Examine How Shakespeare Presents the Character of Friar Lawrence ‘Romeo and Juliet’

Examine how Shakespeare presents the character of Friar Lawrence ‘Romeo and Juliet’ In ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Shakespeare presents Friar Lawrence in many ways, such as, a holy man, a fatherly figure but also as a coward. Friar Lawrence is a key instrument of fate within the play; he has good intentions but ends up helping fate to create tragedy. In the first scene the audience see Friar Lawrence in; he is presented as being extremely knowledgeable.The audience see him gathering plants and herbs and demonstrates his knowledge by saying ‘For this being smelt, with that part cheers each part cheers each part being tasted, stays all senses with the heart. ’ This line portrays the idea that each cure for an illness can also be deadly if taken in the wrong way. This demonstrates his knowledge of plants, herbs and medicine. As well as this the Nurse enters one scene and praises Friar Lawrence for his ‘good council’ by saying ‘O, what lea rning is! ’ This emphasises the Friar’s knowledge and shows that other characters view him as intelligent.Secondly Shakespeare presents Friar Lawrence as not only being a holy man but as being aware of the world or ‘worldly wise. ’ This is proven at many points throughout the play such as when Romeo comes to Friar Lawrence’s cell and the Friar can tell that Romeo hasn’t been to sleep because he has been with a girl. This is illustrated in the line ‘Our Romeo hath not been to bed tonight. ’ As well as this Friar Lawrence comments on how quickly Romeo falls in love with one girl to the next by saying ‘Young men’s love then lies not truly in their hearts but in their eyes. This demonstrates that Friar Lawrence is aware that not all love is true. Furthermore, Friar Lawrence agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet so hastily to ensure that they do not have sex before marriage. This is proven in the lines ‘We shall make sho rt work for by leaves, you shall not stay alone, till holy church incorporate two in one. ’ This again emphasises how ‘worldly wise’ Friar Lawrence is as he realises that young people do have sex before marriage and do not always worry about faith and what religion has to say about their actions.Throughout the play Shakespeare also presents Friar Lawrence as being a councillor and fatherly figure towards Romeo. This side is portrayed in many scenes and is proved in lines such as ‘That’s my good son’ where Friar Lawrence is addressing Romeo as if he is his son. This is also illustrated in the line ‘wisely and slow they stumble that run fast’. This shows that Friar Lawrence is seeing Romeo grow up and make mistakes so that he can learn from them; this is something a father would usually say about their own child.As well as this the first time Romeo greets Friar Lawrence Romeo uses the word ‘father’ which proves to the a udience that he perceives Friar Lawrence as a fatherly figure. Friar Lawrence appears to be someone that Romeo can go to, to seek advice and guidance rather than speaking to his father. This highlights that in upper class families the relationship between parents and children is maybe not as strong as it is in lower class families. As well as having all of these characteristics Shakespeare also presents Friar Lawrence as being a respected man among other characters.We see this in the final scene where the prince asks Friar Lawrence for his account of events, the line that proves this is ‘Then say at once what thou dost know in this’. This illustrates to the audience that the Prince respects and values Friar Lawrence’s view and opinion on events that have occurred. However even though Friar Lawrence is presented as having lots of positive characteristics he also possesses some negative ones, such as being slightly irresponsible. Examples of his irresponsibleness o ccur several times throughout the play, the first example being when he first agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet by saying ‘I’ll thy assist be’.This is an irresponsible thing to do because Friar Lawrence knows that he does not have either parents consent, he also knows that Romeo and Juliet only met the night before and therefore, may not be truly in love. Another example of Friar Lawrence being presented as irresponsible is when he agrees to perform a bigamous marriage between Juliet and Paris, he tells Juliet to ‘Give consent to marry Paris’. This shows he is irresponsible because bigamous marriages are illegal and he is a priest so is supposed to abide by the law.Furthermore, the plan Friar Lawrence comes up with to help Romeo and Juliet be together is not thought through fully and is generally irresponsible. This is proved in the lines ‘I’ll send a Friar with speed to Mantua, with my letters to thy lord’, this is not thought thr ough fully as how will the Friar that is sent know where Romeo is in Mantua and how will Friar Lawrence know that Romeo has received the letters in time. The whole plan that Friar Lawrence comes up with is irresponsible as he is giving a 13 or 14 year old girl a ‘remedy’ that will give her no pulse and make her appear dead, which could be potentially risky.Finally, at the end of the play we see Friar Lawrence being presented as behaving quite cowardly, which is a contrast to what we see throughout the play when he risks his reputation by helping Romeo and Juliet to secretly marry. We see evidence of this when the Prince and his guards turn up in the final scene of the play and Friar Lawrence says ‘Come go, good Juliet, I dare no longer stay’. This is cowardly behaviour because he is willing to come up with a plan but then does not want to face up to the consequences of it. Friar Lawrence is presented in many different ways throughout the play by Shakespeare .It is apparent that in Friar Lawrence’s beginning scenes his more positive characteristics are presented to the audience, such as how knowledgeable, worldly wise, fatherly and respected he is. Whereas towards the end of the play the audience begins to see how irresponsible and cowardly Friar Lawrence can be. Despite his small amount of negative characteristics it is evident to the audience that Friar Lawrence’s intentions are good but because fate had everything mapped out tragedy occurred and there was nothing any of the characters could do to stop it.

Olga Semyonova’s Discovery of Peasantry Life Essay

Peasant life is known to be one of the lowest status situations in many parts of the world during the past. Many people are not give equal opportunities compared to those that have a higher status in life. Most often, they are treated like they are not people but slaves due to the lifestyle as well as the work they have. Most of the time, peasants rely on those that has a higher status of living to get work. Thus peasants are one of those unfortunate people who are present in the world. In the book written by Olga Semyonova Tian-Shanskaia and David L. Ransel, the life story of peasant life in Russia. In order to have an overview of the author’s desire to write this type of book, a short background of Olga Semyonova would be presented. Semyonova was born in the year 1863 into a very prominent and scientific family during those eras. The author was one of the daughters of Pytor Pertovich Semyonov who is a popular geographer, explorer and statistician. Through the explorations and attainments which were done by her father, he was acknowledged by the emperor and later added the name Tian-Shanskii. Semyonova’s father played a huge role in the life of peasants because he â€Å"designed the legislation for the emancipation of the Russian peasants for serfdom, a reform implemented in years 1861-1863. Throughout Semynova’s life, she was living in St. Petersburg and was traveling with her family abroad. More often than not, she spent her summers in Gremiachka which is her family’s estate located in Riazan Province. The location of their estate would later on be used to study the life of peasants. With the inheritance of her father’s attitude in exploration, Semyonova was able to do her own explorations regarding peasantry. (xix-xxi) Semyonova’s adult life was very tragic. Although she was very intelligent there was a point in her life that she shielded her self away from her social and intellectual life. She was offered by marriage by a young man who deeply fell in love with her. However, she declined the man. As a result, the young man decided to shot himself in the head and he eventually died. After such, she mostly spent her life living in their real estate which made her aware of the situations of the peasants around their area. (xix-xxi) During the nineteenth century Russian society was in crisis. For several people, the development of the country was slow in comparison to other countries such as Germany, France, England and the United States. These countries were the ones who educated the Russians which brought pressure to the country. In contrast, Russia was very far from these countries bases on their urbanization and industrialization. In addition, these countries have a much higher level of culture and general education. On the other hand, change was very rapid and people blamed the government with its persistence to catch up with the Western world. With the decision of the government, the Russian society was lead into a revolution. The Russians who were well educated were able to view the main sources of the said crisis. As these educated people said, the resolution of the rebellion depends on the actions and attitudes of the regular people such as the peasants who composed the eighty-five (85) percent of the Russian nation. Russian Peasants were the ones who dwell in the rural areas as well as those migrant workers or the industrial workers of the country in different parts of Russia. Peasants were also the ones who constitute the Russian armed forces. Thus, this made all the parties in Russia believe that they know the diverse situation in the villages. Therefore in their perspective, the armed forces have the right to speak for the whole Russian peasantry and all their concerns. However, all their assumptions are not true. Hence, the government was not able to address the problems which are faced by the peasants. In the whole book, the study which was utilized was made by Semyonov with the collaboration with another researcher named K. V. Nikolaevskii during the late 1890s. The study was done regarding the real situation of the peasants throughout those times in order to see the attitudes, aspirations and conditions of the peasants. In addition, the research regarding the lives of these people was regarding their customs, family life. However, there is a failed attempt to present the fluidity of peasantry life. During the time of Semyonova’s study of the peasantry life, she often noticed the she was similar to an outsider to the place. As evidence it was stated that, â€Å"She constituted her own identity as a person of Western scientific culture in opposition to the peasants she studied. According to her, the boundary between childhood and adulthood, so clearly demarcated in education society, collapsed in village society. Peasant children saw the world very much as did the adults† (xxi). Semyonova highlighted that such situations were possible due to the early exposure of children in the difficulties that is normally faced by adults. In addition, the view of point of peasants regarding â€Å"work, morality and property were likewise quite different from the perspective of Semyonova’s upbringing† (xii). Accordingly, there is a different treatment of women in the community in comparison to the treatment of women in the world known by Semyonova. In the book it is stated that, â€Å"†¦the treatment of women, whose lot as the brutalized work horses and chief preservers of social bonds in the family and community†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (xii). In the book, there are many social issues which were stressed by Semyonova. With all the studies observation and researches that she had done in the lives of Russian peasants, the author discovered many things that are very much different from her life while she was growing up. In order to fully represent the life of the peasants, Olga was able to coordinate with one of the peasants in order to properly present the whole community of peasants in general. The person interviewed was named Ivan. Similar to other peasants, the family of Ivan was working on a farm in order to live. As a matter of fact Ivan’s family had, â€Å"livestock at the time of Ivan’s birth included three horses (one of which was a yearling), fifteen sheep, one cow, a heifer, and a pig. Their hut, which was wooden, had three windows and an enclosed entryway (sentsa). Nearby were a workyard, a small granary, and a threshing barn. † In addition they family had the most important necessity for them to live, â€Å"Farm tools included two wagons, two wooden, wheelless plows, one harrow, two types of harnesses, two scythes, two rolls of sackcloth (veret’ia), a sleigh, an ax, two spades, and two flails† (Semyonova, 1). Thus without their farming tools they are not able to see that there are not able to provide for all the things that they need. In the life of Ivan, it was very obvious that culture, norms and economic status was very important. Through this, his upbringing and future is very much affected. In the third chapter which focuses on the issue of child birth. Semyonova highlights that a child if brought up in such type of environment could be affected while growing up. It was stated that, â€Å"their attitudes and behavior as conditioned by the promiscuous intimacy of peasant life† (22). She again states that children see things in a much matured way therefore she finds teenagers very promiscuous and sexual even in a young age. The author also made some comparisons regarding the â€Å"our children, that is the child or the educated urbanized people† (22) against those that live a peasant life. In addition, Seymonova highlights the difference between the lives of peasants in contrast of the urbanized people. Stating that to peasants, â€Å"Deceit to escape punishment was approved, as was the use of foul language or abuse of animals to vent frustration. Patriarchal authority was accepted implicitly; might makes right, and in a sense this brutal fact of life justified deceit and other means of avoidance to escape the dictates of authority and power† (22). With such lines, it is noticeable that the lives of well educated persons are very much different from those that live in peasantry whom have not experienced any education. In general, the life of peasants in Russia during the time of Seymonova does not have any type of opportunity to move forward from the difficulties that they are in. Only those that are privilege and rich are those that are given the right to be educated and move out from the situation they are in. In contrast, the situation of Russia in the current time is far more different from the past situation of peasants. It is not a secret that there are still poor people in Russia but due to various technologies and improvements in terms of laws and policies there are opportunities available for those that wanted to change their lives. Great schools are available and scholarship grants are offered for students who would like to create a change in their lives. Accordingly there are organizations that are very willing to help and provide trainings and assistance with regards to various subjects such are welfare, health services and the likes. Through this, the less fortunate people are educated with regards to their health and sexual relations. As stated by Seymonova, there are promiscuous actions which are made by young people thus; it could be assumed that early pregnancies and diseases are possibly taken a threat. In comparison to the current society of Russia, the awareness and education which are received by citizens protects them against possible sicknesses and threats that could lead to life threatening diseases. Thus, improvements of the benefits of the people have been done through out the years with the help of many changes in terms of government processes and activities. However, problems with regards to society cannot be fully addressed due to the lack of ability of the government to fully reach out to the people. As stated in the introductory pages of the book, that problems could only be resolved through the cooperation and desire of the poor to respond with the issues due to the high percentage rate of their constituents. Works Cited Semyonova Tian-Shanskaia, Olga and David L. Ransel. Village Life in Late Tsarist Russia. United States: Indiana University Press, 1993.

