Comparison of the Ethical Theories of Kant, Bentham and Mill

This paper intends to look into the theory of ethics of Immanuel Kant, Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill and compare them from one another. In addition to that, it also aims to mention the uncertainty which have arisen as I tackled these theories.Immanuel Kant’s Theory of Ethics: FormalismAccording to Immanuel Kant’s Theory of Ethics, a deed is right if the acts involved in the progression are also right (Thomson Gale, 2008, n.p.). Simply put, â€Å"the end is only just if the means are as well† (Thomson Gale, 2008, n.p.).Jeremy Bentham’s Theory of Ethics: Ethical UniversalismAccording to Jeremy Bentham, his theory of ethics otherwise known as â€Å"ethical or moral universalism† is instituted upon â€Å"utility† which he categorically defines as â€Å"that property in any object, whereby it ends to produce benefit, advantage, pleasure, good, or happiness or to prevent the happening of mischief, pain, evil, or unhappiness to the party whose i nterest is considered† (Bentham, 1948, p. 126). In turn, the aforesaid concept of â€Å"universalism† is established by looking into the following hypotheses/assertions/principles:1)Jeremy Bentham asserts that the following terminologies: â€Å"a) pleasure; b) happiness; c) goodness; d) benefit; e) advantage; 5) etcetera† are of the same value so to speak (Germino, 1972, pp. 235 – 236);2)Jeremy Bentham reiterates that the following terminologies: â€Å"a) pleasure; b) happiness; c) goodness; d) benefit; e) advantage; 5) etcetera† are actually gauged, thus, calculable and irrefutable as well (Germino, 1972, pp. 235 – 236);3)Jeremy Bentham argues that an individual’s act, as well as, the actions of the government ought to be founded or rooted upon the imperative which actually takes complete advantage of gratification and dwindles pain (Germino, 1972, pp. 235 – 236); and that4)Finally, â€Å"it is the greatest happiness of the gr eatest number that is the measure of right and wrong of human action in every situation, and in particular when governmental action is called for† (Germino, 1972, pp. 235 – 236).John Stuart Mill’s Theory of Ethics: Utilitarianismâ€Å"Utilitarianism†, according to John Stuart Mill, is where morals/ethics/good deeds are based/founded/instituted upon (Ebenstein & Ebenstein, 1991, p. 580). The reason behind this claim is that, deeds are only correct or proper if and only if the at the end of it happiness is achieved/felt and wrong or improper if and only if at the closing stage of the deed wretchedness   is reached (Ebenstein & Ebenstein, 1991, p. 580).That being said, happiness for John Stuart Mill is equivalent to the absence of unhappiness or any kind of negative emotion (Germino, 1972, p. 240). While, wretchedness for him, is when the occurrence of pain/ache/hurt is present at the finish of a certain deed (Germino 1972, p. 240).ComparisonImmanuel Kantâ €™s theory of ethics is known as formalism, while that of Jeremy Bentham’s is known as ethical universalism, and that of John Stuart Mill is that of Utilitarianism which differ from each other a little since Kant reiterates that an act is good only if the process utilized to reach that is ethical as well; while Bentham is based on the number of people going to benefit happiness from; on the other hand, Mill states that an act is right if one ends up being happy (Germino, 1972, p. 240).Confusion/Uncertainty which have ArisenThere is a certain concept that is a little confusing, for instance, why is it that the number of population achieving happiness is important to Bentham when it should be enough that an individual becomes happy due to an ethical act being carried out (Germino, 1972, p. 240)? It gets confusing because instead of focusing on the quality of happiness, the ethical theories were focused on the quantity (Germino, 1972, p. 240).ReferencesEbenstein, W. and Eben stein, A. (1991). Great Political Thinkers: Plato to the President.Forth Worth: Harcourt BraceGermino, D. (1972). Machiavelli to Marx: Modern Western Political Thought. Chicago:University of Chicago Press:

Does the Media Control the Public?

Media, it is the main means of communication, as radio and television, newspapers, and magazines that reach or influence people widely. Anyone who controls any form of media has vast amounts of power over the public. A simple news story can change society’s opinion over a certain topic. However, without the media, we would not get an insight into controversies that are happening half way around the world. If it weren’t for the media, dictators would not be brought to their knees, and answer to the crimes that they have committed. Whether we know it on a conscious level or not, we are being influenced by the media, whether you think you are not being affected, you are at some level. It is not only about the way we look, but also the food we eat, the things we buy and our concept of happiness, love, and sadness. Everywhere one goes they see magazines, billboards, television shows, commercials etc. , and these are the things that we want in life. This is similar to the social cognitive learning theory, essentially monkey see monkey do. Trends and fashion statements are shown in the media and then society often follows them up. Children are vulnerable and susceptible to this influence from the media, especially with the amount of exposure to the level of communication, and technology that is available to them in this day and age. Companies spend millions of pounds each year on TV advertisements, so that they can sell and in return gain millions of pounds profit. This is a form of communication used to encourage or persuade an audience to perform a certain action. Advertising messages are usually viewed via various traditional media; including mass media such as newspaper, magazines, television commercial, radio advertisement, outdoor advertising or direct mail. We are accustomed to see people with rich people with skinny bodies and faces due to airbrushing and surgery, and that is what we strive for. Skinny is often seen as a luxury, a sign someone can afford the gym, and healthy foods, when many years ago being heavy was a sign of luxury, that one could afford to eat. The reason why think this way, is because of media advertising, whereas before, being ‘big’ would demonstrate your wealth as you could buy a lot of food, now being skinny is what considers you to be rich. However, it is not only the companies that use this technique to make eople buy their products, governments also use this technique to make the public commit to their ideas. During World War 2, Nazi’s used the media to justify their course, and so did a multitude of other countries. Media manipulation has been going on for many years, and especially with today’s media it is very easy to spread propaganda and even easier to make people believe it. F or example, every year, a state-owned publishing house releases several cartoons called geurim-chaek in North Korea. The plots mostly feature scheming capitalists from the United States and Japan who create dilemmas for naive North Korean characters. Governments find this very easy to make the public do what they want, without them actually knowing it consciously. As opposed to providing certain information to showcase, propaganda, in its most basic sense, presents information primarily to influence an audience. Propaganda is often dispersed over a wide variety of media in order to create a chosen influence upon the public, making sure it will be imprinted into the minds of the public. Governments would usually take the current situation, and try and manipulate them in a way that would make the opposition seem at wrong. They would also sometimes hide information from the public from the country or the world. The media can be easily changed and manipulated to suit a government’s need, just like how it can be changed to only represent one side of the argument, persuading the reader to believe what a certain media company wants them to believe in. Media bias is the perceived biasness of a certain piece of news that has been produced by journalists and news producers that are intending to persuade a certain category of people. There are three types of newspapers; right winged newspapers and left winged newspapers. Right winged news paper companies will usually be against any immigration topics and are usually very patriotic, whereas left winged newspaper companies are quite liberal and diplomatic. However there may be multiple motives for this act, and they quite discreet about which side they are on, as a common lay man would think that the newspaper is telling the truth. Many political parties have influence over a certain newspaper company that will spread their news and propaganda, trying to influence the reader to vote or to support that particular party. For example ‘The Guardian’ is a left winged newspaper that is the ‘voice’ of the Labour party at the present moment, and ‘The Sun’ is more of a right winged party, and they mainly support the conservative party. It is common practice for newspapers to declare an explicit affiliation with a political party, and affiliated newspapers were explicit in representing their party’s point of view, for example, on the 19th of April 1989, the Sun disgraced the Liverpool fans who had died in the Hillsborough disaster, by stating that many Liverpool fans had pick-pocketed the dead and had urinated upon the dead police officers at the scene. The Sun was supposed to have recited the very words that a Conservative MP had said in a speech. This sparked many arguments across the globe, and this can show how much damage any media company can do. Smaller newspaper companies also do the same, as they would most likely support the county that they are in, rather than supporting some other county. For example if you were to compare a football review between the two teams’ local newspapers, both of them would tell a different story, as they are biased towards the side that they support. However, without the media we would not be informed about what is happening across the globe, and we would almost be ignorant to the events that are happening outside of our local area. By having media, we would be able to gather the voices of a nation, and voice our concerns about a topic. Without the media we would not be able to have any liberty to do anything we want and we would be able to fight back against multinational companies, monarchies, and governments. For example, in Libya, Muammar Gaddafi was using his own private military and army to rule over the country with fear, to dictating the country. It helps us learn more about the world as well as interacting with each other. Without the force of the country upon him voiced by the media, he was being pressured to step down; he could have still been in power today if it weren’t for the media. We are in an age whereby we have such amazing technology that allows us to access pretty much any point of the globe without stepping out of our house. The media helps us understand both sides of the argument, and not all of the news companies are biased. If it weren’t for the media, we would have been a single-minded society, only thinking a certain way. We would be able to be equal, with certain groups thinking that one group is better than another, and eventually it will end up in a fight, and then leading onto wars, for example in World War 2 (1939-1945), Adolf Hitler had discriminated the view that all Jews were ‘parasites’ and that they were stealing all of the jobs available, and that they are the reason for the bad economy. The media give us a common ground where we can all talk about, reflect and form opinions about the world at large; environmentally, politically, socially, and culturally. Without using media, politicians would not be able to convey their message across. The media also helps suffering countries in a time of despair, and warns us about casualties that have happened in an accident or disaster. The media will inform us and it could make a difference to the people in need, as it will provoke us to raise money via charities hence helping the people in need. If it weren’t for the media, it would be difficult for the charities to communicate their messages. However, in the end it’s all about our choices and what concepts we choose to subscribe to and adopt as ours. But I personally believe that media does have a big involvement in the everyday lives of the public, and we are very much influenced by that. Governments today still use the media to convey their messages. I am not stating that we don’t need the media; we need to have media in our lives, as it will give us a chance to interact and have knowledge about what is going on around the world. So in conclusion, I believe that although we will need the media in the future, we should not believe all of it, and we should act upon our own opinion-not something that someone else is telling us.

