCSF supports schools in designing their anti bullying policies and their strategies to tackle bullying, by providing comprehensive, practical guidance documents. Regional advisers with expertise in the field of bullying are also on hand to help schools implement the guidance and draw on best practices. Teachers can help to reduce bullying both by the way they teach and by what they teach. In terms of approaches to teaching, although it may seem obvious, it may be helpful to consider teaching approaches along a spectrum with, at one extreme approach which actively promote bullying and at the other ones which specifically seek to prevent bullying. An example of actively promoting bullying is whenever a teacher deliberately humiliates a pupil, then the teacher is quite simply engaging in bullying. It really does not matter to the pupil whether the intention is merely to exert control or gain personal gratification. It would be pleasant to assume that this kind of teacher bullying was something that only happened in the past. Unfortunately most secondary school pupils, at least, will tell you that in their school there are one or two teachers who regularly use intimidation, sarcasm, belittling or harassment towards pupils, and that most teachers, on occasions, will resort to this kind of behaviour (Lawson 1994), showing the pupils that it is acceptable to bully others. The contrast from actively promote bullying is bullying preventive teaching. This is an approach to teaching which is alert to and aware of the condition which makes some pupils vulnerable and avoids endorsing these. This is about treating all pupils with a level of respect and avoiding making jokes at the expense of the weakest. It is about not contributing to a pupils vulnerability, about not setting up victims. It is also about acting as a good role model, as somebody who does no misuse the power they have. More proactively bullying preventive teaching is about publicly acknowledging that bullying is not acceptable, putting it specifically on the agenda within the secondary school and in the classroom, and creating opportunities which will help staff and pupils to develop strategies to counteract bullying. Overall what is needed is to change the way that pupils behave towards each other. To do this the pupils themselves must want to change and they need strategies and they must know how to change. The 1996 Education Act placed responsibility on head teachers for discipline and behaviour in schools, and in 1994 the Department for Education encouraged head teachers, in consultations with their governing bodies, staff and parents, to develop whole school behaviour policies and approaches which are clearly understood by pupils, parents and the school staff. The guidance recommended that schools should also have an anti bullying policy; School staff must act and importantly be seen to act firmly against bullying whenever and wherever it appears. School behaviour policies and the associated rules of conduct should, therefore, make specific reference to bullying. Governing bodies should regularly review their schools policy in bullying. School prospectuses and other documents issued to parents and pupils should make it clear that bullying will not be tolerated. Prospectuses should also explain arrangements through which pupils troubled by bullying can draw their concerns to the att ention of staff in the confidence that these will be carefully investigated and, if substantiated, taken seriously and acted upon. Individual members of staff must be alert to signs of bullying and act promptly and firmly against it. Failure to report incident may be interpreted as condoning the behaviour (Elliott 1997c:118). In more recent times, when a secondary school uses SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning), if used effectively it contributes to the work secondary schools are doing to reduce bullying. When a school implements SEAL effectively across the whole school it establishes strong foundations to its work to prevent bullying. At the core of SEAL are the social and emotional skills, which are all important because high levels of these skills create social climate that does not tolerate bullying behaviour (DCSF 2007) The partnership between ChildLine and Schools is a recent initiative, called CHIPS which was established by ChildLine aiming to work directly in schools, youth clubs and other settings with children and young people across the UK. In 2007/2008 CHIPS worked with more than 66,000 children and young people across more than 700 primary schools and secondary schools and almost 100 special schools and youth groups, to endorse the view that children and young people can help each other, can play a part in making changes to improve their own lives, and have a right to be listened to and respected. CHIPS provides a range of services from awareness raising assemblies, workshops dealing with bullying issues, to setting up peer support schemes, that encourage children and young people to support each other (NSPCC 2008), all of those services are done within the schools. There are many implications when it comes to initiatives and provision, the first is less attention appears to have been paid to childrens support needs during periods of transition, for example between primary school and secondary school. Children often fear bullying at points of transition in their lives, or