Education as the most important factor in the development Essay

Education is the single most important factor in the development of a country. Do you agree? The statement is about education is one of significant factor to build a modern country. And I, as a writer, believe that the statement is true. First of all, a country needs societies who have much knowledge that are useful. When societies have much awareness and that are usable, they can help government to build a perfect country that is appreciated by the other countries. For instance, some societies can take a part into ministry to distribute their ideas about developing country easily. If societies do not have some abilities about something important, they are difficult to share their information especially if they do not have useful part in government, people will hard to accept them. Afterwards, a country can be recognized by the other countries when it has societies that it can boast. When a country have became famous, all of countries, automatically, will make good cooperation with it, and it will be one of the best country in the world. On the other hand, some people claim that a country that wants to be a development country does not only need education, but it also needs some experiences to create great communication. They believe that a country can be perfect when it has many experiences that can make the other countries interest to make good cooperation. Sometimes people who have have fine communication experiences understand how to influence someone and they have known what they should do to make the other people fascinate. Finally, I agree that education is one important section to in the development country even though the other people think that a country does not really need education. So, what is your ways and ideas to create a perfect country?

British Imperialists' Motives in Scramble for Africa Essay

British Imperialists' Motives in Scramble for Africa - Essay Example Nevertheless, imperialism is a many-faceted phenomenon; which had political, economic and social roots. Indeed, Socialist and Marxist critics narrowed its definition down and applied the term to a certain stage of capitalist societies when discussing social and and economic conditions (p.2).Thus, any attempt to give an account on the British imperialism must highlight the underlying political, social and economic motives. As Robinson and Gallagher (1961, pp. 19) stated â€Å"a first task in analysing the late-Victorians’ share in the partition [of Africa] is to understand the motives of the ministers who directed it, and the study of official thinking is indispensable to this†. The aim of this paper is to scrutinize British Imperialists' motives in scramble for Africa in three respects: political, economic and social. The Scramble for Africa begun in the last quarter of the 18th century and lasted until the WWI. While the decline of the Ottoman influence created a power vacuum in the region, the colonial powers of Europe, following the lead of the British imperialists, have begun to fill that void. In Africa and The Victorians, Robinson and Gallagher examined the relationship between the partition of Africa and British decision-making process. According to them, the Victorians' political relations with Africa changed radically after 1882. Lord Salisbury stated that: â€Å"I do not exactly know the cause of this sudden revolution. But there it is† (Quoted by Robinson and Gallagher, 1961, pp. 17). Late-Victorians were more eager to dominate Africa than their predecessors and the British forces invaded Egypt in 1882. The collapse of weak African governments may also have played role in the partition. In fact, British divide and rule policy was also an important factor in the national unrest and disorder in Africa. However, Robinson and Gallagher focused on the British policy-making as the underlying political factor. In fact, according to them , as also indicated by Schumpeter, â€Å"The possibility of official thinking in itself was a cause of late-Victorian imperialism† (pp. 21). Indeed, England had a long tradition of imperial rule and the that policy tradition inherited from Pitt and Channing to Palmerston and Clarendon (p.22). They also highlight ed (pp.22-23) policy makers' ignorance of Africa, as the partition was made â€Å"at house parties† without any public interest or participation. In fact, the interests, and thus motives, of policy makers were different in each country. In Egypt, it was due to the collapse of the Kedive regime. In east and west Africa, British interests were related to the Egyptian occupation. In Southern Africa, â€Å"imeperial intervention against the Transvaal was designed above all to uphold and restore the imperial influence which economic growth, Africaner nationalism and the Jameson fiasco had overthrown† (pp. 463). In Rhodesias and Nyasaland, the motives were mer ged with imperial aims in Cape colonial expansion and balance the rise of the Transvaal (pp. 463). However, Robinson and Gallagher stressed that commercial or financial concerns were rather inconsequential in ministers' decision on which territories should be occupied (pp. 463). For Robinson and Gallagher, ministers' private calculations played the most important part in decision-making process and again for different reasons. However, the security concerns seem to have prevailed. In Rhodesia, it was the safety of the routes to the East, in Southern Africa it was the preservation of the colonial rule, while the safety of the routes to India was the prominent imperative (pp. 464). In fact, Robinson and Gallagher (1961, pp. 464) noted that â€Å"

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

ECONOMICS - Essay Example An organization will have to pay higher interest coverage for their long term debts. In addition to this, the charges for bank overdraft and short term borrowings will rise which will affect the working capital balances adversely. If the company has leased manufacturing instruments, it will have to pay a higher lease rental. Since an increase in the interest rates will tend to squeeze money out of the economy, employees might demand higher salaries as well. According to Bloomberg, the yield curve (as on May 8, 2009) predicts the rise of interest rate in near future. This means that organization will plan to maintain its profit in future. It can provide discounts to enhance the sales volume to make reserves for the dry season ahead. It can restrict research and development activities and curtail unnecessary costs since revenue generation might see a downfall. Cars and trucks are costly commodities and are generally bought by customers if they get convenient borrowing schemes. This makes interest rates a decisive factor in determining the sales. A high interest rate means that customers will have to pay a higher installment (EMI). This has greater implications for earning assets like trucks; customers (generally transporters) will postpone their present demand in anticipation of lower interest rates in future. This translates to the fact that consumer demand for both cars and trucks will come down. The main monetary items that affect the operations of a business are the cost of goods sold and general and administrative expenses. Cost of goods sold will depend on the cost of raw materials and the wages of the employees. The company might have to incur advertising and selling costs as well. For purpose of accounting, the company will have to incur depreciation expenses. The tax structure of the country where the company operates is an important determinant of operating costs. A high tax bill will increase the financial

Online relationships vs offline relationships Research Paper

Online relationships vs offline relationships - Research Paper Example This research attempts to explore the question of how traditional relationships have changed, and compares online relationships with traditional face-to-face relationships. A study was conducted to understand clearly how romantic online relationships are created the nature of these relationships how they compare with the traditional relationships and the possible effects that they have on the existing face-to-face relationships. In an online survey, interview established that 98 per cent of the respondents formed relationships online through text-based games (McKenna et al. 11). From a randomly selected newsgroup, 51 percent of respondents made close relationships and 35 per cent established romantic relationships. Most of those who form online romantic relationships are educated men in professional occupations, they are 35 years and above, most of them are married with two or more children. In addition, research shows that, 70 % of the people who engage in an online relationship have a full time employment, 28% are students and 2% are retired (McKenna et al. 20). Majority are college students with a few high school students. Notably, many men engage in an online relationship because of their social role of being the first to make a move in romantic relationships. Most of them are attracted to online relationship because; it enables them to develop a relationship in an organic way (McKenna et al. 25). A relationship that develops with little pressure, and one which starts due to emotions and not just a meager contact. According to Underwood and Findlay, social interactions through the internet resemble the traditional face-to-face interactions although the behavior of people who are dating online tends to be different from those dating offline (135). The researchers established this by asking the respondents whether they have engaged in certain actives with people whom they date online and

Literature research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Literature research - Essay Example Case studies have also been analyzed that were related to the operational characteristics of Wal-Mart and its competitors. A descriptive approach has been adapted since the respective research involved the analysis of the existing operational characteristics of the retailing companies. 3. Analysis 3.1 Assumptions Kmart and Sears were competitors of Wal-Mart; however they merged into a single retailing organization in 2005- Sears Holding Inc. This report refers to the individual names of both the organizations whenever incidents have been quoted from the year before the merger. Wal-Mart is a multinational company with head offices in US, therefore only US markets and competitors have been discussed in the report. 3.2 Analysis of Operational Characteristics of Wal-Mart 3.2.1 Company Portfolio Wal-Mart is the largest retailer of the world. Sam Walton, the man behind the retailing stores chain, began its operations in 1962. The first store opened in Arkansas, which marked the start of th e rapid expansion of the respective business. Sam Walton became known as a clever businessman in a very short span of time due to the success of his retailing stores. After conquering the US market, the owner decided to expand his business globally. According to a report issued by Wal-Mart in 2010 (Wal-Mart Stores); Wal-Mart operates around 4,000 stores around the world in 15 countries, namely China, India, United Kingdom, Japan etc. Kotabe stated that Wal-Mart is responsible for operating five divisions in US; Wal-Mart Stores, Wal-Mart Supercenters, Sam's Club, McLane's Company and Wal-Mart International. All of these different divisions amount to 4,300 establishments in US. The company recorded up to $405 billion as their annual sales last year, whereas target recorded up to $65 billion in 2009 (Target Corporation) as seen in figure 1 in the Exhibits section. The biggest competitors of Wal-Mart are Target and Kmart. 3.2.2 Operational Characteristics Operation management can be def ined as the overseeing, management and formulation of business operations in such a manner that the quality of the service and products is maintained. The company has been able to attain competitive advantage in the market due to their low prices, coupled with quality. They believe that their customers should be able to have a share in their profits; that share is made available to them in the form of low costs. Wal-Mart is able to maintain low cost operational activities in their stores due to their efficient supply chain management, vendor relations and integration of information management processes. These aspects shall be discussed in detail in the following sections. The core expectations of a customer that need to be met by a retailer are: High quality Broad scope Low prices Good customer service Convenience (Cowgill) The percentage of expectations met by different retailers is shown in Figure 2 in the Exhibits section. 3.2.3 Channels of Distribution Wal-Mart owns up to 3,300 company trucks that facilitate the supply from the warehouses to the retail stores. Competitors do not maintain such an extensive distribution network of their own due to which their costs are much higher than Wal-Mart’