James Joyce †An encounter Essay

An encounter is a short story and also a part of the collection named Dubliners written by James Joyce in 1914. Dubliners is a great literary work of the 20th Century, a real masterpiece. Because of its structure and unity of themes, it can be read as a novel. The stories are based on the author’s personal experiences in Ireland. They are stories of desperate lives lived on the margins. Dublin was, to Joyce, ‘the centre of paralysis’. An encounter describes the Irish society, the prejudices and restrictions of the century, the monotony of life, and the unability of people to change their lives. In a letter to an editor, Joyce wrote: ,, I have tried to present it to the indifferent public under four of its aspects: childhood, adolescence, maturity, and public life. The stories are arranged in this order.’’ The main themes are: religion, the escape, freedom, journey, routine, isolation, paralysis and monotony. As a cultural background, people were looking for freedom, for new adventures tired of the routine of life. This aspect can be easily observed by the readers, in the story. The everyday life of Dubliners didn’t bring joy and excitement in their lives. One of the narrator’s confessions is: ,, But when the restraining influence of the school was at a distance I began to hunger again for wild sensations, for the escape which those chronicles of disorder alone seemed to offer me’’. So, the real adventures begin where the routine ends. Routine brings not only loneliness, but also despair, sadness and frustration. Joyce points out that routine is very dangerous, inevitable and it is seen as a trap from where you barely can get out. Joyce’s characters are looking for escape from the monotony of life, an escape that they are ashame of, but they fail and they always fall back in routine because of their inability to take actions: ,, But real adventures, I reflected, do not happen to people who remain at home: they must be sought abroad’’, says the narrator. The narration is made at the third person to describe people, places and at first person to express the psychologically complex and the thoughts of the author. The narrator and a boy called Mahony played games with cowboys and Indians, such as Wild West, which makes me believe that they see America as an icon for freedom and happiness: ,, The adventures related in the literature of the Wild West were remote from my nature but, at least, they opened doors of escape.’’ But, even the games they used to play aren’t a symbol of full freedom since they had to hide to play the games. They decided to skip a day of school and go in an adventure at the shore where they met an encounter. I think they made this choice because they were aware of the fact that they will never take part of real adventures at home. They started a disscusion about school, books, writers and ,,young sweethearts’’. I believe there is an unexpressed desire for adventures in the life of Dubliners that never turns into something concrete. This is a proof that the narrator is looking to escape from the cotidian life, but it doesn’t happen, as he and the boy return back home. They come to the conclusion that adventures don’t bring with them protection as the society does. However, even the protection offered by the Irish society was illusional. They arent’t able to escape the routine because they didn’t have time, they never made time, they were afraid of trying and experiencing something new and because freedom always brings more responsability and unknown in your life. Routine is a bad habit, a circle from where you can’t get out. Breaking the monotony of life is a challenge which if you aren’t able to take it until the end, it’s better not to take it at all. Also, An encounter reflects in a way the frustration of the Dubliners. The end of the story is ambiguous and interpretable. The encounter touches himself and talks about whipping. Some may think of the allusion of masturbation. I think Joyce wants to tell us through this character that even an adventurous life has its routine. The experience of the narrator with the old man is not the experience he would imagine to have. His expectations turned into disappointments. During the escape they find out that their image of freedom and their expectations weren’t what reality brought to them. Adventures aren’t only about happiness and freedom as the narrator believes, adventures also mean obstacles, fear and unknown paths. I find this story a little bit terrifying be cause of the character of the old man, his look and his actions. Even the discourse is  very unusual and ambiguous: ,, He began to speak on the subject of chastising boys. His mind, as if magnetized again by his speech, seemed to circle slowly round and round its new centre.†. He is percepted as a man with a sick and dirty mind. The encounter with the old man can also be seen as a meet between childhood and maturity where the purity and expectations of the young boys encounter a world less pure, safe and harmonius. It is a stage in which they face the true meanings of a matur world and begin to understand the maturity. The language is very dynamic. There are an abundance of details. Joyce uses in descriptions stylistic devices such as: epithets (,,innocent face’’, ,, wild sensations’’, ,, real adventures’’, ,, green leaves’’), comparations ( ,, he looked like some kind of an Indian’’, ,, boys like you’’, as wearisome to me as the routine’’), repetitions (,,This page or this page’’, ,,All right! All right!’’), alliterations (,,Hardly had the day dawned’’), exclamations (,,Till tomorrow, mates!’’), enumerations (,,blue and grey and even black’’). He is very ironic even through his characters that are aware of the fact they have to escape the world they live in, to seek freedom and happiness outside the society. They are aware that their world is a trap. So, their fault remains until the end their passivity. This moments of awareness ar e called by Joyce ,,epiphanies’’ and are used as structural devices in the stories. The story is like a mirror reflecting the Dublin society – a nation searching for its own identity, its darker side, its fears, but also hopes and unaccomplished desires. As Garry Leonard wrote: ,, a magic mirror converting a hard reality into a compensatory fantasy.’’ Through these short stories, the reader can notice the author’s desire to leave Dublin. He also reminds to people that they can escape the monotony of life by moving into the West and starting a new life where dreams may come true, where freedom can be manifested. Before reading Dubliners it is important to know the historical context. ,,Reading a text of Joyce’s can be compared to playing a piece of music – it can be done rapidly, skipping over  opaque or repetitious passages to gain a sense of the longer-range patterns and developments, or slowly, savouring the words, puzzling over the conundrums, following up the cross-references.’’ ( Derek Attridge) Bibliography: 1. Katherine Mullin, Cambridge Collections Online, James Joyce and the languages of modernism, Cambridge University Press, 2007 2. James Joyce, An encounter, David Campbell Publishers, 1991 3. Garry Leonard, Cambridge Collections Online, The Cambridge Companion to James Joyce,, Cambridge University Press, 2006 4. Derek Attridge, Cambridge Collections Online, Reading Joyce, Cambridge University Press, 2006 5. James R. Cope & Wendy Patrick Cope, A teacher’s guide to the Signet Classic Edition of James Joyce’s Dubliners, N.Y. : Penguin, 1994