at particular turning points, for example, during the move from primary to secondary school. Children in their last year of primary school may be seen as the leaders of their school. Primary schools are generally smaller, both in the fabric of the building and in the size of the school population. Secondary schools are, by contrast, frequently viewed as fearfully large places, where newcomers represent the lowest rung of a long ladder. Children who change schools as a result of moving home may also feel vulnerable to bullying. It would therefore seem useful for more research to be conducted on the support needs of children as they learn the ropes of their new environment. Another implication is making sure that all schools have an anti bullying policy within school and that it is used effectively and at all staff knows how to use it. Some of these studies were prompted by the concerns raised by parents and pupils that anti bullying policies and strategies were having a limited effect). The evidence shows that adopting an anti bullying policy is not enough; policies need to be effectively implemented and sustained over the long term (Glover et al, 1998). Parents and teachers is another implication as they are not seen to be working together or not working together as much as they should. It is every childs democratic right to attend school in safely. As education is one of the very few compulsory activities that parents and the government impose onto children, it involves all adults, in whatever capacity, to ensure that this is possible. Parent and teachers, being the most closely involved have the most valuable role to play. Parents are often extremely anxious to have a bully situation speedily resolved and so will offer the highest level of commitment. Their level of distress can often be reduced by inviting them to become actively involved in any plan as feelings of helplessness may be increasing their concern (Besag 1992:155). It may be easier for the victim to confide in a teacher rather than in their parents who are often bewildered by the childs reluctance to discuss the matter and refusal of their offers of help. The situatio n in such cases remains shrouded in mystery, and parents rely heavily on teacher to support the child and communicate with them appropriately. Another implication is when a parent does not feel that the school of their bullied child has not dealt with the bullying in an effective way and stopped it, and they withdraw their child from the school where the child is getting bullied and either moving them to another school or even educating the child at home, this may have a negative effect on the victim, as if they attended a new school, they would have to make new friend and there in not certainty that they will not get bullied at the new school, it will also have an effect on the childs education because they may possible be at different stages in the curriculum at the new school compared to the school that they were previously at. If the parents of the bullied child decide to educate their child at home, they would have to sort out materials and resources themselves, and this could take time and money. Parents should be warned that if they decide to educate their child at home, they have opted out of the state education sys tem and should not expect any assistance in educating their child from the LEA (Local Education Authority). Under the Education Act 1996, parents have a legal duty to ensure that their child receives an efficient full time education suitable to the childs age, ability and aptitude, whether this be at school or otherwise in some kind of education. (Elliott 1997d:124). Chapter 3: Government Initiatives and the Education of Children who are being bullied The barriers to education both before and after the point at which a child is bullied set out above can be institutionally specific, but it is also clear that some barriers and some of the problems of provision difficulties around reintegration are dependent on government policies and the wider educational system. This chapter will analyse the effectiveness of Government policies, initiatives and how these influence educational systems and may both increase educational involvement or attainment and reduce bullying. However, because of the plethora of local initiatives the chapter will focus on the larger scale initiatives, which aim to tackle the main problems (as set out and evidenced in previous chapters), therefore the primary discussion will focus on how the current Government has tackled the issues as mentioned above since they came into power in 1997. For almost two decades, bullying in schools has attracted the interest and concern of governments and policy makers. In the late 1980s a public enquiry was launched into unruly behaviour in schools, the result of this enquiry was the Elton Report (1989). The Report highlighted the issue of bullying, and suggested that a positive school ethos provides the essential factor in facilitating academic success and positive pupil relations. A positive school ethos has, however, proven a difficult concept to define or quantify. Instead, research has tended to focus on the relative merits of different approaches or interventions designed to reduce or prevent bullying (Mackinnon et al 1995:43). In the 1990s an extensive research funded by the DfEE, indicated that bullying was far more prevalent in some