Domestic Violence is a Serious Public Health Issue Essay

Domestic Violence is a Serious Public Health Issue - Essay Example Thus, focusing on the theory of mindful space, this essay will illustrate how domestic violence can be prevented, if not at least avoided, by focusing on its primary victim - women. Domestic violence is a serious public health issue that often leads to fatality for victims or serious emotional, psychological, and mental problems for survivors. However as research illustrates, such occurrence is not the result of a single isolated event, but the product of a continuing pattern of abuse that usually "escalates through time in severity and frequency", such that women usually ignore lesser acts of violence until it becomes destructive and unpreventable (cited in Health, 1998, p.1468). In this respect, domestic violence can be prevented if its would-be victims can detect the lesser forms of aggression and employ effective measures even before domestic violence becomes destructive. Such approach, however, is difficult to achieve given the definition that today's literature attaches to viol ence. As Burlae (2004) points out, most definitions identify violence only after it has begun, making it difficult for victims to stop them. Hence, by understanding violence in terms of intimidation, coercion, and emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, women tend to ignore the lesser and less noticeable forms of aggression, allowing the aggression to escalate and become destructive. Such reactions from women can be attributed to today's patriarchal society where cultural norms, impose on them certain roles that make them vulnerable to these acts of violence. Using Virginia Woolf's phrase "angel in the house" description, Burlae explains that the roles women take within the family setting of being charming, sympathetic, selfless, and mindful of others illustrate "characteristics that are antithetical to the possession of one's own territory", making them vulnerable to acts of aggression (2004, p.87). Awareness, in this respect, requires more than disseminating information on what is domestic violence, but instead, re-orienting the victims', especially women, a perception of what constitutes violence. In this respect, Burlae proposes the "theory of mindful space" to help women identify cues early on and help them respond accordingly. As Burlae suggests, violence should be understood as an invasion of one's bodily, personal and cognitive spaces (2004, pp.94-97), which although not always violent per se can be damaging and destructive if left unchecked. Thus, while a husband being passive aggressive to his wife may not be violent itself, it is a violation of his wife's cognitive space, which could escalate to more violent behavior if allowed to persist repeatedly. Hence, he suggests being attentive to such violations of space and setting limits to determine when it is time to seek help, take action, or disengage from a relationship. In this respect, clinicians and social workers play an integral role in helping would-be victims identify invasions of space and craf t preventive strategies.  Ã‚  

Political Socialization and Ideology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Political Socialization and Ideology - Essay Example Blue: The Political Typology) TYPOLOGY AND DEMOGRAPHICS: Yes, my demographics match those with the typical person in my quiz. The majority of the traits that are present in a main street republican that is I am very critical and observant about how the government functions in American society. I believe in religion and the values that come along with it therefore I completely oppose marriages of the same sex and abortions. I do not find charm in greed and hence business does not enamor me much. I support all the efforts made by the government in order to protect this environment. And finally I have faith in labor as hard work always pays off irrespective of how crucial the circumstances might be. The only point that I disagree over is when it comes to my typology is that I support social welfare programs to an extent. There are many Americans who are in need of support by the government to make both ends meet, therefore such programs should regulate.Lastly I do support immigrants as through their efforts there have been positive benefits to our current economy. The main street republican group thus closely matches my typology. ANALYSIS OF MY SURVEY RESULTS Like I mentioned previously that my results are quite agreeable with only a few reservations that I have regarding them. My result stated that I am a main street republican which is the best group they could put me too. Since I support the Republican government and I totally side them with most of the characteristics they believe I possess. A "Main Street Republicans  differ from Staunch Conservatives in the degree of their conservatism and in their skepticism about business. They are socially and fiscally... The subject of political sociology and ideology is quite important as it helps individuals to understand the depth of politics and their stance over it. Politics is an integral component of every person's life as it directly or indirectly affects an individual in various manners. By studying political sociology one can easily affiliate himself to the prevailing system and do his best in order to change the system if required. As a main street republican I believe that the present system is the best way to sustain as it allows the direct involvement of public in the state affairs making it an issue of the entire nation. Certain amendments and strict laws and regulations need to be made in order to overcome prevailing social evils in the society. Thus "Greatness is rare and great men are few; but republican government puts power in the hands of many rather than few."

Review of related literature Essay Example for Free

Review of related literature Essay CHAPTER II As mentioned earlier, it is indeed a certainty that the journals and books used by the author of this study is much related to the issue being discussed. The said journals are to be introduced herein. One of the basic factors of success in any organizational progress is the art of motivation. However, motivational procedures are not that easy to apply especially if the crowd to be dealt with is not that inclined or cooperative in the progress being implied in a specific organization. According to Martinez, in his book entitled â€Å"Management Theory and Practice†, motivation consists of three basic phases of development: †¢ Examination of the situation Before anything could be started, it is very important to first examine the real situation and how the situation is supposed to be dealt with. This may include an evaluation of the present circumstances and how it could be related to what future results are expected from the program or motivational procedure to be implemented. (Martinez, 121) †¢ Consideration of the Participants. Who are the participants to the program or the procedural approach? This question should be considered upon the formulation of the motivational processes that would be chosen by the administration to be implemented. (Martinez, 15) †¢ Application of Procedures After evaluating the situation and determining the people who would be involved in the programs, the application of the formulated procedures could already be commenced in a planned way. In this manner considerably fine results could be expected upon completion of the procedures. (Martinez, 16) Through the constant observation of the completion of the said phases, program procedures could be expected to become successful. The presence of the processes mentioned in here could determine the success of any applied motivational procedures by any business administration or even educational institutions at that. Meanwhile, Don Dinkmeyer in his book entitled â€Å"Leadership by Encouragement† stresses about the importance of encouragement in becoming a good leader. He says that: â€Å"the main aim of leaders is to help their colleagues progress for themselves and the organization they work as well† (Dinkmeyer, 41). Hence, this means that among the important factors that each person within an organization should consider is the fact that they need to be leaders in their own ways and encourage their co-workers to progress in a way by which the organization and they themselves could benefit much. Dinkmeyer further adds, â€Å"there are necessary factors to consider in being a fine leader of encouragement† (44). Here are some of the suggested factors of concern in Dinkmeyer’s book: †¢ As a leader, a considerable act of control is needed; however, concern for colleagues is also a character necessary for leaders to have. (18) †¢ Motivating people for further self progress and organizational benefit is one of the leader’s most important functions in a team. Hence, this skill should be enhanced and considered a major work for leaders. (19,20) †¢ Empathy for other colleagues concern in the motivational program should be applied. Yes, being able to understand how others feel about the progress procedures should be considered by the leaders. This way they are able to take the challenge of dealing with people’s reactions towards the program and be able to motivate them to take the progressive procedures as well. (25) Yes, by being able to become an ideal leader, a person could be able to encourage other people around him to be able become mote progressive in their own ways. One of the basic reasons why this study has been commenced is the fact that the motivational processes are highly concerned with language classrooms, specifically ESL classes. In this regard, Zoltan Dornyei talks about specific factors of concern especially on the part of the educators when they are dealing with their students. Here are some of the suggestions he mentions: †¢ Be leaders and become role models in class. As the educators show their enthusiasm in teaching, the students too are able to have encouragement to learn the language with enthusiasm as well. †¢ Make the Classroom Environment Lively This could include the ability of the educators to encourage their students to speak out their ideas and their thoughts regarding the issues being discussed which should be of interest to the students depending on their age and their races. This would allow the students understand the language they are trying to learn while enjoying sharing their thoughts at the same time. †¢ Be Open to Suggestions from Students The fact that the students also want to have exposure to the language at a certain level, the educators should consider hearing what they want form the class to be able to help them participate more during discussions. This way, they could become more progressive with their studies as the classes continue. With regards to the direct worker motivation processes, Abraham Maslow has something to say about the theories of motivation that could be utilized in encouraging the people to work hard not only for their own good but for the good of their organization as well. According to him, there are necessary physiological needs of the workers that must be provided by the organizations to be able to get the best out of their employees. Among the breakdown of his hierarchy of needs of employees are three major points of consideration: †¢ Needs of self-actualization As an intrinsic motivation, this factor of concern is directed to an employee’s ability understand that he is of some worth to the organization he is working for. †¢ Preconditions for the basic satisfaction. Also considered as an intrinsic motivation, this concept of encouraging the employees involves the satisfactory aspects of the employees within themselves due to the work they are doing. †¢ Desires to know and understand One of the important factors of self satisfaction is one’s ability to learn more as an additional knowledge to for themselves from their jobs. True, this factor of consideration in motivating the employees helps a lot in making them realize that they have certain benefit form the work they are engaged with. Thus they are motivated to work even better to be able to gain their benefit from their company. On the other hand, Frederick Herzberg talks about external motivation that has to be implied to be able to encourage employees to work at their best. Among the said extrinsic aspects of motivation are : †¢ Achievements †¢ Recognition †¢ Growth and Advancement †¢ Interest in the Job These four factors of consideration helps the employee realize that their abilities are appreciated by their organization and are used as a reason for other’s to follow their work ethics and attitudes. With the use of these suggestions, it could be expected that the classroom procedures would become more productive and more progressive for the capability of the students to use the English Language more effectively. Hence, the programs of learning would be more effective and practical for more and more students who are interested to take the ESL courses that the learning institutions offer. With the utilization of the literatures mentioned herein, the discussion of the issue being tackled in this paper shall be continued towards its completion. CHAPTER III Discussions An ample amount of motivation in the Toronto ESL program offerings have resulted in considerable successful final products. However, the question here is, how much motivation did it take before the educators were convinced to take on the challenges of teaching other races with the ESL programs that has been formulated for the different institutions to include in their learning programs? Certainly, motivating people to take on the challenges of change is not an easy task. According to Andrew Duffy’s report on Canadian learning institutions, Canada’s failing of a number of students who are studying in the said country has been due to the fact that the seriousness upon the program that the students are ought to learn has not been realized much by the students themselves. As a result, educators handling this type of situation also loose their enthusiasm upon the application of the program, which they ought to offer to their students. This situation then called for much motivational processes on the part of the administrators of the learning institutions. The Motivational Procedures Specifically focusing on the institutions in Toronto, Canada, it has been reported that the staffing of ESL teachers has been increased in a matter of time to be able to support the existing teaching force with the other educators that are needed to attend the needs of the students in Toronto. Notifying the educators on how to specifically help the students realize what they have to learn about their chosen courses have made so much difference for the reports which were once reported about Toronto. The Toronto Star reports that in a nationwide survey of some 9,000 high school dropouts in Canada, â€Å"three out of every 10 dropouts leave school because of boredom. † Good grades are no indicator that students will stay in school, as over 30 percent of those surveyed had high marks. Jim Livermore, vice president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation was not surprised. He stated: â€Å"Boredom is more of a factor today than it was 20 years ago because of television. To interest kids everything today has to be glitzy, high tech and showy. † Mr. Livermore feels that some of the brightest minds are not being challenged in school. He added that the â€Å"old way of teaching doesn’t work any more. Rather than lecture-style teaching, we have to get students more involved in learning. † Hence, it has been added in the motivational procedures the educators need to be educate themselves. This education includes teaching strategy enhancement as well as informing the teachers on the real need of the country of having English Speaking citizens. It has been stressed out that the production of students who are able to speak professional business English gives the country a greater chance of being globally competitive, as their employees become world class. Hence, the educators were able to realize the need for the said program. As a result, the educators were motivated to continuously assist their students to becoming highly competent when it comes to using the English language in a professional level. Results of Motivation After the motivational procedures have been implemented, fine results have been received by several Toronto learning institutions. Yes, the application of the learned strategies through the motivational programs, which were commenced, proved to be productive and successful for the students who were able to realize the need for them to progress on their own way. Certainly, it has been observed that much of the motivational tactics that the administrations used for these programs were indeed effective. The motivation that the teachers were able to gain during the training programs has directly affected the way the students view their need to learn their subjects. The fact that the teachers realized the need for the program in their place, the programs became much productive, able to give the students the ample training they need to be able to become competent enough in the usage of the English language. This then helps the Canadian employers to be more at ease as they hire students who were produced by the Toronto learning institutes. STUDENT COMPETENCY RESULTS The existence of fine educator skills, excellent learning environment, and constant encouragement form educators have been able to result to several considerable results on the part of the English speaking skills of the students. The competency of the educators has driven the students to learn more and apply the subjects they have learned to their own everyday lives. It has been more often than not the students were motivated to learn more everyday as they see the enthusiasm from their teachers to help them learn the language and apply the language in their daily activities. The confidence among individual students has also been developed through the educating programs. The process of learning for the students became more accommodating and progressive as it gave attention to their needs and gave importance to their development not only as English speakers but as individuals living in Canada as well. CHAPTER 4 Overall Situational Assessment. With the details of ESL development programs in Canada, specifically in Toronto, listed in this paper, it shows how much motivational procedures aimed towards the educators could contribute so much on the way the students progress in their studies. The effectiveness of the curriculum of English learning offered in institutions of education is highly based upon the enthusiasm of the educators to handle their classes while being able to meet the needs of each of their students. Indeed, teaching students with so much diversity among them is a great challenge to any educator in the learning industry. The consequences though of ample training and motivation with regards to the teaching strategies used by the educators is indeed fruitful and beneficial on the part of the students and the economic growth of the country basing from the competency of the employees produced by the institutions, regardless of the fact that they are native English speakers or not. In this manner, the certainties of the employers on the new graduates of learning institutions become stronger and the results of the job done by these students are much globally competitive as they re able to use the English language in professional applications. Chapter 5 Conclusion From the study that has been presented herein, it is obvious that the situation of organizations is constantly changeable. Most likely, the focus is to continuously make possibilities for changes. TO be effective in facing company challenges in facing grievances and demands of the employees within a certain organization, it is indeed advisable for the human resource management to take necessary steps in creating strategic structure of Human Resources Department Organization. This means that as the HR faces so much turmoil in managing people, the whole body of the HRD should be subdivided into several parts who would be in charged in facing only specific details on the organization’s internal affairs. In this way, the responsibilities would be distributed and the issues would be more focused upon by personnels who are more experienced on the matter at concern. As for example, a certain group within the HRD would be in charged in salary and payment grievances, another on benefits, then another on finances and so on and so forth. Having this structural design of organization would ease the troubles of the Human Resources Department in facing company issues, all at the same time. Surely, the decisions that would be made in this manner would be more thought about and in turn, would become more effective and practical as well. As years continue to progress, employees of organizations become more and more demanding. Because of this, the Human Resource Department is faced with more and more problems, which they are expected to fix. True, the challenges for the HRD continuously grows and as an answer to this, the HR. should also consider continuous development in terms of effective practices in facing issues. Indeed, the Human Resources Management has the most complex and complicated work in an organization. Yet, by the use of strategic approach in facing issues, the Human Resources Management would be able to survive the struggles and emerge victorious in bringing the organizations to prosperous status. BIBLIOGRAPHY Internet Journal Sources: The Community Social Planning Council of Toronto. (2005). Community Voices, Perspectives and Priorities. http://72. 14. 253. 104/search? q=cache:LHaAxJemZSoJ:www. inclusivecities. ca/publication/reports/Toronto-ICC-Report. pdf+ESL+in+Toronto+Canada+reportshl=tlgl=phct=clnkcd=6. (November 7, 2007). The 2003 Atkinson Fellowship In Public Policy. (2003). Class Struggles: Public Education and the New Canadian. http://www. atkinsonfoundation. ca/files/Duffyrev. pdf. (November 7, 2007). A. H. Maslow. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. http://www. advancedhiring. com/docs/theory_of_human_motivation. pdf. (November 7, 2007). Frederick Herzberg. (2006). Human Relations Contributors. http://www. accel-team. com/human_relations/hrels_05_herzberg. html. (November 7, 2007). Books: Don Dinkmeyer. (1995). Leadership By Encouragement. CRC Publishing Company. Zoltan Dornyei. (2001). Motivational Strategies in the Language Classroom. Cambridge University Press. Lewis E. Losoncy.(2003). The Motivating Team Leader. DC Press. Barbara Burnaby. (1992). Socio-Political Aspects of ESL in Canada. Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. JoAnn Phillion. (2002). Narrative Inquiry in a Multicultural Landscape: Multicultural Teaching and Learning (Issues in Curriculum Theory, Policy, and Research). Ablex Publishing. Devon Woods. (1996). Teacher Cognition in Language Teaching: Beliefs, Decision-Making and Classroom Practice (Cambridge Applied Linguistics). Cambridge University Press. Craig Chaudron. (1998). Second Language Classrooms: Research on Teaching and Learning (Cambridge Applied Linguistics). Cambridge University Press. HYBELS. (2003). Communicating Effectively. McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages Jere Brophy. (2004). Motivating Students to Learn (2nd Edition). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; 2nd edition. Irene M. A. Henley. (2004). Aviation Education and Training: Adult Learning Principles and Teaching Strategies. Ashgate Publishing Company. Ken Hultman. (2001). Balancing Individual and Organizational Values: Walking the Tightrope to Success. Pfeiffer; 1st edition. Ezdras Martinez. (1990). Management Theory and Practice. Rex Book Publishing Manila.