Strtegic Mrketing Plan of Amazon Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

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Advertising language Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Advertising language - Research Paper Example This essay "Advertising language" outlines the importance of the language in advertising in order to achieve the objectives of an advertisement. An advertiser, on most occasions will try to develop an advertising message that has the capability of attracting the attention and interest of the target customer. One of the major characteristics of an advertising language is the use of simple words to pass the message. As noted earlier, one of the major functions of an advertisement is providing information for purposes of attracting customers, and exploiting the market under consideration (Lescano, 2930). On this basis, a simple type of advertisement is required for purposes of arousing the interest and attention of the audience under consideration. This simple advertisement will also make it possible for the target market to easily remember the message passed. On this note, the use of a simple language will achieve this objective. Lescano (2930) further goes on to denote that in develop ing a simple language, the first step an advertiser has to conduct is to use oral and popular language. The second step in this process is the use of few letters, as well as single syllable words to develop a message. The following is an example of a an advertisement for a microwave oven developed by use of simple English (Lescano, 2930), â€Å"It was impossible to believe it., Until I gave it a try., I am totally impressed., You gotta have to try it, You will love it† Looking at the words in this advertisement, we can denote that they are oral, and very simple.

To what extent can a states promotion of its culture further its Essay

To what extent can a states promotion of its culture further its national interests and influence on the world stage - Essay Example In this case each country is seeking to prove its cultural heritage as a really valuable for the world’s success or even progress. Following this idea, the measure between the most or less influential countries of the world slowly becomes vague, so to speak. However, if the main features of such a discussion are that it is really the fact to keep in mind. Definitely, as Snow & Taylor (2008, p. x) admit, this kind of â€Å"primacy-of-culture perspective dominates much of our thinking about public diplomacy and calls for a more balanced perspective that takes into account cultural difference but also recognizes and utilizes influence universals.† Hereby, this question still remains to be answered. On the other hand, the truth of cultural diversity seems to be of less concern for powerful countries of the world inclined more and more to impose their cultural peculiarities along with the way of living on other communities. Here comes a mere extent of imitation in a global scope. One of the most apparent examples is the American cultural influence. On the other hand, less people have an idea of cultural life in Jakarta, for instance. Needless to say, such cultural ideals are mostly stereotyped and have much of copyism. Foreign and Commonwealth Office (2008, p. 34) pays more attention to the following fact in terms of the cultural aspect: â€Å"Images of foreign countries are in fact part of the culture of the country that holds the perceptions: Japan’s image in China, for example, is part of Chinese culture, and vice versa.† Thus, countries are constantly trying to earn more appreciation from the rest of the world forgetting about some national priorities and, therefore, amplifying the need for the cultural promotion as it is. Everyone desires to look well or even better before the rest. Thereupon, countries urge for better reputation in order to show their status in the world arena. Once such

Brand Management Take Home Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Brand Management Take Home Exam - Essay Example Apple primarily tries to go for cutting edge technology which is a strong marketing proposition that it tries to integrate in all of its product offerings. This is the reason why Apple is highly associated with quality. Having an Apple brand would mean getting the right quality of product offering. The cutting-edge technology is a substantial product strategy of Apple and it truly invests in this area because this is a good marketing strategy that entices the target market. Apple is good at stimulating market needs and this is truly emphasized by its brand features on highly advanced technology and product design. There must be something about the product in order for it to be more attractive in the market (Belch and Belch 1998, 69; Boone and Kurtz 2008, 56; Kotler et al. 1999, 89). On the other hand, in line with marketing program investment for product, Apple brand substantially considers innovating possibilities. Apple is one of the leading brands in its industry on differentiatio n. The product innovation is clearly one of Apple brand’s competitive strategy and this highlights its capacity to be the leading brand in the market. Apple brand is known for its distinctive market campaign. Since it is good at stimulating needs, it has to strategically invest in distinctive marketing campaign as part of its dynamic communication for its brand. Apple brand is widely heard on national television’s commercials, print advertisements, posters in public areas and wrap advertisement campaigns. Customer Mindset Marketing is clearly an important component in spreading Apple brand and especially on the part of how it creates impact on customers’ mindset. It is in this move that the brand has important goal to substantially stimulate customers’ needs. In line with this, it has become so easy for Apple to influence customers’ awareness about its brand through emphasizing its innovative products. Its innovation comes in different areas but th ey all substantially focused on differentiation in general. With this differentiation, customers are given the chance to be aware on specific issues about what makes Apple different from other brands. This is a specific area where Apple brand is successful about creating awareness for its target market especially on its innovative new product design and technology. It is in line with this that Apple tries to integrate in its brand the customer loyalty by serving high quality brand and highly on time to satisfy customers. It is through this that Apple brand develop a certain level of customer loyalty for its brand. This is a specific component of attachment that is developed at the mindset of customers. Market Performance In the United States, the best-price strategy compared to low-cost strategy is tantamount to high quality standard of product or service offering. This is the reason why customers are willing to pay for high price and it is expected that such is highly associated wi th high standard quality. It is a challenge then among products with premium prices to achieve certain level of customers’ expectations. Apple brand is successful in satisfying customers’ expectations. This justifies its premium price to speak for itself and this further means that Apple strategy to go for best price is tantamount to high standard quality and customer satisfaction. Apple brand is primarily the leading innovator in its industry. Its name cannot be highly disregarded by its competitors. The bottom line is that it has achieved

Stalking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Stalking - Essay Example Most stalkers have been exposed, through social interaction or observation, to factors like violence. B Turvey (2002: 509) defines stalking as â€Å"a crime involving the behavioral intrusion of one person in the life of another that is maladaptive.† One incident of intrusion into an individuals live is not considered stalking, multiple incidents must occur. This is why delusional or paranoid schizophrenic individuals are not the majority stalkers. In fact, delusional or paranoid schizophrenic individuals are not defined as stalkers under the law and psychological definitions (Davis, 2001: 5). These individuals are diagnosed as having a mental illness, not being a stalker. Most stalkers live outwardly normal lives (Davis, 2001: 5). Stalkers fall into a few general categories. The majority of stalkers were in a relationship with their victim, but feel the victim has wronged them someway. Another common stalker is the secret admirer type. A man or woman who have a crush on an individual and wants to be noticed (Davis, 2001: 5). Most stalkers are men, but women can stalk as well. Control is a common issue with stalkers. Stalkers tend to feel out of control, so in response they try to regain that control through stalking. The first type of stalker is of a scorned lover or husband. When a spouse decides that it is over, the stalker feels the control slipping from their hands. The same goes with the secret admirer that does not get noticed. When the secret admirer does not get noticed through normal methods, stalking makes their victims focus on them, giving them more control. The most common stalker is one of an ex-spouse. While the man is stalking the woman or vice versa, the children are observing this behavior. In turn these children start exhibiting stalking traits (Pinals, 2007: 3). A child observing a stalking situation probably feel sympathetic with the stalker, because the stalker has the power. The child despises the victim, because

MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES - Term Paper Example He said, â€Å"Will the principles have any management code?† in his discussion, it shows that his principles came to shape the management of most organizations that were in existence and those to come. To date, his principles have formed the basis of management. However, management is not complete without leadership principles. Good leaders are managers and know what and how to manage. In espoused Stauffacher leadership principles, it is the full integration of management principles. Division of work: - it is clear that specialization by employees increases the output since they become increasingly efficient and skilled. The idea is to produce more and better outcomes using the same effort. This principle forms the basis of the modern economy which allows an increase in productivity. When my father bought another new car, I thought he would give me the old model. Ironically, he showed no interest to my plea. One day, we organized for a trip to the coast. As we were three sons, he decided that he will assign us various duties. It was not a punishment, but it was a way of making us learn something. He had been a senior manager for nearby tea estate and more often he had been applying his skills. I washed the car; my younger brother fetched the water while my elder brother dusts the seats. Since we wanted to go, we had to prove our desire by working diligently and committedly. In my little knowledge, I did my work because of the reward- going for a trip. Little did I know that it was one way of managing a small family. This will make every worker perform efficiently in his/her area. The overall outcome would be higher than no division of duties. In our house, we have employed people to assist us in daily chores. Since they cannot perform equally, we have assigned them duties according to their specialization. Some may work in the kitchen while others in the garden. The results would be

Physicians Assisted Suicide Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Physicians Assisted Suicide - Research Paper Example In addition, the practice would lessen the urgency to develop new medicines designed to prolong life. Those who oppose the practice on religious grounds argue that it is ‘playing God’ therefore sinful. Health care professionals cite the Hippocratic Oath which forbids them from carrying out this procedure. This paper will examine the moral and ethical concerns surrounding euthanasia, clarify the meaning of the term, present arguments both for and against the practice and conclude with a recommendation to resolve the issue. The word euthanasia is from Greek origin meaning ‘good death.’ Writers of 1700’s Britain referred to euthanasia as a being a preferential method by which to ‘die well’ (â€Å"Definition†, 2007). Euthanasia describes a situation in which a terminally ill patient is administered a lethal dose of medication, is removed from a life-support system or is simply allowed to die without active participation such as by resuscitation. A doctor’s involvement in the procedure could be to either prescribe a lethal dose of drugs with the express intent of ending a life or by intravenously inserting a needle into the terminal patient who then activates a switch that administers the fatal dose (Naji et al, 2005). Physicians, lawmakers, and philosophers have debated the notion of euthanasia since the beginning of recorded history but the wide public debate regarding its legalization has only surfaced over the past four decades. In the 1970’s it bec ame lawful to draft ‘living wills’ which allows a patient to refuse ‘heroic’ life saving medical assistance in the event they were incapacitated and could only survive by artificial means (Rich, 2001). In other words, it gave the next of kin the right to direct doctors to ‘pull the plug’ if the patient’s condition was considered hopeless, a practice which is now broadly accepted. The unfortunate reality is the majority of people in the U.S. die a ‘bad death.’   A study determined that â€Å"more often than not, patients died in pain, their desires concerning treatment neglected, after spending 10 days or more in an intensive care unit† (Horgan, 1996).   Most Americans (53 percent) believe euthanasia to be not only compassionate but ethically acceptable and 69 percent would support the legalization of euthanasia according to a Gallup Poll conducted in 2004 (â€Å"Public Grapples†, 2004).   Opponents of a doctor-assisted suicide law often cite the potential for doctor abuse.   However, recent Oregon and UK laws show that you can craft reasonable laws that prevent abuse and still protect the value of human life.   For example, laws could be drafted that requires the approval of two doctors plus a psychologist, a reasonable waiting period, family members’ written consent and limits the procedure to specific medical cond itions.     

Reach Out and Touch Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reach Out and Touch - Coursework Example She does this in attempts to describe the color of her skin and declares it magical as the child seems never to have seen someone of her color before. In addition, the child’s expectations of the neck to come off by touching it indicate a wonder from the child’s perspective. The difference in skin color between the children and the narrator is what drives the children into reaching out to her out of wonder as it seems as though they have never seen such before. From the narrator’s perspective, it seems her skin color has attracted more attention towards her as she appears to be used to it and even sees it okay for the children to touch her. In respect to age, the children’s reaction to the colored woman is with wonder and innocence while the grown women react differently. The mother’s child disciplines her children by slapping their hands and hushing them off, while the narrator smiles at them and even wishes she was seated next to them to assure them that their reactions were okay. When I was about five years, my family was hosting my aunts and uncles for a Thanks Giving ceremony. One of my uncles, however, didn’t look like the rest, according to my judgment. He looked scary and I did not not want to be anywhere near him. The rest of the family seemed not to be worried and actually behaved as though he was normal. I however came to learn that he had survived third degree burns on his body after arsonists burned down his

The 42 mile run Essay Example for Free

The 42 mile run Essay The 42 mile run is from Buna to Gleivitz and it takes place during the Holocaust. It seems impossible especially since they are prisoners and they are skin and bon literally. They had accomplished it by being almost like a machine, also having a large pack of people contributed a large amount. The most important contribution was if you had family, if you had family you can use that as motivation like Elie Wiesel the writer of Night. â€Å"We were no longer marching; we were running. Like automatons.† said Elie Wiesel. This means that they were running mechanically or like a robot. Elie said, â€Å"I was putting one foot in front of the other mechanically.† This means that he wasn’t doing it on purpose his body was doing it on its on. He said that he could feel himself as two entities of his body and himself. Almost as if his mind and body were separated. The power of the pack was very strong but full of weak people. If it wasn’t a pack and it was just one person it would be impossible to do especially in these conditions. In the book Elie describes the pack as a tidal wave of men. This meant that there were thousands of men in the pack. If you were to stop you would be killed either by the guards or members of the pack trampling you. He said his body as galloping, and the others were too. So it was like a pack of horses running 42 miles. â€Å"Death wrapped itself around me till it stifled. It stuck to me. I felt that I could touch it. The idea of dying, of no longer being, began to Fascinate me.† Elie said this, and this means he was going to give up, to just stop running and either be trampled or shot. But one thing stopped him, his father. If it wasn’t for his fathers presence Elie would be dead. This shows that if you had a family member with you then it would seem almost as motivation. The three things that helped the pack run the 42 miles. One was running almost as if a robot, being mechanical. Another The size of the pack, if you stopped you would be killed by a tidal wave. And the last, Family, it had to be the biggest motivator.