schools than others, and that the reasons for this pattern could not always be attributed to single cause (such as social deprivation, or geographical location). Some schools were also shown to be more effective than others at introducing and sustaining anti bullying work. Despite these complexities, the research provided much needed evidence on what had up till now remained a largely hidden phenomenon, and provided the basis for the governments first major attempt to provide schools with evidence based research on effective anti bullying strategies (DfE 1994, DfEE 2000). Almost a decade later, bullying continues to represent an important issue for public policy, not least because of the links between bullying, academic underachievement and mental health problems Guidance issued to teacher and school governors highlights their duty to prevent all forms of bullying: the emotional distress caused by bullying in whatever form be it racial, or as a result of a childs appearance, behaviour or special educational needs, or related to sexual orientation, can prejudice school achievement, lead to lateness or truancy, and in extreme cases, end with suicide, low report rates should not themselves be taken as proof that bullying is not occurring' (DFEE, 1999:24- 25). The National Healthy School Standard (DfEE 1999) also recommended the development of anti bullying initiatives as part of a whole school approach to raising educational standards, improving the health of children and young people, and reducing social exclusion. The DfES has also recently announced that, as part of the governments national behaviour and attendance strategy, guidance and training will be offered to all secondary schools on tackling bullying from September 2003. However, while the whole school approach might be interpreted as echoing the notion of a school ethos, in other respects the issue of bullying appears to be beset by a numb

Can Writing Be Fun? Essay -- essays research papers

Writing and school work, to be honest, have always been at the bottom of my list for things that I enjoy doing. I can remember from as early as grade 1 having great difficulty in most areas of school work. I have always had a great anxiety about completing assignments or having to read the required books, I went through all of high school having never read a complete book. It’s not that I think I am stupid but just not interested in these types of activities. I find it hard to keep my attention focused on reading when there are so many great things, or maybe not so great things, out in the world to think about. Now don’t get me wrong, I could read all day long about how to make my car faster or my dirt bike jump higher but writing something uninteresting to me makes it hard to be creative...

A Comparison of God and Satan in Paradise Lost Essay -- comparison com

Comparison of God and Satan in Paradise Lost      Ã‚   In this essay I shall be focusing on the characters of G-d and Satan from 'Paradise Lost' by John Milton.   Within the essay I shall be attempting to elucidate on the themes of ambiguity of the two characters as well as the uncertainty of moral integrity of each, characterized by John's Milton's use of sentence structure, private thoughts and symbolism.    Foremost I would like to look at the way the way in which Milton characterizes the characters of Satan in particular.   Milton specifically presents different elements of Satan's character by his interaction with those around him. For example it may seem ultimately that Satan (even by his very name) is a creature of great evil.   However, Milton shows elements of self doubt and an almost pitiful nature, forming a contradiction of the stereotypical image of what Satan represents.:    'Which way I fly is hell: My self am hell'    The repetition of the word 'hell' exaggerates a sense of futility now that he has come to Earth for the first time.   The questioning tone implied by the use of the word 'which' further empathises this.   The reader no longer needs to label the morality of such a character; Satan defines himself with the use of the pronoun 'my' and the preceding definition and assessment that 'My self am hell'.   Furthermore through Satan's own assessment the distancing technique by the word 'my' appears to exaggerate the notion of the definition of himself, the natural pause due to the unusual syntax further accentuates this.  Ã‚   The use of Milton's alliteration in 'Racked with deep despair' when describing Satan's countenance only empathises this pitiful nature.    However this sense of self dou... ...ng that G-d deliberately leads Satan into greater evil.    From the outset it appears that G-d and Satan remain in opposition together, an important characterisation of Milton.   'Paradise Lost' states that Satan was acting;    'Against the throne and monarchy of G-d.'    Weston continues this theme by saying that:    'In a fundamental sense, then, the 'hell' of human struggle can be said to have produced the 'heaven' of peace and harmony.'    In other words without the intensity of one character, in 'Paradise Lost' we would be without the other.      Works Cited and Consulted: Bush, D. 'John Milton'  Ã‚   Weidenfeld & Nicolson,   Ã‚  London, 1964. Empson, W. 'Milton's G-d'  Ã‚   Penguin, London, 1973. Milton, J. 'Paradise Lost'  Ã‚   Penguin, London, 1955. Weston, P. 'Paradise Lost- A Critical Study, Penguin   Middlesex, 1984.