Advantages of Time Management

Advantages of Time Management What you accomplish during a 24-hour period depends on your own motivation, your energy, your skills and abilities, and other resources. Since there are always demands on your time, it may be helpful to think about what you will do with your time and to consider some strategies for more effective time management. Time management is not a way to make you work harder and longer, but a means to help you work smarter to accomplish your work more easily and rapidly. Benefits of time management: If you can manage your time more effectively, you will be rewarded in a variety of ways: Efficient: You will be more efficient in serving your district and will be able to support your clubs better. Successful: You will achieve greater success in your very important, and highly visible, role as a Lions Leader. Healthy: On a personal level, you will certainly feel healthier, more energetic, and in a generally better mood. -Obstacles to effective time management: There are a lot of things that make it difficult for us to manage our time effectively. Lets consider some of the most common ones, and see if they apply to us: Unclear objectives: Its hard to hit a target with your eyes closed, and its just as hard to accomplish something when you arent exactly clear about what you want to achieve. Disorganization: Its easy to see when your desk is too messy, but sometimes you have to step back and ask yourself if you are taking an organized approach in completing all of your tasks. Inability to say no: We all want to be as helpful as we can when others need us, but this can mean taking time away from other priorities to do something we may not have planned. Interruptions: Many times we are in the middle of accomplishing something really important and the telephone rings. These calls can not only take you away from your task, but sometimes they interrupt your train of thought and you cant return to where you were without retracing your steps. More interruptions: We all like to visit with others, but conversations at inappropriate times can cost us time when we have to stop what we are doing and redirect ourselves from our plans. Periods of inactivity: As much as we think we are busy, there are times in our day when we are not really doing anything. Recognizing and making use of these times can have a positive effect on our efforts. Too many things at once: Many of our tasks are not routines. They require concentration to detail. When we are attempting to do too many different things at one time, each individual task suffers as a result. Stress and fatigue: Everyone experiences stress from time to time, and sometimes we actually operate a little better when there is some level of stress. Too much stress, on the other hand, causes our work to suffer and wears us down physically and mentally. Dealing with stress is an important part of time management. All work and no play: Most successful people know how to balance work and play. When work takes over your life, you not only give your body little time to re-energize, but you may end up sacrificing the really important things in life like family and friends. What can we do? The obstacles that we face are not insurmountable. Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is to identify that these obstacles exist and are affecting your ability to manage your time. When you have identified your obstacles you can begin to overcome them. Strategies you can use to overcome the obstacles we just examined: Set goals The first, and most important strategy you can employ to manage your time is to set clear goals for yourself. As a Lions leader, you will want to accomplish many things in your time of office. The best favor you can do for yourself is to determine what those goals are and make sure your efforts are always directed toward their achievement. Effective goals share a number of characteristics in common. Effective goals are: Specific: When a goal is too vague, you may never know how to reach it or even when you have reached it. Make sure that you know exactly what you hope to achieve Measurable: When you have a goal that is measurable, you will know how far you have to go to reach the goal, and when you get there Achievable: It is commendable to set your sights high, but sometimes we try to accomplish more than we can actually do. Training and certifying ten Certified Guiding Lions in your district in one year may or may not be achievable at this time for a number of reasons. Your goals should be such that, if you extend yourself you can just reach them. Realistic: Can you establish a program in your district to help everyone with vision problems? It is certainly a worthwhile goal, but it may not be realistic at this time. It might be better to work on setting up a program with schools to provide vision testing and eyeglasses for disadvantaged children. Time-based: Most of the goals that you establish in your position as a Lions leader will not be long-term. It is important to set time guidelines for your goals, so that you can keep track of your progress as you are going along and can be alert to when you are falling behind schedule. Prioritize As a leader in your club or district, you will be faced with many tasks. It is safe to say that you will not be able to do everything, so it is wise to periodically make a list of the tasks that confront you and prioritize them. The following technique may be helpful in prioritizing: Do: Determine from the list the things you think are most important to accomplish, and are things you should do yourself. Delegate: Remember that there many Lions within your district with skills, experience, and motivation to carry out a wide variety of tasks. A truly effective district governor understands that real leaders do not try to accomplish everything themselves and recognizes that some things are better handled by others. Delegating not only frees up your time for other things, it ensures that resources are used wisely and that Lions who want to help are motivated and involved. Delay until another time: Some things can wait. The danger is delaying too many things until deadlines are near. The best policy here is to consider when things are due, how long it will take to accomplish them, and what your current workload will allow. For instance, registrations and request forms that are not yet due could be sent to LCI earlier if you have time. It makes sense to delay things that are not due when you are overburdened and to accomplish them ahead of time when you can. Delete: If you have set goals using the guidelines we mentioned earlier, you may recognize that some of them are not achievable or realistic, or that they are just not important. A good leader knows when to concentrate on the important and eliminate the rest. It is important when you have prioritized your tasks that you: Address the urgent: Take care of things with short-term consequences as soon as possible. Accomplish what you can early: Reports, registrations, requests that can be handled early should come next. Dont put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Attach deadlines to things you delay: When you have determined that something can definitely wait, dont just toss it aside until later. Establish a deadline for the task in your schedule, and make a note to remind you to begin working on it. Organize As you prioritize tasks and set deadlines, you will want to organize your plans and actions. Some of you may be more comfortable using paper and pencil, so I urge you to make use of a planner with a calendar and plenty of space to make notes. Many planners contain not only calendar space, but also room for daily activities, contact information, and to do lists. Find a planner that fits your needs and use it. You will find this to be an indispensable tool for managing your time. Maybe you use, or would consider using, a computer to help in organizing your time. Todays computers often come equipped with software programs that include calendars, task lists, reminders, and contact information. If your computer does not have such a function, software is readily available that you can install. Learn when to say NO The strategies we have mentioned so far have all concerned common business practices. Now I would like to address some more personal strategies that you can apply to your life. These also have a great impact on how effectively you manage your time. The first of these strategies is being able to say NO when it is appropriate. Your life in Lions has always been about giving all that you can to serve your community. That doesnt change, but as your duties expand as a Lions leader you will find you are called on to do much more than you have ever been asked to do before. When you learn to say NO you are not closing the door on your responsibilities, but rather you are making sure that you can meet your commitments and accomplish the maximum possible in the time available to you. To be able to say NO you will have to accept these three principles: * I realize that I cant do everything * I wont agree to undertake a task or project that I know I will not be able to complete in the timeframe required * I will not make commitments that are not consistent with the goals and objectives I have set for myself -Use your waiting time Another personal time management skill is to make good use of your waiting time. Have you ever thought about how much time you spend doing nothing during an average day? Usually this is not a situation where you planned to do nothingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦it just happened. Think about all of the things you could accomplish if you could make use of this time. For instance: Time you spend commuting on a train or bus Time you wait at the doctor or dentist office for your appointment Time you spend on a plane, waiting for your plane, or the time you spend waiting for your baggage Time you spend on hold on the telephone Time you spend when you arrive at work or at a meeting earlier than you had anticipated There are two ways to look at these periods of time. You can either consider them as wastes of time or as gifts of time. If you choose to think of them as gifts of time, you can use them as opportunities to accomplish routine tasks that are necessary, but dont require large periods of time. Most successful people have already found that there are a number of things that they can accomplish while they wait. The trick to making use of your waiting time is to always make sure you have something with you that you can accomplish in the event that you are kept waiting. For instance: Reading correspondence: Take your mail with you and read it while you are waiting or traveling. Some PDAs have e-mail capability, so you can read your e-mail on a train or plane or at the doctors office. Writing letters or memos: While you wait, you can take out a notepad or use a PDA to write letters or memos. This could also be a good time to update your planner. Reading or listening to tapes: Carry a book or magazine or a tape with you. You can also download books and articles to your PDA. There is often no time in your schedule to keep current on books or articles related to your business or to self-improvement. Instead of being impatient when you are delayed, this could be a perfect time to advance your own knowledge and skills. Concentrate on the task at hand You will be juggling many tasks while you serve as a Lions leader. There is no way around this fact. But one important strategy to keep in mind is to concentrate completely on the current task. Concentration can be difficult when you have a lot on your mind. Your time will be better spent if you are able to: Focus on your goal: You may have many commitments and many concerns, but you will accomplish more when you keep focused on the one task you are performing at the moment Tune out interruptions: You will find your concentration is at its highest level when you can set aside times during the day when you will not answer the phone or schedule visitors. You cant isolate yourself all of the time, but by avoiding interruptions for specific periods of time, you may find you can accomplish tasks successfully in far less time than you anticipated. When you must respond to phone calls, be assertive in minimizing interruptions by asking if you can call back at another time or meet another day. Consider your personal prime time Are you one of those people who gets up before the sun rises and starts working? Is the early evening, after the evening meal, your time to work? Or are you someone who prefers to wait until the quiet of the late night hours to do the really hard tasks? Everyone is different. Most research shows that tasks that take the most mental concentration are most effectively accomplished early in the day, but even these studies acknowledge that this is not always true, and that everyone has a personal prime time. When you plan your tasks, think about your own prime time. If you do your best work early, plan to do the routine tasks later in the day and concentrate on the more challenging tasks when you are at your best. If you dont really get going until later, handle the routines in the morning and save the more difficult tasks for later. Celebrate your success Celebrate the achievement of your goals to maintain a healthy balance in life between work and play. Reward yourself when you complete a task or finish a project. If you worked in a team setting, or delegated some tasks to others, reward the efforts of all involved. Celebration is a vital part of all project management. No matter how tight your schedule looks, this is TIME WELL SPENT! Conclusion Finally, as time management skills develop, your stress and anxiety levels will go down and productivity will go up Time management tools which include day planners, to-do lists, weekly and long-term calendars will increase organization and help eliminate procrastination.