Effects of ESOL Teaching on Social Integration

Effects of ESOL Teaching on Social Integration The effects of ESOL teaching on learners in relation to social integration, identity and social cohesion Introduction This paper will investigate the affect that current ESOL teaching practice can have in terms of impacting on a variety of diverse groups of learners. It is important to consider that ESOL provision is taught across a number of disciplines and exists in various capacities within colleges, community settings, in the workplace and even prison and detention centres. The types of learners undertaking ESL courses represent a rich mix of backgrounds and come with a number of incentives to learn English. For the benefit of focusing on an area that is potentially vast in its research, this dissertation will concentrate predominantly on the UK systems and the teaching of diverse communities that represent different ethnicity, cultural background and citizenship. Breaking the Language Barriers published by the DfES in 2000 documents the findings of a report into ESOL provision in the UK and identifies a number of issues that needed addressing. The report categorizes ESOL students into four types of learner: Settled communities Refugees and asylum seekers Migrant workers Partners and spouses of students. (DfES, 2000) From these categories they determined that a great many ESOL students particularly refugees and asylum seekers experienced a range of problems including; financial, legal, social, physical and mental issues and clarified that they were marginalized, often excluded and living in poverty, subject to frequent discrimination and racism. (Sourced from: http://www.niace.org.uk/Projects/esol-enquiry/documents/ESOL-Committee-Issues.doc, Date accessed, 21/11/08 What the report also highlighted was the variable levels of teaching ability, which has been attributed to the shortage of adequately trained teachers, the lack of use of the learners’ first language as a learning resource and the lack of support for students with special learning needs. (Sourced from: http://www.niace.org.uk/Projects/esol-enquiry/documents/ESOL-Committee-Issues.doc, Date accessed, 21/11/08 The way in which the link between social cohesion and teaching can be made is perhaps best summarised by the work of Dagenais et al in Intersections of Social Cohesion, Education, and Identity in Teachers, Discourses, and Practices. There paper examines the debate surrounding government policy on promoting social cohesion. It exemplifies programmes in Canada where local and national schools and teachers work with professional agencies to develop policy directives that are geared around building social cohesion practices within a bilingual and multicultural framework. Dagenais et al took this developmental work a stage further by undertaking teacher-researcher collaboration to determine how teachers utilize both their own cultural backgrounds as well as their student’s backgrounds in order to achieve an inclusive classroom setting. Teachers were seen to adopt learning techniques which were innovative in their ability to incite inclusion. Consequently the research project conclu ded that teachers have the ability to help inform policymakers, researchers and other learning practitioners about the link between ‘identity, language and education implicated in social cohesion projects’ (Dagenais et al, 2008) The link between social cohesion and teaching is not a modern concept. Historically it has played a significant role from the mid nineteenth century to the present day. Jewish settlers arrived in Victorian London and were assisted by voluntary organisations and a small series of published self-help texts. The next wave of refugees came about from those fleeing persecution in the Spanish Civil War and to escape Nazi Europe. It was during this time between the 1930’s and the 1950’s that the Berlitz guide and the linguaphone emerged. Over the next couple of decades following the post-war immigration to the UK the government began to respond as to local education authorities and the birth of the official ESOL teacher came about during the 1960’s. (Sourced from: http://www.niace.org.uk/publications/C/CriticalHistory.asp, Date accessed, 22/11/08) Ten years later and the Russell Report was published. The Russell Report of 1973 was to ‘prove a milestone in adult le arning in the UK’. With Russell emphasising the special needs of adults and the necessity to provide for them by developing a variety of courses at different levels. (Sourced from: http://www.niace.org.uk/Publications/R/Russell.asp, Date accessed, 22/11/08). This was an important decade again in terms of refugees entering the UK from Latin America, Uganda, Cambodia and Vietnam. The 1980’s witnessed the abolition of the Industrial Language Training and adult and community education was experiencing one of its most vulnerable periods. But at the same time other community languages were being recognized. During the 1990’s there was a significant move towards recognizing ESOL which was positioned within the newly established Adult Basic Skills Strategy Unit within the central government education department. (Sourced from: http://www.niace.org.uk/publications/C/CriticalHistory.asp, Date accessed, 22/11/08) Today this exists as The Skills for Life Strategy Unit which is based in the Department for Innovation, Universitiesand Skills and has been operational under its new identity sinceNovember 2000. The Unit works in tangent with other partner organisations including the Prison Service, Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and the Learning and Skills Development Agency in addition to voluntary and civil service. Its main objective is to take forward the Government’s Skills for Life agenda. In short it encourages continual improvement with literacy, languageand numeracy skills both at a national and local level. The Skills for Life Strategy Unit is categorized thus: Access and Inclusion ESOL Policy Learner Achievement Learner Engagement and Communications Level 2 and Level 2 PSAs Migration Strategy Quality and Teacher Education Workplace Engagement and Public Sector (Sourced from: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/readwriteplus/who_we_are, Date accessed, 22/11/08) It is from the perspective of the twentieth century that this paper will scrutinize the historical relationship between ESOL provision and the wider community including its modern day responsibility to contribute to the framework of social cohesion and inclusivity. Chapter one will concentrate on the existing evidence to suggest that there is a definite need to enhance current learning experiences for those people in society who may be at risk of exclusion or requiring greater understanding of their social, political and cultural background where the teaching of the English language is concerned. Recent research and investigative projects working with minority groups and diverse learners will be explored for consideration in the broader argument to suggest legitimizing these theories. Chapter two will then examine what is currently being achieved in relation to forward thinking and strategic change taking into consideration the moves by government and learning bodies to begin the process of applying new curriculum and teaching developments that respond to the needs of a wider community of learners. Chapter One: Identifying problems and issues amongst learners and tutors The purpose of this chapter will be to outline an indication of the types of problems that exist for a variety of people in terms of how they are taught ESOL, to identify the characteristics and needs of the learners by way of case studies and examples. Consequently the teaching methods, ESOL curriculum and identified issues in these areas will be analysed. The perceptions of English Language teaching vary greatly between different societies in accordance with their demographic, political situation and the sanctioned education systems of the country. For example in the United States second language tuition is considered the medium through which non-English speaking children are fast-tracked into English in the shortest amount of time, with little scope for quality of provision. (Julios, 2008) To give another example, Pacific communities born into New Zealand life are currently facing a crisis with ESL provision in that while English is important to them economically and socially they are being denied their ancestral culture by losing their language and until further research has been carried out in this field it is feared the long-term issues of the teaching of English to Pacific ESL learners will remain problematic. (Sourced from: http://www.clesol.org.nz/2008/CLESOL08SaturdayAbstracts.pdf, Date accessed, 21/11/08) It is not just basic fundamental issues relating to culture or quality of teaching practice, other complications arise when learners have other specific learning needs which can further limit their academic success on an ESL course. For example individuals may experience low levels of literacy, no formal educational background or unfamiliarity with the standardized Roman-script. Recent studies in the UK reveal that within a cross- section of ESOL classes. ‘59 per cent of learners have had 11 or more years of Education, with 23 per cent having more than 15 years in education. Males were more likely than females to have no qualifications 37 per cent compared with 32 per cent of females’. (DfES, 2005) Some of these individuals may be survivors of torture and trauma as well as being older in years and require more time and attention in the classroom. The educational researcher McPherson determined that ‘classes formed on the basis of a range of characteristics which indicate a slow pace of learning, will often result in such a disparate group that their different language and literacy needs will not be effectively met.’ (Hinkel, 2005) Refugees, asylum seekers and migrant workers as well as established settled communities want to learn English. Amongst these individuals there exists a huge diversity as well as some obvious common themes like those already touched upon. All of which bring with them a set of needs and different expectations as to what students require from a course of ESL teaching. Their backgrounds and life histories are often complicated. A number of ESOL Pathfinder projects were commissioned in 2002 across ten locations in England with the intention of contributing to the Government’s Public Services Agreement Target to ‘improve the literacy, language and numeracy levels of 2.25 million adults between the launch of Skills for Life in 2001 and 2010’ (DfES, 2005) The ESOL initiatives were evaluated later that same year and stressed the diversity of learning characteristics within this sector, with interesting figures emerging about the slightly increased numbers of women than men undertaking the courses. This suggests that there may be a number of challenges for women trying to support their children at home. Gender in itself is another significant point of interest in this study as many women can be believed to have lived in England for a number of years and have never learnt the language or only speak elements of it, these women are often most recognized in Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities where they have very different cultural responsibilities and therefore less opportunities to attend beneficial ESL courses. (Heath and Cheung 2006) In particular women who are asylum seekers or refugees can experience tremendous isolation and feel restricted with access to health services, not being able to speak the language as well as being potenti ally more vulnerable to abuse or violence from a cultural perspective. The ESOL evaluation revealed that almost half of all learners were less than thirty years of age emanating from a broad sphere of ethnic origin. This ethnic breakdown included White and other students totaling 16 per cent, African, 15 per cent, Pakistani, 13 per cent and Other Asian 13 per cent. The Learner Survey revealed over fifty-four different first languages spoken by learners. Half were married or living with a partner and one in six were living away from their partner who resided outside of the UK. (DfES, 2005) The 2008 NIACE report ESOL: the context and issues also corroborates this evidence and adds that students of English are learning for a variety of purposes which include securing or progressing into long-term employment, supporting their children, being able to access services, being able to integrate more into their surrounding community and aspiring to embrace the British culture and British political systems. (Sourced from: http://www.niace.org.uk/lifelonglearninginquiry/docs/Jane-Ward-migration-evidence.pdf, date accessed, 21/11/08 Most recent studies reflect the need to improve on the way in which ESOL is delivered and encouraged for the benefit of the inclusion of a variety of needs and abilities. It is clear however that this issue has been apparent for a number of years which makes the prospect of re-developing curriculum provision and teaching methods in this complex area of teaching particularly difficult. ESOL has inherently adopted a style which serves a purpose, designed for the masses often to be delivered and completed within a limited timeframe. In 1989 a study of 13 Adult Education ESOL centres across the UK were investigated focusing on bilingual migrant learners. This early analysis captured the attitudes and motivations of these learners and emphasized their desire to maintain their mother tongue and heritage whilst being taught the language and customs of their new host country. (Lal Khanna, et al, 1998) One of the most interesting and informative research projects to date in this area is reflected in the Adult Learners’ Lives (All) working with people who are learning within adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL groups to understand and appreciate their concept of the learning experience in relation to their wider lives; covering the regions of Blackburn, Lancaster and Liverpool. As part of this initiative a recent commissioned piece of research was carried out amongst ESOL students who were enrolled on an evening class at Blackburn College. The findings of this report share some of the most important data in existence relating to primary first hand interviews with students. The outcomes reveal both positive and negative opinions relating to ESOL provision, which essentially can be interpreted in both a positive and negative light. The participants believed that more than anything their work experience had provided them with the best opportunity to encourage their learning of the English language an was much less restricted that the classroom. For many this was their only chance to utilize the language outside of the classroom. The learners were critical about the amount of provision available and found it affected their learning capabilities. One participant in particular, Mahmood found that working all day and then studying English in the evening prevented him from finding a vocational course in a different practical subject that could increase his chances of gaining better employment. In terms of issues relating to their background and culture, many familiar examples of diversity were apparent across the group as were their complex needs and considerations. Frederick carried the scars of war in his country and suffered considerably both physically and psychologically. Despite this his motivation levels were extremely high. Iqbal came to England in order to be with his new wife. The transition from his old life and professional career had left him very dissatisfied. Proving earlier references to gender and cultural relationship issues Ammara was studying at degree level and had been instructed by her husband to discontinue with it. This had repercussions on here work life which she had to compromise with and learn English accordingly. Below are some of the edited extracts detailing the participant’s interviews taken from this report. Frederick’s story: ‘Frederick came to England for the reasons above and more. He arrived in England with nothing. He didn’t have permission to work, couldn’t speak the language and had no friends or networks. His first step of integration in to the country was his attendance on an ESOL course at Blackburn College. Despite his desperate situation he was anxious to start again and enrolled almost immediately upon his arrival in Blackburn. Although he was aware of the importance of learning English he found the classes very difficult at first: â€Å"It was my first time, the first time it was so difficult.† In spite of his worries he continued the classes and vastly improved his English during his first year here. Also significant was the beneficial effect ESOL classes had on his social life. He made many new friends, who helped ease the loneliness of living in a new country, and gave him an extra chance to practice his English.’ Ammara’s story: ‘Ammara sees a close relationship between education and work. She clearly perceives education and training as a stepping-stone into work. She has shown that she is quite adept at completing courses and using the obtained qualifications to find work. Her biggest problem is language related. She had quite a good decent overall level of English when she arrived in England particularly with regards to reading and writing. Due to the high level of education she obtained in Pakistan she was able to complete the courses she took here easily because she had a good level of literacy skills in English. The language issues she is facing these days arise from her limited oral grasp of English and this appears to be most noticeable to her in her working life. With regards to work and language, Ammara feels she can manage but feels she regularly encounters difficulties. She has numerous concerns about language. She feels very unconfident about her use of grammar and structure when she is speaking. She believes that despite having a good knowledge of English, her speaking ‘imperfections’ lead to a barrier to her professional development. She also thinks that what she describes as a limited vocabulary is a barrier to communication and explanation. This has various implications for Ammara in the workplace. Because she lacks confidence she believes that her language prevents her from using her initiative at work, and so she ‘keeps quiet’. â€Å"sometimes I know somebody is wrong and even if the person is senior, I can explain but I just kept quiet because I feel like everyone is picking on me.† She also thinks that people’s perceptions of her professionally will change just because of her language proble ms.’ Mahmood’s story: ‘While he was waiting for the Home Office to grant him permission to work, Mahmood was unemployed for six months. He used this time to start English classes and familiarise himself with his new country and surroundings. Upon receiving his ‘leave to remain’ and permission to work from the Home Office he got a job at a sewing factory in Blackburn, where he still works. His role is to sew medical paraphernalia such as bandages and neck braces. He says that initially he found this job quite easy, as he was able to use the skills and experience gained from his sewing job in Afghanistan. He does however worry about his future. He says there is little chance of promotion in this job and therefore he is keen to look for different work. He has started to think about a change. When asked about his future ambitions with regards to work, Mahmood says he would like to do a building job. He thinks that this will be difficult for him to achieve because he doesn’t feel he has enough experience. He doesn’t feel that the experience he gained from his sealing job in Afghanistan will be of use to him here, as he believes that methods of building vary from the two countries. Mahmood is aware that he will have to do a course to help him achieve his aims, but has little knowledge about the courses available to him and thinks that it will be difficult to do a part time course, work full time and continue with his English classes. Mahmood believes that his job in England has had a positive impact on his language. He gets indirect language support from his work peers: â€Å"and if I’ve got any problem with any word, pronunciation they will help me.