An Evaluation of the Article: Why Looks Are the Last Bastion of Discrim

In today’s job market, there are many reasons an individual could be turned down for employment. According to Deborah Rhodes, author of â€Å"Why looks are the last bastion of discrimination†, appearance should not be one of them. Rhodes is a law professor at Stanford and holder of numerous titles for her outstanding work in legal matters. She is also the author and co-author of over 250 articles (Directory). In this article, she addresses an issue with profound impact on today’s society. She proposes that appearance discrimination should be included in anti-discrimination laws in addition to what is already accepted and legalized in today’s workplace. While it is a seemingly â€Å"silly† concern, it is actually quite valid. There has been many a concern over discrimination. That is, discrimination based on race, color, gender, and others of a similar nature in the work environment. Mainly, the article focuses on the injustices people have encountered in a work environment. Rhodes appeals to her audience as everyday â€Å"average† people who identify with the plight of another. Although she makes a compelling argument referencing studies and personal stories of people this has happened to, there are flaws in her argument that could discredit the validity of her reasoning. The logic in her article highly finds favor with the general working public. It is both consistent and appropriate. However, it is not complete, nor fully believable. I will discuss the following in the next paragraphs. Her use of research and anecdotes are mostly one-sided and while it brings valid points for the workers, fail to portray opposing views on the issue, that of the employer. She also neglects to further explore and compare the validity of this claim against wel... ...al." Fox News. 05 Apr. 2012. FOX News Network. 31 Mar. 2014 . "Prohibited Employment Policies/Practices." Prohibited Practices. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. 30 Mar. 2014 . Rhodes, Deborah L. "Why looks are the last bastion of discrimination." Washington Post. 23 May 2010. The Washington Post. 26 Mar. 2014 . Thompson, Krissah. "Michelle Obama invokes U.S. civil rights movement in China visit." Washington Post. 24 Mar. 2014. The Washington Post. 25 Mar. 2014 .

Katherine mansfield Essay

One of the world’s leading short story writers, Katherine Mansfield was born in 1888 in New Zealand. The second child of Annie and Harold Beauchamp, Katherine grew up in Thordon in Wellington within a large close family. In 1893, her parents, siblings, grandmother and aunts all moved to Chesney Wold where Katherine wrote of some happier times, the majority of which she has used within her stories. Attending Wellington Girl’s College and Miss Sawinson’s private school, Katherine and her two sisters then moved to London to attend and complete their education at Queen’s College, London. It was here that Katherine decided to use a pen name, Katherine Mansfield and began writing Juliet, a novel which she never wrote to its entireity. (The Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Society Inc) Throughout her life Katherine travelled a great deal and often travelled to Europe, it was during one of her frequent visits that she met a fellow traveller, Ida Baker who was originally from South Africa. Katherine and Ida became close friends and remained so throughout their lives. In 1906 Katherine and her sisters returned to Wellington but lived in another family home, much larger than the previous homes there was also a holiday cottage where they spent many years, which can be read about in At The Bay. Despite her family living in Wellington, Katherine found life there very mundane and yearned for excitement in newer pastures. Her love of writing was strengthening her thirst for knowledge and she often expressed a wish to move to Europe so she may continue her dream. Financed by her father, Katherine moved back to England without a second glance, she was never to return to her home town. (Jones) However, her love of writing suffered as Katherine allowed herself to become distratcted by men, she began several relationships only allowing herself to write a poem and a short story. Discovering very soon that she was pregnant, and from a gentleman in New Zealand, she met and married George Bowden, a singing teacher who was many years her senior. No sooner was the ink dry on her marriage certificate, when she left George Bowden. Katherine’s mother learnt of this news and travelled to London, took Katherine for some ‘treatment’ and then returned to Wellington to attend her eldest daughter’s wedding. During Katherine’s ‘treatment’ in Bavaria she unfortunately miscarried her pregnancy. She suffered some dark and disturbing times during this period and wrote some satirical material, none of which she was completely satisfied with and refused to have republished. In 1911 Katherine revisited London and met another man, John Middleton Murry. Murry was the editor of Rhythm and they married in 1918. Becoming the co-editor of Rhythm, Katherine also worked on The Blue Review before it folded and Murry was declared bankrupt. Various houses, none of them homes, Katherine it seemed, was to always lived an unsettled existence. In 1915, during World