Kurt Cobain & Jim Morrison - Poets Of A Generation :: essays research papers

Kurt Cobain and Jim Morrison were more than leads of great bands. They were heros of their generations. They had so many talents and each influenced a multitude of people. Aside from being singers and song writers Kurt was also a musician, guitarist and mass-media phenomenon, and Jim was also a poet, film maker and writer. Their groups also had about a twenty year span in between them. Even though it seems you could not compare them you actually can. Unlike fictional writers their material comes more from their life experiences and feelings. Even though it was different things that affected each one you can still see a pattern of similarity between their lives. They both experienced hardships in their lives and also a few unexpected turns. There was a massive amount of stress put on their lives because not only did they have to worry about what they wrote but also what they said. Live performances were constantly being taped, there were interviews and television shows and specials, newspaper and magazine articles, and also public appearances. To them this also had to become a form of artistry. The publicity and fame that comes to band is far greater than any that would come to just one single writer. This was also a factor in their writings and maybe even in their tragic deaths. Influences for their writings came throughout there whole lives. Even as far back as childhood. Kurt was very damaged from his parents divorce. He once said "I had a really good childhood up until I was nine, then a classic case of divorce really affected me."(www.downer.com quotes) He also confesses " I used to try to make my head explode by holding my breath, thinking that if I blew up my head, they'd [mom and dad] be sorry."(www.downer.com quotes) In a song "Serve the Servants" from In Utero he talks about this by saying " I just want you to know that I/ Don't hate you anymore/ There is nothing I could say/ That I haven't said before/ Serve the servants-oh no/ That legendary divorce is such a bore" As for Jim, he grew up in a military family. His father was in the navy. They were constantly moving and Jim's dad was frequently not home. Jim seemed to grow a lack of respect for his family and authority. In an early fact sheet Jim claimed his f amily to be dead.

Thomas Kings All My Relations :: Essays Papers

Thomas King's All My Relations This is an anthology of writing by nineteen Native Canadian writers, which represents both an attempt to promote Native writing, and an effort to undermine commonly held misunderstandings. It is published by McClelland & Stewart, "The Canadian Publishers", which gives the collection a status of national and cultural importance, while indicating how these writers are working in and through Canada's hegemonic culture. This would seem to go some way towards undermining the book's claims to authenticity, but for the fact that King's stated purpose is much more complex than that. In fact, his introduction specifically considers the concept of the authentic, and is wary of what is potentially a highly limiting notion. Thus, the selection includes work that represents Natives in both traditional and contemporary roles and situations; and the format of the writing ranges from a transcription of an oral narrative to examples of conformity with the generic conventions of the Western short stor y. He is reluctant to constrain the possibilities for Native expression, but is ready to admit that the advent of a written culture with English as a shared language has allowed the various indiginous cultures to discover and explore areas of common belief and practice. Although King believes that it is too early in the history of Native publishing to be able precisely to delineate characteristic patterns, the two major themes which he cites as frequently recurring are those of community and the role of oral literature. He has included a short story of his own in the volume, "The One About Coyote Going West." Coyote is an example of the mythological "Trickster" character who often occurs in Native literature. King himself says "The trickster is an important figure for Native writers for it allows us to create a particular kind of world in which the Judeo-Christian concern with good and evil and order and disorder is replaced with the more Native concern for balance and harmony." (King, xiii) He relates the story in a colloquial, spoken style. Witness the opening lines: " This one is about Coyote. She was going west. Visiting her relations. That's what she said. You got to watch that one. Tricky one." (King, 95) As the story unfolds, the reading expe rience can seem strange for the non-Native. Characters change gender and identity, abstract nouns are blurred with concrete nouns, and the physical universe is represented as a radically unstable place.

Race, Urban Poverty, and Public Policy Essay -- Urban Decay, Urban Poor

The problems of race and urban poverty remain pressing challenges which the United States has yet to address. Changes in the global economy, technology, and race relations during the last 30 years have necessitated new and innovative analyses and policy responses. A common thread which weaves throughout many of the studies reviewed here is the dynamics of migration. In When Work Disappears, immigrants provide comparative data with which to highlight the problems of ghetto poverty affecting blacks. In No Shame in My Game, Puerto Rican and Dominican immigrants are part of the changing demographics in Harlem. In Canarsie, the possible migration of blacks into a working/middle-class neighborhood prompts conservative backlash from a traditionally liberal community. In Streetwise, the migration of yuppies as a result of gentrification, and the movement of nearby-ghetto blacks into these urban renewal sites also invoke fear of crime and neighborhood devaluation among the gentrify ing community. Not only is migration a common thread, but the persistence of poverty, despite the current economic boom, is the cornerstone of all these works. Poverty, complicated by the dynamics of race in America, call for universalistic policy strategies, some of which are articulated in Poor Support and The War Against the Poor. In When Work Disappears, William Julius Wilson builds upon many of the insights he introduced in The Truly Disadvantaged, such as the rampant joblessness, social isolation, and lack of marriageable males that characterized many urban ghetto neighborhoods. In the class discussion, Professor Wilson argues that it is necessary to disassociate unemployment with joblessness, as the former only measures those still s... ...or-eliminating technology -- they are unlikely to be plausible policy alternatives in the current political and high-technology-oriented context. What all these analyses and policy recommendations do require is a universalistic strategy, backed by a broad-based multi-ethnic, multi-class coalition which cuts across ideological and political lines in order to address the problems of race and urban poverty at the dawn of the 21st century. Works Cited David Ellwood Poor Support Herbert Gans The War Against the Poor: The Underclass and Antipoverty Policy Notes 1 Wilson, 28. 2 Ibid, 75-8. 3 Ibid, 216-18. 4 Newman, 292-293. 5 Rieder, 79. 6 Ibid, 173. 7 These definitions of social organization are also found in Wilson, 20. 8 Anderson, 144-45. 9 Wilson, 62. 10 Ibid, 113. 11 Ellwood, 238. 12 Gans, 110-112.

Existence Of God Essay

Proving the existence of God has been an eternal work of philosophers since the days of old. One cannot really give a certain and definite answer to prove God’s existence. Even the traditional arguments of St. Thomas Aquinas has been put to the challenge by modern and contemporary philosophers. Yet despite this unsolved question, the mind has allowed us to discover more the complex realities behind the question on hand. Thus, in this paper allow me to present two ideas of modern philosophers, John Locke and George Berkeley on the question on God’s existence. This is not an exhaustive one but hopefully the necessary arguments are presented. According to John Locke, God has given us no innate ideas of himself; though he has stamped no original characters on our minds, wherein we may read his being; yet having furnished us with those faculties our minds are endowed with, he has not left himself without witness. This is to show that we are capable of knowing, i. e. , being certain that there is a God and how we may come by this certainty. Thus, we need go no further than ourselves, and that undoubted knowledge we have of our own existence. Man is capable of knowing therefore he knows he is something that actually exists in a sense that nothing can no more produce any real being. We are created out of something else. But we cannot trace back the source of our existence because our answers will produce another question. It would lead to â€Å"ad infinitum† there would be series or eternal asking of questions. Hence, Locke posited from eternity there has been something. It is because a temporal being cannot produce another temporal being therefore the one produced us is better than us, â€Å"a knowing being from eternity† whereas being comes from eternity. Other than himself he knows that there is an eternal, most powerful, most knowing being. Finally, Locke tells us that invisible things of God are clearly seen from the creation of the world, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead. According to George Berkeley, it is evident that God is known as certainly and immediately as any other mind or spirit whatsoever distinct from ourselves. We may even assert that the existence of God is far more evidently perceived than the existence of men; because the effects of nature are infinitely more numerous and considerable than those ascribed to human agents. There is not any one mark that denotes a man, or effect produced by him, which does not more strongly evidence the being of that Spirit who is the Author of Nature. For, it is evident that inaffec ting other persons the will of man has no other object than barely the motion of the limbs of his body; but that such a motion should be attended by, or excite any idea in the mind of another, depends wholly on the will of the Creator He alone it is who, â€Å"upholding all things by the word of His power,† maintains that intercourse between spirits whereby they are able to perceive the existence of each other, and yet this pure and clear light which enlightens everyone is itself invisible. All we see are only signs of God but we do not know God directly At the end of the day, we must admit it that no philosophy can provide us with an answer on God’s existence. Every philosophical argument has its own share of strengths and weaknesses. However, despite all these, we continue to believe and obey his commands. Yes, we cannot see Him yet every creation, every corporeal being, every human person should be enough to convince us that there is a Supreme Being, a God who has been with us since the beginning and who will be with us until the end of time!