† He is able to use informal English at work in a mostly friendly atmosphere. He is also positive about the support he has gained from his boss with regards to his language. He says that right from the start of his employment his boss encouraged him to attend English classes. If overtime clashes with his twice weekly evening English class then his boss is always flexible, he will say, â€Å"OK you don’t have to work you go to college.† Mahmood is extremely aware of his language needs and is very motivated to improve. He told me that he uses friends at work to practice language covered in class, and his level of motivation can be seen in his 100% attendance in English class and the huge improvements he has made over the last two years. (Sirling, 2005) Accessed from: http://www.literacy.lancs.ac.uk/workpapers/wp08-esol-blackburn.pdf What is visibly obvious here are the feelings, aspirations and characteristics of a group of learners who may well require much of the special attention to teaching that this paper is attempting to argue. Although an already fairly advanced English language speaker, Ammara could like so many others at that level benefit from tutoring in just a few specific areas of English acquisition and at a time of the day when she does not have to juggle her family and several other jobs. And we see with Frederick that despite finding it hard to study and adjust to the cultural and social restraints of a new country he has actually achieved a sense of community and belonging by way of attending ESOL classes. It is clear that it must not be assumed that all migrant peoples, asylum seekers and diverse ethnicities should be labeled marginalized and socially excluded as there are many who do not experience this type of isolation. Nonetheless it is dependant on the type of teacher, classroom environment and delivery techniques which need to be made consistent in their quality and accessibility. Returning to Jane Ward’s ESOL into Context paper, she is very specific about the issues relating to the shortage of specialist ESOL teachers which impacts on the overall quality of provision across the UK with long waiting lists and minimized teaching time occurring in a number of venues offering ESOL tuition in urban areas. Rurally too where many migrant workers are being placed on entry to the country there is an inadequacy where teaching experience and expertise to deal with theses communities exists. Ward also stresses that in rural areas ‘learners accessing vocational programmes too often encounter subject tutors who have little awareness or training in language learning.’ (Sourced from: http://www.niace.org.uk/lifelonglearninginquiry/docs/Jane-Ward-migration-evidence.pdf, date accessed, 21/11/08 Chapter Two: Solutions and future provision Just as the former chapter dealt with the identification of the problems and consequences of inadequacies with ESOL teaching in respect of achieving a holistic and inclusive approach, this chapter will seek to establish potential solutions and recommendations for taking forward initiatives for future change within the current ESOL sector. This will be achieved by way of exploring current government objectives and responses to recent research which has exposed the levels of insufficient delivery within the sector. In 2003 the National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy published a comprehensive review of recent research projects carried out in the field of Adult ESOL. In particular that which ‘focuses on learners who need English for the UK workplace, for study in further and higher education and for living in the community. The review mainly concentrates on research that has taken place in the last 15 years and it has attempted to include all of the research that has been carried out within the UK. As most of this has been fairly small scale or not directly concerned with pedagogy, research that has been carried out in the USA, Australia, Canada and Europe is also included and its relevance to the UK context is discussed.’ (Sourced from: http://www.nrdc.org.uk/content.asp?CategoryID=424ArticleID=353, Date, accessed, 22/11/08) The recommendations that emerged from this review have been summarised below: It is recommended that a large scale study of actual practice in different settings is carried out. Alongside this larger study there should be a number of smaller ethnographic studies of good practice in ESOL classes, covering: learners with little prior experience of the written language; bilingual literacy provision; workplace courses; and language support on mainstream courses. The aim of these studies is to provide accounts that can be disseminated to other practitioners. There should be ongoing research into the relationships between teaching and learning in formal contexts. This could be based around a programme of practitioner research, with support from established researchers. This research should explore: specific classroom tasks to address issues of accuracy and fluency in the spoken language an investigation of different media of learning, including written materials and new technology learners discursive experiences and practices outside the classroom, and how classroom practices can take account of them learners expectations and learning strategies. And that primarily there is a need to track learners in terms of their learning ability and experience (both in and out of the classroom) as well as gleaning specific information relating to them as individuals, the key aims being to determine: learners who arrive in the UK with professional qualifications and experience, but low levels of English learners whose first language is an English based Creole or dialect learners with trauma. (Sourced from: http://www.nrdc.org.uk/content.asp?CategoryID=424ArticleID=353, Date, accessed, 22/11/08) This is a refreshing indication that learning practitioners are now heavily involved in a dialogue that recognises both the necessity to investigate further into the practices of ESOL and its students nationally. This also compliments the Government’s new commitment within its ‘Community Cohesion and Migration, 2007-08’ report which makes recommendations as well as recognising localised ‘Further Education Colleges, as the centres of ESOL training in the front-line for new arrivals, in particular as they are often the first official agency encountered.’ The report goes on to clarify that teaching staff working within ESOL should be providing ‘support and help to new arrivals and referral to other agencies’. The Government continues in its conviction for change by allocating funding to this area of support. (House of Commons Report, 2007) This is however not sufficient action for many academics working in the field. As Linda Morrice demonstrates in her paper Lifelong learning and the social integration of refugees in the UK: the significance of social capital. Morrice challenges the UK Government on its recent measures to account for the inclusion and integration of refugees in the face of an increasing migrant population. She refers to the learning issues of refugees and argues that current education systems and opportunities do not adequately address the issues that they face and declares rather that ‘for refugees to become integrated and useful members of society requires a shift away from the present focus on formal, individualised education provision to a greater recognition of informal and social learning opportunities’. (Morrice, 2007) Alongside this â€Å"Discourses on social cohesion widely acknowledge that public education systems provide critical contexts for constructing social cohesion among their diverse communities† (Dagenais et al, 2008 p 85). What this seems to show is that ESOL provision to date may be serving the political ends of British society by covert mechanism of social control. In her paper Action Research: Exploring Learner Diversity Pam McPherson carried out a class-room project in an Australian adult migrant English language class. It succeeded in profiling as well as discovering the learning needs of disparate learners. She trialed a number of teaching exercises and different learning techniques from course design, resources and even the room layout. In terms of responding to students with limited formal education and low levels of literacy, she suggested the following actions should be taken and integrated into ESOL courses: Assessment and referral schemes that can identify special needs at entry into the programme Bilingual assistance for course information, goal clarification, language and learning. Low intensity courses A teaching methodology that has explicit goals, the development of language learning strategies and spoken and written language for community access Teachers trained to identify special needs and develop appropriate strategies to meet them. Recognition within the certificates in spoken and written English in order to achieve language goals related to settlement needs and the need for further education and training. (Hinkel,2005) McPherson also recognises a specific type of approach for asylum seekers and those who have experienced trauma and the tortures of War. That their physical, Social and psychological needs require specialist attention. Assuming that many of these individuals are likely to feel overwhelmed, out of control as well as possessing memory loss and poor concentration it is likely that they will have difficulty with the amount of control and concentration that is associated with language learning. (Hinkle, 2005) Perhaps a solution might be to make ESOL classes more flexible and the level of participation and communication compliant with the needs of the students. Many of McPherson’s findings inspired the government in Australia to make significant changes to their systems of resettlement and language instruction. What then have the g