War I, Katherine and John became estranged and Katherine moved to France, then again back to London. Her younger brother, Leslie was training to be an officer at this time and they shared some nostalgic times together recalling their childhood times in New Zealand, these memories are all included in her tales of Wellington. Unfortunately, at this same time Leslie was killed and the effect of this grief, her own ill health and her ever present desire to write prompted Katherine to return to France and it was here that she eventually settled and began to write. Sadly, this settled period was to be short lived and as she became involved with Murry again, they both returned to England, living next door to DH Lawrence in Cornwall. Moving yet again to Mylor, they continued to group with friends who were artists and writers, some as famous as Bertrand Russell and Dora Carrington, to name a few. In 1916 Katherine was introduced to Virginia Woolf. Katherine had a work in progress, Prelude, which was a reworking of The Aloe, and this was then published on Woolf’s new Hoggarth Press, 1917. Encouraged by interest and her own desire, Katherine’s writing began to flow and it was after the publication of Bliss and Other Stories that her reputation as a writer became known. (Macmillan) Further ill health led Katherine to be diagnosed with tuberculosis and it was during this time she was advised to attend a sanatorium. The long, cold winters of England were to cause her too much suffering. She became so ill that she decided to move to Italy, she was accompanied by Ida Baker, her South African friend. Her recently widowed father and his cousin Connie visited whom Katherine managed to offend as she refused to convert to Roman Catholicism, so Katherine and Ida moved yet again, this time to Switzerland, firstly to Sierre, then to the Chalet des Sapins at Montana-sur-Sierre. Here, Katherine wrote about her life and family and these were included in many of her last stories, The Garden Party and The Doll’s House, all recalling her Victorian upbringing within her family unit. (Katherine Mansfield) By 1922 Katherine’s tuberculosis was considerably bad her and she left for Montana in Paris where she sought further treatment. Here she wrote The Fly and her last story, The Canary. She then entered the Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man at Avon near Fontainbleau where she sought enlightenment that would aid her recovery. Murry visited and it seemed she had found a final peace, how true this was as it was very soon after his visist that she died of a brain haemorrhage. She was buried at a nearby cemetery. (Asiado) Works Cited Asiado, Tel. â€Å"Katherine Mansfield Biography. † 18 September 2008. Suite 101. 15 November 2008 . Jones, Kathleen. â€Å"The Story – The Introduction. † KatherineMansfield. net. 12 November 2008 . â€Å"Katherine Mansfield. † Spartacus. 17 November 2008 . Macmillan, Eric. â€Å"Mansfield, Katherine. † 2003. The Greatest Literature of all time. 17 November 2008 . The Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Society Inc. â€Å"Katherine Mansfield 1888-1923. † 2005. Katherine Mansfield . 12 November 2008 . Research Paper What is the story’s central conflict? Feminism appears strongly throughout the body of this story as does family relationships. The women are strong, capable characters who take care of the running of the family and its structure. Stanley Burnell, the main male character of the story appears to be as strong as the women but in actual fact he has insecurities and seeks approval and reassurance from his wife more than she relies on him. Family interaction and growing up centralise the characters and familiarise the reader with each individual. Who is the main character and what does he or she want? Linda Burnell is the main character, with perhaps Stanley Burnell featuring close behind. They are a family unit with friends and neighbours becoming included in this to assist with their move to the country. Linda Burnell wishes for a better way of life and considers this move to be the way forward. What is the plot? A family living in New Zealand and their move to the country. How the Burnell parents seek a more favourable way of life away from town with their friends and children. What is the best point of view of the story and why? Seen from a child’s point of view, it is interesting to learn how Lottie and Kezia understand what is going on in a child like manner. Learning of their excitement and unawareness is perhaps why this story develops into something interesting rather than just about a family moving house. In the background of the story it allows you to realise from an adult point of view the reasoning behind the house move, but to understand it from a child’s eyes is engaging and simple. Analyse a character, tone, appearance and motivation. Linda Burnell is a strong, straight to the point type of character; she has an ambition to move to pastures new and organises well. Her husband, Stanley is also a main character but shows that although he is the main male character, he needs a female reassurance to allow him to grow. Explain the setting in detail. Moving from house to house, the setting is difficult to depict but the story is based in New Zealand around a family setting. Parents’ Linda and Stanley Burnell