How to Become a Effective Teacher Essay

In general, education is a term often used to refer to formal education, which covers a range of experiences, from formal learning to the building of understanding and knowledge through day-to-day experiences. In fact, individuals receive informal education from a variety of sources, such as family members, peers, books and mass media. All of them have exerted a strong influence on informal education of the individual. On the other hand, throughout the processes of teaching and learning, education can also refer to a wide variety of discipline such as computer science, chemistry, health science, society and linguistics, etc. Undoubtedly, in almost all societies, attending school and receiving an education is extremely vital and necessary if one wants to achieve success or even want to obtain an entrance ticket to a better social ranking; however, common sense is sometimes hard to learn from the books directly ¾one can have all the book knowledge in certain professional field, but formal education wont get him or her far if a individual dont know how to behave with his or her co-workers, superiors, and or even family members. In my understandings, education should be comprised by formal and informal studies, and should be carried out in the process through out ones lifetime. More importantly, education cannot be succeeded without motivation. A high-quality education is really essential for an individuals success in todays society. Without a good quality education how would the next generation be able to compete for jobs? Todays new technologies are becoming more and more intricate to run. Life is not easy; if you dont have the knowledge as everyone else dose. Most likely, you will not be as successful as the one with the higher education. According to Bonnie Neff, my high school English teacher, knowledge is the key to success! As for me, I know that the knowledge I gained will be a great tool to implement later in the future. Comprehending something new, will let me visualize and expand the knowledge that I already have to a greater extent. There was a discussion in one of my class last year, one of my teachers was telling me about why there were so many students failing, and falling behind on the required subjects. Teachers are confronted with the problem of keeping up with the fast pace at which kids are expected to learn today. That one particular discussion made me wondered what it is like to become a teacher?And what approach does to a teacher have to take to get to students, to come up with ideas to help their student to stay on the right track? With a strong effort by teachers even the most limited student can have a higher education. Now, that Im tutoring in an elementary, kindergarten to be exact. Ive been helping Mrs. Le with her students for about two months. In her classroom, I was pretty amazed by the way how her students were so eager and enthusiastic while learning something new. Ive realized that once you pull off the difficult challenge of providing the student needs, its a breather to know that, youve done your job. Now, your student feels like he can accomplish any goals he or she sets for. In my opinion, I think that this is why teachers love their job because theyre passing down the knowledge that he or she had collected and are making a difference in their students life. It takes a lot of hard work to become a good teacher. Good teachers must not only know their subject matter extremely well but also be sensitive to their students feelings to ensure that everyone in the class feels that they can be successful. (Calhoun 11). A successful teacher starts with the proper credentials. The road to become a competent and certificated teacher is both challenging and rewarding. (Shockley and Cutlip 21). In order, for you to become a teacher you have to decide upon a major and a minor teaching field. Your major is the area of the studies in which you will become most expert on. It requires more courses, more time, more work, and more attention but it will pay off to a great extent in the future. (Shockley, and Cutlip 43). You need to make a choice on the grade level or subject area for your major. You can either choose to teach in an elementary school, secondary school, or college. During the years of college you have to take curriculum requirements such as: general education, fine arts, humanities, history, science, mathematics, and social science. A typical college, which operates on a semester basis, requires 123 total credits hours for a bachelors degree. (Shockley, and Cutlip 22). In addition, prospect teachers face challenge during the early years of teaching. Getting accustomed to the hard work required in the classroom and responsibilities involved in teaching can be extremely tough for new teachers. (Calhoun 8). There are specific traits and qualities that can be useful to help and understand what the students are going through. You must have patience, creativity, preparation, and discipline. Last, to get an insight view of being a tutor I had an interview with Gabriel Melano, a Communication studies tutor in Sacramento City College and readying tutor at the Sacramento Unified District. Whether, you deiced to teach in an elementary school, high school or in college just have in mind that you need to have patience and creativity with all of your students. When you are trying to help someone learn, having patience is an essential necessity (Calhoun 14). These students are undergoing vast developmental changes that require a lot of attention and sensitivity. (Calhoun 22). At the early childhood level, teaching these youngsters is less focused on curriculum and content and more on motivating the children to learn and influencing their self esteem. The teacher must establish an environment conducive to learning on which developing mind can grow and expand. (Calhoun 20). Teaching in high school filled with teenagers is a bit different than teaching younger kids. Not just the age different, but also they way these teens think of themselves. You must understand that, during this stage of development, teens are seek their own personal style and identity. (Calhoun 24). A High school teacher must be able to inspire and motivate so that the learning will continue to take place despite all of the other challenges that the students are facing. (Calhoun 25). Having a keen understanding of this age group and being familiar to how students develop affects his or her learning style. Some student might be afraid to speak up to ask for help. By having patience is a way to gain the insight thought of your students need of learning. Every child learns differently so donÂ’t ever come to a conclusion. Youngster absorbs information and develops skills at his or her pace. (Keogh 3). Youngster might be confused with the way how you are trying to teach a specific subject. By being creative and trying to figure out tiny ways to help your students to comprehend show that youre willing to do what it takes for him or her to learn. The activities are much more teacher-directed as in the rest of the school program, and pencil-and- paper tasks are required for sustained period of time. (Calhoun 57). Letters names, letter recognition, colors, shapes, sizes, games, and other relationships are expected of kindergarten students. (Calhoun 57). If a student is a visual learner teacher can use flash cards with pictures to get through a point of what they are trying to get them to know. Teachers can make teaching fundamental for students. Teachers can use different ideas of how to approach something they are trying to teach and find many different ways to help students learn. Students know the name of the subject, and they can use their imagination to present the material in the way that student can understand. (Calhoun 14). By having, creativity is what makes the classroom come alive, and it is what helps student learn and appreciate learning. (Calhoun 15). Teachers who are models of organization and preplanning not only help their students learn but also show them how to be organized themselves. (Calhoun 16). When a teacher shows that he or she know what is important, then the student will be more responsible in doing their work. Designing a good lesson plan help put with time consuming because you already got everything all set. As students grew older you might have to be more discipline. This age of groups is extremely active, and the learning environment must be challenging for them. (Calhoun 22 and 23). If a student tends to get bored, they can find their own avenues for relieving themselves from boredom. They usually, take the form of some kind of classroom disruption. When this happens, you have to find a way to prevent this from happening again. For younger kids, all it takes for them to stop playing or goofing around is when you tell them that you plan on calling his or her parents and have a little talk with them with the way how he or she is behaving inappropriate. So, once a young kid hears that treat about calling her or his parents the kid usually start to pay attention again. When it comes to high school teenager it doesnt work that way. In ways, high school teenagers need more discipline to control their behavior. This is the age where they feel to overwhelm with everything. Having a good communication with the teenager can help you understand why they tend to act up in the classroom. On my interview with Gabriel Melano I had asked him a few questions about being a mentor. The first question that I had asked him was, what inspired you to become a tutor? He responded, During elementary school I started helping other students out and it made me felt good inside about myself. Knowing that you make a difference on someone elses life and their gratitude just makes me feel like I have a good purpose in life. The next question that I had asked him was, What has been his biggest challenge so far? He responded, My biggest challenge as a tutor has been motivating children who many have given up on. There are students who set their mind and wont even try to learn. It makes me sad to see someone so young being pessimistic. The next question that I had asked was, Do you feel like you have accomplished anything so far? Gabriel, I am happy to say that every time when a student succeeds I succeed. I also learn a great deal from every student to work with. Last, question that I had asked Mr. Gabriel, Do you have any type of skills to make teaching easier? His answer: Patience with kids.Teachers are the people who are able to bring out the best in others. These are the people that can be able to combines two important types of learning and making the best out of it. When students feel unsuccessful and under-appreciated, they can lose their desire to work hard and can begin to believed that they are less talented or worthy than their classmates. (Calhoun 11). Teachers who possess quality by having patience, creativity, and discipline often receive visits and letter of gratitude from their students long after they have graduated. Teachers should be more appreciated from all those hard work that they put us through. Our teachers wanted us the students to feel more prepare as we go on with the next challenge ahead of us. They were leading our hand to face the Reality of this world called life. Thank you so much for all the things that youve done for us to be where we are at right now.

Freakonomics Essay Essay

The most interesting excerpt of â€Å"Freakonomics† was the connection made between crime rates and abortions. This passage was fascinating for a few reasons. The first reason being that it makes absolute and complete sense, so much so that it should be common sense. This correlation between the legalization of abortion and the rate of crime going down is so simple, yet so incredibly profound. This piece of information, if used correctly, can totally obliterate the argument that pro-choice is a negative thing for society. On a more personal note, I found the concept that the crime rate really is not as high as it was in the 90’s to be encouraging. One thing I really do not enjoy is when an adult says something along the lines of, â€Å"The world really isn’t what it used to be,† when referring to safety. As much as I do understand that â€Å"back in the day† things were much more relaxed and safer, all I can do is accept how the world is now and not let it get in the way of my life. With the decline of the crime rate in the 90’s due to abortion, it is a great feeling to think that where our world is, safety-wise, is not at its lowest point, and therefore we know that it can be handled. Overall I really enjoyed this book. Even the parts I did not like very much still caught my attention. An example of this is the section pertaining to how real estate agents may not try their very hardest to get you the best deal. Although this makes absolute sense in the simplest manner, much like everything in this book, it is not the easiest to stomach. While the real estate agents only lose a couple hundred dollars in commission, a buyer or seller can lose thousands of dollars because of an antsy real estate agent. Another example of a part that I did not like was the excerpt on the teachers cheating for their students. I was completely put off by this because in the end, the students ended up in a worse spot than where they were original. Standardized testing is put in place to make sure that no children fall too far behind in school. While I don’t believe in all of the repercussions of standardized testing such as lack of funding for low scores or teachers solely teaching to the test, I do believe that standardized testing does serve a really important purpose in schools. Standardized testing is a benchmark that the teachers should strive to reach for with  every child in their class. This testing ensures that kids are learning the fundamentals needed throughout life, such as reading comprehension and critical thinking. The fact that the teachers were cheating for their children proved that the teachers did not believe they have done a good enough job at teaching these fundamentals. These teachers therefore, while they believe the contrary, are doing a disservice to their students. The biggest thing I learned from â€Å"Freakonomics† was that economics is simple, sometimes so simple in fact that the general public a majority of the time over thinks it. Not only that, but economics can also be extremely interesting. This is because at the core of economics, is us. When I say us I mean, us, the people that buy and sell and keep the economy going. Without us, the economy would not exist. So essentially, the study of economics is the study of people and the decisions we make.