are moving to the country with their children. During the move, due to the organising and structure of the move, the children are encouraged to play with the neighbours and are tended to by them. What is the theme? The theme of this story is relationships. Not just between the Burnell family but also with the Samuel Josephs and people they have grown to know and include within their family who have lived nearby. The female characters are believed to be the backbone of the family but the oppression of the feministic opinion of that time is also featured quite strongly. Men were considered to be the providers and the organisers when in actual fact it was the women who carried on regardless of having no money of their own and being oppressed by men at that time. List 5 symbols in the story and say what they stand for. 1. Strength of character in Linda Burnell. Even though things are not going according to plan, Linda Burnell manages to keep a hold on her frustration. (Page 2) 2. The familiarity of home and the uncertainty of the unknown. Kezia remembers the old house and realises that this will no longer be her safehold. Taking in the noises and smells of her old home makes her feel safe and she becomes afraid of what is in store. (Page 7) 3. Accepting change. Upon reaching their new home the children see for the first time what their new life will be and although they take in their surroundings, it is not until they see their grandmother waiting in the porch that they feel comforted that there is nothing to be afraid of. (Page 11) 4. The subservience of Stanley’s mother. Stanley’s mother is considerably agreeable towards her son and whenever he wants something, she obliges. There is no confrontation from the woman nor is her voice to point out that Stanley could perhaps do things for himself more. (Page 14) 5. The importance of being male. Stanley Burnell is an egotistical man and although unsure of himself as a person, he likes to be stroked egotistically. He seeks reassurance and approval from his wife. (Page 22). Analysis – Prelude by Katherine Mansfield This story was enjoyable to read and easy to understand. The characters were depicted well and it allowed me to enter the story and be drawn by the structure and its meaning. Family relationships and the interaction of one on one relationships are prevalent in our everyday lives and it was interesting to read how the characters drew on their personal behaviour. Regardless of our own personal strengths and downfalls, a family’s love is unconditional and accepting of the good and bad in everyone. The influences and knowledge that people learn within the family core are all integral of how we are shaped as a person. Within the story it is noted that Stanley Burnell is depicted as a strong, influential character yet he is dependent on a woman’s presence and assistance in many of his daily situations. His mother has abided by his ‘demands’ on many occasions, leaving him with the inability to function without doing things for himself. It has become second nature for Stanley to expect the women in his life to carry out his requests, something which his wife, Linda has also conformed to. However, due to Linda’s own shortcomings, she has learnt to stand up to her husband in a non-aggressive manner, which makes Stanley believe he is not actually being ignored or disregarded. Linda’s own fears and desires are prevalent within the story and it is through these feelings that the reader is able to understand her ambitions and struggles within keeping the family together. Linda enlists the help of people she trusts and it is from that relationship that other relationships build themselves. Katherine Mansfield’s representation of this from within her own experience and explains aplenty as to how she perhaps became who she was. Strong, yet dependent; weak yet in many ways the driving force of what she truly wants. Like her mother, there were ambitions and goals, only to be frustrated by the choice of a relationship with a man. Linda Burnell wished for more independence and had a slight resentment of the leanings Stanley had upon her but it is from this resentment that a change in her lifestyle began. It is nice that within the story the relationship of inter-racial acknowledgement is recognised and interesting that from a child’s viewpoint, this is all just an everyday occurrence. Feminism was, and sometimes still is a bone of contention in any given situation, but the strength of both these women, black and white seem predominant within the story. As with Linda Burnell, Mrs Samuel Joseph portrays a strong, integral member of her family and it is the word ‘family’ that becomes the basis of the tale. Reading about the childrens’ fears and misgivings enlightens the reader to their personal feelings about all that is about to change for them. They realise what is about to happen and instead of welcoming this change, as perhaps Linda Burnell is, they fear as they are unaware of what is around the corner. It is not until they are surrounded by their family and familiar possessions that they begin to embrace their future. In terms of knowing what this will bring upon them in the future, is something of an anticpatory and exciting period in their lives and an adventure that this family are all working together towards.