Belonging speech Essay

It is with a kind of fear that I begin to write the story of my life. I have, as it were, a superstitious hesitation in lifting the veil that clings about my childhood like a golden mist. The task of writing an autobiography is a difficult one. When I try to classify my earliest impressions, I find that a fact and fancy look alike across the years that link the past with the present. A few impressions stand out vividly from the first few years from my life but â€Å"the shadows of disappointments and getting hurt are on the rest†. Besides, many of the joys and sorrows of childhood have lost their poignancy; and many incidents of vital importance have been forgotten in the excitement of great memories. In order, therefore, not to be tedious I shall try to present in a series of sketches only the episodes that seem to me the most interesting and important. I was born on June 2, 2000, at the San Juan De Dios Hospital, a hospital in the town of Pasay. The family on my father’s side are natives of China, who settled in the Philippines. My grandfather, Roberto arrived at the shores of Leyte and finally settled there. I have been told that he visited his brother to trade goods twice a year, and my grandmother has in her possession many of the letters to his family, which gave charming and vivid accounts of these trips. My father, Alvin , is a chef in Sydney, and my mother, Norilyn , was of the same age. Her family has lived in Nueva Ecija, Philippines, for many years. I lived, up to the time my mother and father started having issues, in a cosy two-storey house consisting of two big bedrooms and a moderately- sized one in which the maids slept. We also had a garden at the front porch which consisted of orchids, sampaguitas and ylang-ylang. The beginning of my life was simple and much like every other little life. I came, I saw, I conquered, as the first baby in the family always does. There was the usual amount of discussion as to a name for me. My father suggested the name Korina Sanchez, the name of news reporter he idolized, not everyone agreed to his suggestion. My mother solved the problem by finding a name for me in the university graduates catalogue from the newspaper, Celine. To make up to my father, she decided to give me a second name, Kaye, my paternal grandmother’s name. I am told that while I was still a toddler I showed many signs of an eager and confident nature. Everything that I saw other people do I insisted upon imitating. At six months I could say, â€Å"Mama, Papa† and one day I attracted everyone’s attention by saying â€Å"Te, Te, Te† which probably meant Ate (Big Sister). They tell me I walked the day I was a year old. My mother had just taken me out of the bath-tub and was holding me in her lap, when I was suddenly attracted by the flickeri ng shadows of leaves that danced in the sunlight on the smooth floor. I slipped from my mother’s lap and almost ran toward them. The urge gone, I fell down and cried for her to take me up in her arms. These happy days did not last long. One summer season, rich in fruit and orchids, sped by and left their gifts on the feet of an eager child; the rainy season has finally come. One rainy evening, I turned as white as sheet and as cold as ice. My parents soon rushed me to the hospital. The doctor diagnosed me of pneumonia and asthma. They thought I would not live, but with extensive care and the help of antibiotics I fought through it. I fancy I still have confused recollections of that illness. I especially remember the tenderness with which my mother tried to soothe me in my waking hours of fret and pain, and the agony and the bewilderment with which I awoke after tossing and turning in my sleep. Gradually, the pain faded away and I got better. During the first few years of my life, I had caught glimpses of people,a luminous sky, trees, flowers and my neighbourhood. If we have once seen, â€Å"the day is ours, and what the day has shown.† The Start of my Journey to the Outside World During the years that I grew up, things gradually changed. I grew and learned more about my life, seeing the world in a whole new perspective. My mother taught me everything that I know of. My hands felt every object, communicated with other people and observed every motion, and in this way I learned to know many things. A shake of the head meant â€Å"No† and a nod â€Å"Yes†, a pull meant â€Å"Come† and a push â€Å"Go†. I also learned new words such as bread, ice cream and book. My mother, moreover, succeeded in making me understand a great deal. I always knew when she wished me to bring her something, and I would run upstairs or anywhere else she indicated. Many accidents of those early years are fixed in my memory, isolated, but clear and distinct, making the sense of that silent, aimless daily life more intense. One day, I was staying at my grandmother’s house. We were eating lunch at that time, rice and chicken adobo with a glass of Coca Cola, whilst eating, I accidentally spilled my cup. To teach me a lesson, my grandmother didn’t give any more servings of the soft drink. At that time, the Coca Cola bottles were still made of glass. After we finished, she stood up and went to wash the dishes. Being the mischievous little girl I was, I quickly tiptoed to the refrigerator and took the bottle out. At that moment, a thought overcame me and I began to furiously shake the bottle up and down with my chubby little hands. Due to the little water droplets that covered the bottle, it slipped from my grasp. Glass shards flew everywhere and I was bombarded with cuts and my grandmother’s sermon. That accident is still vivid in my memory and it also made a scar that I still carry as of this day. When I was about five years old, we moved from the two-storey house to a town house consisting of three floors where I stayed from preschool up until Year5. The family consisted of my mother, my father and me. My earliest recollection of my father is making m way through great drifts of newspapers to his side and finding him alone, holding a sheet of paper before his face. I was greatly puzzled to know what he was doing. I imitated this action, even wearing his reading glasses, thinking they might help solve the mystery. But I did not find out the secret for several years. Then I learned what those papers were, and that my father was looking for jobs to go to another country. My father was most loving and indulgent, devoted to his home, seldom leaving us. Alas, certain circumstances happen that calls for desperate measures. My father was accepted to become a chef in either the U.S.A. or Australia. After much consideration, he left us to start a new career. I’ve never seen him all throughout the rest of my childhood and school years. He called us, me and my mum, at least once a month. I missed him dearly hoping he would be there every time I get something right or make my mum proud. Early Education and an unforgettable trip Meanwhile the desire to express myself grew. The words and body language I’ve learned became less and less adequate, and my failures taught me not to make the same mistakes all over again. My mother taught me more to quench my thirst for knowledge and even gave me my first book. After that occurrence, I gradually became a bookworm. On my birthdays, I received books as gifts from my relatives. At that moment, things changed. I grew to love books more than playing like my peers. I grew up in a town house neighbourhood. There weren’t any children in my neighbourhood, hence my independence. It was lonely at first but my books and my grandma kept me company. To help me, my mom started to teach me the alphabet. At first, it was hard but practice makes perfect. Every afternoon, she would then ask me to recite the whole alphabet and after a few weeks, until I finally perfected it. My mother is a very persistent and studious woman. She has always persuaded me to study ever since my second birthday. I still remember those days when I didn’t study enough or was too lazy to say it orally; I would be locked out of the house until I learn it. Ever since that day, I strive to be the best I can be. Then, one day, things took a turn for the better. My uncle, Eduardo Lim, who was currently residing in Johannesburg, South Africa, gave my mom a job opportunity. Things went and papers were filed soon after. A couple of months later we were on board the Qatar Airlines and zooming to get my first glimpse of my new home. Upon arrival, we were escorted to big mansion where my uncle lived. It was lavish and with high security. There were also three canine dogs. After the introductions and formalities, my uncle doted on me and soon after enrolled me to a preschool. My mom used to tell me that when I was a toddler, I used to greet people all the time. And if I get the chan ce, maybe, steal a peck on the cheek or a hug; as a child, I was a cheeky little monkey and was always getting into trouble. There was the time when I made a peanut butter sandwich without anyone’s knowledge and ate it with the dogs that were taller than me. It was all fun then, but everything comes to an end. After two summers, my mother decided to go back to the Philippines to start my education. In the Philippines, school starts at June and ends in March. Our holidays consisted of Christmas , New Year, The Day of the Dead and the two- month long one(March-June). Upon our arrival on May 2005, my mom perused me even more to study harder and so I did. My mom enrolled me to St. Stephen’s High school to start my education. It is a Christian Chinese School. I managed to get top marks on my entrance exam. There was a disadvantage though, the school was really far. To remedy this problem, I need to wake up at 4:00 am. It was really tiring but it was worth the effort. I met new friends, learned new stuff and boosted my stamina to a whole new level. In this school, everyone is competitive to rise above the rest. Rivalries and Competitions are normal in this school, especially with mothers. Here, there are no top classes or anything of that matter. Everyone and I mean every single student has at least one tutor. My tutoring sessions lasted for 5 hours a day during my stay there. Finally the year has finished, and I reaped my rewards. I stayed under their tutelage for two years, striving to be the best. Hence my schools motto, â€Å"We are the best, among the rest†. For the first year, I received awards for being the fourth place in my entire year. For the second though, through excessive studying and my mother’s perusal, I finally managed to grasp the concept of being at the top. Due to certain circumstances, I moved schools. I cried with my best friend that day, when I received the news. She was the closest friend I ever had at that time, and it breaks my heart to part with her. Alas, life goes on I recall many eve nts that happened soon after. I did nothing but explore and learn the name of every object that I saw; and the more I handled things and learned their names and uses, the more joyous and confident grew my sense of kinship with the rest of the world. When the time came for my first day of grade school, I had my first lessons in Science and History. I learned how the sun and the rain make to grow out of the ground every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, how birds build their nest, my country’s past, how the deer, the lion, the squirrel and every other creature finds food and shelter. As my knowledge of things grew I felt more and more the delight of the world I was in. Moving on & still going strong Being a new girl in a whole new different school has been a scary concept for me. My mother opted for a new approach to my schooling. She enrolled me to Malate Catholic School where I had been studying for about a third of my life. The concept of being a new girl is that you tend to be at the bottom class. Hence, my first day wasbeing at the bottom class. The very next day, though, I was immediately told to collect my things because I was moving to the top class due to some sort of intellectual reason. I studied long and hard, maybe trying to prove myself. In this school, they calculate your ranking by term. In the first quarter, I rose to be the fourth placer, being the demise of some people who had Malate Catholic School as their Alma Mater from the start. The commencement of grade school has always one-of-a-kind experience for me. It started a series of events that I will forever treasure. Year II The start of Year II started pretty much like nay year. I studied hard, vied for top marks and gave the teachers incentive. I managed to ace every single subject, my teacher told me to go to the Department of Education to get acceleration. I received top marks for the end of the year test just as I hoped and went to get the acceleration test soon after. After much anticipation, I received my marks and it said that I am able to move up to Year4 or Year5. My mother chose the Year 4 option after much consideration. The following year changed my whole life. Year IV I met new friends, teachers and classmates. My whole class were pretty much older than me by a year. One day, my friends started teasing me that I wouldn’t be able to beat their top one from Year 3 but I studied long and hard with my mother’s guidance to prove them wrong. In the end of the school year, I became the top one, president of three clubs (maths, science and GSP), won all the academic competitions in flying colours. My inspiration for that year was my teacher’s quote, â€Å"I doesn’t matter how much you learn from this year. What matters are the lessons you learn from your mistakes.† Year V At the start of the school year, my teacher opted to choose me for presidency in the Student Council Board Members. I had to campaign this year to commence the election for the following year. My team gave out chocolates and other incentives to secure our place in the election. It was a really fun experience but in the end it was all for naught. It was then that my father went back to the Philippines. Ha came bringing with him the tidings of the past and his plan for a better future. We were to migrate to Australia the month I finished Year 5. At first I was devastated, everything that I worked so hard for; my academics, competitions and clubs; all for the grand finale of a graduation; gone down the drain of broken dreams. I had always dreamed of having my dad beside me on my graduation day, filled with pride for all of my achievements and I was most certainly not expecting this. It was all a turn for the worst, my worst nightmare came true, my hopes on getting a scholarship crushed before my eyes. It was all too much to bear, but things took an unexpected turn. My mother found out that she was pregnant with my brother. There was a lot of rejoicing for the impending wait for the first male child. Gradually, the time came for her to give birth. The Big Surprise At precisely 4 am on the 29th of January, my brother, Samuel, was born. He was a cute little bugger with two dimples that were to die for. Everyone fawned over him and being an only child for more than a decade, I felt left out. Gradually, I became more and more distant from my mother because she spent her undivided attention to my brother. It triggered my jealousy then and there. I grew to love and hate him at the same time till the most awaited day arrived.. Finally, after much anticipation, I am finally leaving the past I worked so hard to create with the help of my mother and start on a new slate. I packed my bags, went to the airport with my mother and boarded the plane in time for a long flight. At approximately 10:00 pm, 4th of April 2012, we arrived at the Sydney International Airport. My father came and escorted us to my new home. We drove off and I watched the change of scenery as it passed me by. I observed a quiet and vast landscape with trees and pigeons hovering above m head. It was a complete contrast to the hustle and bustle in my old neighbourhood. My First Day of High School The commencement of a new chapter of my life began that day. I was a naive little girl and a nervous wreck that day. I was going to be introduced to a foreign environment with no idea of what to expect whatsoever. I did my morning duties and went to school. My mother assured me that I need not to be afraid and so with an eager feeling I had my first glimpse of my new school, Canterbury Girl’s High school. At first, I felt left out because most of my classmates have already settled in and being a new girl I was pretty much a loner. To solve the problem, Mr. Anderson introduced me to Minh Doan who eventually became my friend. The concept of rollcall gave me a lot of confusion because it was the first time I have heard of the term. I finally settled in with high spirits for the following day. Friendships & Alliances â€Å"Friends may come and friends may leave but they are our friends and we will love them forever.† Over time, I met people and friendships were created. Their personalities were all different but I trust & love them all the same. Chenhui is the organized and responsible one. You can rely on her when anything needs to be done or for advice when you need one. Stephanie is the logical one and sleepyhead. She tends to sleep due to sleep deprivation from previous nights but when it comes to answering a test she will be on a roll. There’s Linda the temperamental and idle one. She’s the most carefree one among the five of us because she doesn’t care that much about schoolwork and be sure not to be near her when she gets angry. Kezang is the patient thinker. She holds us together through and through with her patience and intellectual skills. In my outer circle, I also found people who I can have intellectual conversations, verbal sparring and enjoyment with. Anna is the one with mathematical skills and the strongest one. She solves mathematical problems with ease and never backs done a challenge when it comes to testing her strength. Nabila and Jill are the ones who I can have intellectual conversations with. They know and feel my passion for books especially if it is about Harry Potter. For every act of discipline comes a troublemaker, Tina Gavin. She breaks rules occasionally within her line of reason but amidst all her mischievous ways she has a soft side that she reveals to people she knows she can trust. She adds the spice and arguments that greatly entertains the class but has certain consequences much to the teacher’s chagrin. I love my friends and I would wish for nothing more. They have helped go through my hectic schedule, the stress of schoolwork and even helping me leave the shell of the person I used to be. My education started at Canterbury Girls’ High School on the year 2012 without knowing the adventures tha t will expand my knowledge of everyday life and how to â€Å"seize the day†. My own perspective of the way things are changed from that day onwards. I have learned about The Aboriginal perspective and their way of life. Mathematics became a form of innovation with complicated calculations involved. Events also happened among the staff of great importance. Ms.Salakas and Ms. Hunter were both betrothed in Year 7. Teachers came and went while imparting with me the most valuable treasure; knowledge, something that cannot be taken away from me. Mr. Sim, Ms.Moodie and Mr.Kazzi taught me maths in varying methods and for some reason they all seem to have a humorous flair that never ceased to make me laugh. Ms. Barry, Ms. Slattery and Ms.Magoffin widened my vocabulary and eventually made me verbose or eloquent; or so that is what my friends thought. Ms.Salakas taught me Incan history packed with fun-filled activities without any heavy burden but it was Mr. Robertson who pioneered my knowledge in Aboriginal History. He made every lesson fun and interesting. There was this one time where we had to improvise with aluminium foil for our topic about chivalry. We had a goodbye party for him to conclude the year and to thank him for all the memories and laughter forever etched in our hearts. I suppose there were also the times when some of my teachers get angry due the class’ antics but in the end it was all for our benefit. They all made me laugh once in a while imparting knowledge, skills and experiences that were invaluable. I could never thank them enough for teaching me and guiding me on things I do not understand. Another Twist in the story In the middle of Year 8, earth-shattering news came. My mother was pregnant for the second time. At precisely, 6:00 am, the 13th of September 2013 Elizabeth Nicole was introduced to this world. We were 13 years apart. It seemed ironic at that time because it she was also born on a Friday the 13th. She was the cutest little thing at 7 months. I took turns on taking care of her during the holidays, it was hard and being an amateur made it even more difficult. My babysitting schedule was both informative and interesting. I learned new life skills which can help me when I start my own family in the probable future. The start of Year 9 opened up a new door for possibilities and surprises. New Subjects such as History Elective and Work Education had been introduced. I had new teachers, some familiar and others unfamiliar. Year 9 has been stressful compared to the previous years with a huge amount of workload. Luckily, my family and friends support all the way. A Way to pass Time For as long as I could remember, I have alwaysbeen an indoor person. It was all because of my mother’s over protectiveness when I was still the only child. My love and passion for books started when I was nine years old. My cousin, Lirashen introduced me to the series of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It was a highly suspenseful and captivating series that bound me to read it over and over again. Over time, I have read the Artemis Fowl, The Nicholas Flamel series and much more. My love for volleyball started during the summer holiday of 2008 when my cousin from Canada visited us. She taught me the basic skills of volleyball and the gist of it. Jennifer was the most extraordinary player I have ever seen. She moves with easy grace combined with her exceptional skill. From that day onwards, I have shared her love and passion for the sport and plays volleyball to this day. My Hope for a Better Future â€Å"Our future can be determined by us and us alone. Ever since I was little I have always dreamed of being a doctor. My desire only grew when I went to grade school as my knowledge about the subject broadens.I am still unsure about my plans about the future but I have vague recollections of my plans from the previous years. My parents have been always telling to pursue a medical degree, and if possible an orthopaedic doctor. Now that I am in Year 9, I want to pursue a career in medicine. In my perspective, people cannot plan for an exact result; there would always be obstacles in the way no matter what. â€Å"Great Expectations lead to Disappointments†, my mother once told me. My father on the contrary told me that, it does not matter how great your expectations are as long as you persevere and have faith that you will go through every obstacle that comes in your way no matter what happens. My Life My life has been a series of winding paths and inevitable occurrences. Who would have thought that after a decade of waiting that there would still be a possibility of me having a sibling? Miracles have happened in my life in the most surprising circumstances and for that I am thankful. I have met people who helped me see the world in a whole new perspective. I made mistakes it h past but that is all part of growing up. I travelled across the world from Africa to Asia witnessing cultural perspectives unfolding before my eyes. Stereotypes were blurred as I discovered that every person is unique in their own way. Life can be relentless and cruel at times but in the end lessons are learnt. I don’t regret a single day of my life as I divulge trough hardships and laughter. I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul. My family helped through my ups and downs. They made life worth living for and I don’t know what I would do without them. Belonging, what is it? I believe belonging is when you can say that you are a part of something, when you have a group or a club or even a lifestyle that other people share. In short, I believe that a sense of belonging can be found in the things or people that have shared the same experiences, both good and bad, because we can identify ourselves in those people. Today we will be exploring this idea of belonging in two texts; one is the of poems â€Å"Feliks Skrzynecki† and â€Å"St Patrick’s College†, by Polish-born Australian poet, Peter Skrzynecki, and the other text is the 2012 movie â€Å"Wreck it Ralph†, directed by Rich Moore. The poems â€Å"St Patricks College† and â€Å"Feliks Skrzynecki† both deal with the notion of self-isolation and an inability to relate to the people that surround a persona. In both poems, we can assume that the persona is Peter Skrzynecki himself. In â€Å"Feliks Skrzynecki† he talks about how he could never relate to his father and his father’s friends when they would reminisce of their lives in Poland. He feels a sense of distance between himself and his parents’ culture that, as he says in the poem, he â€Å"inherited unknowingly†. In the poem â€Å"In the folk museum†, dissociation from a culture is also portrayed, but this time it is about the persona’s lack of connection to the Australian culture. The persona describes the things he sees in the museum as if they are foreign and unknown to him, so much so that he has to read the names of the objects to know what they are. A reason why the poet doesn’t feel he can relate may be because he doesn’t share the same experiences and doesn’t have the same traditions and customs that other people, both his Eastern European parents had and his Australian culture, would have shared. He can’t relate, or reminisce, or appreciate either of his two cultures, because he has never known enough about them to have an emotional attachment, and it is this lack of attachment that prevents him fr om feeling a sense of inclusion. The sense of exclusion from a group is also present in the film â€Å"Wreck It Ralph†. Ralph, who was the â€Å"bad guy† in an arcade game, was constantly ostracised from the rest of the characters in the game. He lived on a pile of bricks far away from everyone else. He, like Peter Skrzynecki, was often segregated from everyone else, except in the film, the exclusion was  intentional. In the same way Skrzynecki couldn’t help not being able to relate to his father, Ralph couldn’t help but break things, and the more he broke things, the more he would be distanced from the others in the game. He would have felt helpless and isolated, and his hunger to belong with everyone else is what made him escape his game in search of a medal to prove with worth. In one scene of the movie, Ralph is seen attending a â€Å"Bad-Anon†, a support group for the villains in the arcade games. Here he is able to communicate his ideas and feelings to people who feel the same and go through the same things. Ralph can identify himself in the support group because they all share the same experiences. This act of comradery indicates that Ralph does in fact know how to connect to others, but that his problem is that there is simply no-one for him to establish that friendship with. Another protagonist in the film, Vanellope, also suffers from isolation and exclusion. When she meets Ralph, she expects him to exclude her as other people do, but upon learning that he too is a rejected outcast, she reaches out to him and they become friends. This is a good example of how past experiences influence where we feel we belong. Their bond strengthens as the plot progresses, and as both Ralph and Vanellope grow closer and closer, their personalities grow and they develop trait that they didn’t have before they had friends. Vanellope gains a sense of assertiveness, and Ralph learns to respect and consider people’s feelings. The characters in both the poems and the film both show the concept of not belonging. It is a theme that appears in art and modern media constantly, and portrays the idea that our experiences, both good and bad, influence who or where we feel we belong. We all root for the ones that overcome obstacles and win battles despite having disadvantages. We all root for the underdog; because we, as an audience, identify ourselves in them; because we have all, at one point or another, felt the same.