The Kingdom Of The Hittites History Essay

The Kingdom Of The Hittites History Essay Two Archaeologist who were among the first ones to take an interest in the Hittites were the French adventurer-explorer called Charles Texier (1834), and British scholar called Archibald Henry Sayce (1876), who gave lectures to the Society of Biblical Archaeology about a group of people referred to in the Bible as the Hittites. Sayce puts forward a bold new theory-that the Hittites, far from being an insignificant Canaanite tribe, were in fact the masters of a great and widespread empire extending throughout the Near East (Bryce, 2002, p2). The German archaeologist Hugo Winckler began excavating the site, examining over 1000 clay tablets which had been discovered. They were inscribed in the cuneiform script; the Hittites used cuneiform script on their writing. Hieroglyph form was also used and it was intended for ordinary people so that they would understand the contents (Sansal, 2010). Winckler was able to read a number of these tablets, since they are in the language called Akkadia n, the international language of diplomacy in the second millennium BC. He discovered the Akkadian version of a treaty which the pharaoh Ramesses II drew up with Hattusili, king of the Hittites, in the twenty-first year of his reign. This, combined with other evidence, made it clear that the site under excavation is the Hittite capital, later to be identified as Hattusa (Bryce, 2002, p2). Today a lot of work is taking place at these sites on the supervision of German archaeologist. Hittites chose to settle in Anatolia due to the rich source of timber and agricultural products of all kind, and more importantly an abundance of the mineral wealth which with the advance of the civilization became increasingly necessary. The mountains of Anatolia are rich in metal-deposits (MacQueen, 1986. P13-15) Chronology remains a big problem when studying this region. Many of the dates established for the area are ultimately dependent on Egyptian sources.The Hittite history is divided into 3 phases Old Kingdom 1680-1500, Middle Kingdom 1500-1430, Empire 1430-1200. Total collapse around 1180 BC. (Matthews, 2010) A Hittite king was constantly inundated with decisions, as he was not only the supreme ruler, but also a judicial authority, high priest, and a military commander. All important matters in these fields had to be reported to the king. He had a large number of aristocrats and personages who possessed a significant amount of power and were assigned with vital roles in the kingdom. These men were always blood relatives of the king (Bryce, 2002, p16). Hattusili I, 1650-1620 BC was the first Hittite king to expand into north Syria, including Aleppo and Alalakh. This demonstrates the early value of access to sea and trade for Hittites as Hattusa is located rather far from the sea (Matthews, 2010). Hittite kings adopted Hatti names and were greatly inspired by Hatti civilization in their art, religion, culture and mythology (Sansal, 2010) The army consisted of two main arms, infantry and chariots. The most important posts both in government and the army were given to the kings blood relatives, eldest sons and brothers. The infantry had a small core of permanent troops who acted as the kings personal bodyguard and were responsible for frontier-patrols and the crushing of rebellions (Macqueen, 1986. P56). Women also played an important part in the Hittites state. Queen Pudupepe, wife of Hattusili III, and the last queen of Suppiluliumas I were present in office until their husbands deaths and have been mentioned and portrayed in a number of clay tablets discovered (Gurney, 1990. P54). About 200 Hittite laws which were inscribed on two tablets, enclose the laws of this great empire. These include punishments for agricultural defence, adultery, theft, murder, defiance in case of slaves and many other rules and punishments (Sansal, 2010). A large number of tablets have been discovered baring these laws from later periods which indicate that the same laws were kept by later kings. At the lowest level of society were slaves. A person could become a slave through debts, through indentured servitude, as punishment of a crime, or through warfare (Collin, 2007. 117). An owner appears to ave had virtually unlimited power in his treatment of his slaves Bryce, 2002. p52). The art of fortification is an ancient one in Anatolia. A good example can be seen at the settlements in Hacilar II (c. 5400) which has an independent wall of mud brick between 1.5 and 3 m thick and provided with small towers which enabled the defenders to fire along the face of the wall. The slightly later (c. 5250) wall of Hacilar I are even bigger, and is built in a series of steps to give a clear field for covering-fire in front of it ( Macqueen, 1986. P64). Many building had mud-brick on stone foundations, with upper storey, and some had storage for grains (Matthews, 2010) Excavations show that streets had a strong tendency to be straight, and were usually well finished with a surface of coarse gravel. In an area where almost every site was on sloping ground, systems of terracing were constantly necessary, many streets had large drainage-channels, running down the middle and connected to lesser channels or clay pipes which carried dirty water into them from the houses on either side (Macqueen, 1986. P70) Agriculture played an important role in the economy of the Hittites. Some of the main crops included emmer-wheat and barley; but peas, beans, onions, flax, figs, olives, . Cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, horses, donkeys, dogs and were kept, and bees too were an important item (honey was important in diet). Daily diet consisted mainly of different sorts, of bread and cakes, milk, cheese, porridge or gruel, and meat and vegetable stews (Bryce, 2002, p74). There is evidence for the presence of doctors, builders, carpenters, goldsmiths, coppersmiths, potters, fishermen, and watchmen, although in many cases full-time professionals were employed only by the palace and temples (Macqueen, 1986. P97). Sometimes there is evidence for what can only be described as industrial areas, as trade played an important role in the economy and merchants from overseas visited the city often. These buildings can be especially in connection with metal-working, excavations show that these buildings could have fu nctioned as a shop in some areas of the town. Many seals have been discovered, but the signet-ring, like the cylinder-seal, was the exception, in the Hittite world. Newly- found seal-impressions which describe kuruntas as a Great King suggest that he was for a time able to seize power in the capital and will thus have to be added to the list of the Hittite monarchs (Macqueen, 1986, p9, p101). Pottery of Hittite type was in use throughout central Anatolia and in many areas affected by Hittite political or military influence. Perhaps the most attractive c type of Hittite pottery is the vessel in the form of an animal (Gurney, 1990. p163-165). Religion played an extremely important role among the Hittites, and it was involved mainly with serving the gods which in most cases was the weather gods Collin, 2007, p173-174). The kings prayed and made offerings to gods regularly at the temples dedicated to them. The temple was not only the building in which the great festivals took place, but also the home of the god throughout the year; inside it, he had his dining-room and his bedroom, and he had at his command a host of temple-servants attend to his every need (Bryce, 2002, p153). King Mursili II is best known among all the Hittite kings for his duty to gods and religion. This dedication to the gods and the vast number of temples built, was the main reason that Hattusa remained a capital throughout the years even though it was not the most ideal place to have as the centre of an empire mainly due to its extreme climate changes, the impossibility of the relocation of the gods temples made Hattusa the unchangeable capital. Most of the surviving evidence of temples relates to the official state-cult, little is known of local religious buildings, but inventories of their contents, preserved at the capital, tell us something of their furnishings and their festivals; the principal object in a shrine was a cult-image of normal size, usually a weapon, an animal or a huwasi-stone, an upright Stella set on a carved base (Macqueen, 1986, p111). Only towards the end of the Imperial period were these objects beginning to be replaced by anthropomorphic images, usually the gift of the king. Small buildings used for cult purposes also existed in Hattusas itself, and several have recently been excavated in the southern part of the city. Hittite art is basically naturalistic, in the sense that it portrays human beings, animals and occasionally objects. About three-quarters of a mile north-east of Bogazkoy lies Yazilikaya the most impressive of all Hittites religious structures. One of the gods depicted here is Teshub (Sansal, 2010). Here at a point where a spring of fresh water once flowed, is an outcrop of rock which forms two natural Chambers of different sizes; the problems with interpreting the sculptures of Yazihkaya in terms of find ritual and belief have certainly not all been solved (Macqueen, 1986, P 123-127). It has been pointed out by the excavators that the temple buildings, unlike those of the capital, were weakly constructed, and cannot have supported an upper storey; this suggests that they were not in daily use, but were reserved for some special function, perhaps an annual event (Bittel, 1970. P107-8) Cremation was widespread in central Anatolia; from textual resources it is known to be the funerary custom of the Hittite Kings. The ordinary people of Hattusa, however, were either buried or cremated (Bryce, 2002. P176-7). At Bogazkoy, for instance, bodies were often buried in or near the houses. Burial gifts were few and poor in quality and no social distinction can be made in terms of types or location of burial (Macqueen, 1986. P133) Hattusa is located at the southern end of the Budakozii Valley adjacent to the stream of the same name, which has cut a large cleft into the rocks to form a natural citadel that was settled already at the end of the Early Bronze Age; easily defensible, the citadel commanded a view of the entire Late Bronze Age city called Buyilkkale today (Bryce, 2002. P33). Here was located the palace, which was the residence of the king, his family, and their retinue, and, adjacent to it, the administrative buildings, including an extensive library and chancellery; the oldest part of the city is located in the Lower City to the north, in the area around and including the Great Temple (Bryce, 2002. P33). In this temple, priests saw to the needs of the Storm-God and Sun-Goddess, the divine couple who ruled the Hittite pantheon. Three monumental gates are located in the southern part of the city. Each of the three gates is decorated with elaborate sculpture that helps to define their separate uses. From an artificial embankment at the highest and southernmost point of the city, known as Yerkapi, two carved sphinxes once looked down protectively upon the temple quarter; the gate was accessible from the outside only by two steep, narrow staircases and so is unlikely to have been a regular point of entrance to the city. Its narrow open gateway has a shrine-like feel, and it may have served primarily as the stage for religious celebrations (Collin, 2007. P35). A large tablet uniquely made of bronze found near the Sphinx Gate contains the text of a treaty between Tudhaliyas IV and his cousin Kuruntas king of Tarhuntassa, a son of Muwatallis, and gives important geographical information on south and south-west Anatolia (Macqueen, 1986. P8-9). The Lion Gate located near Temple 3, to the southwest, so-called because of the two massive lions in stone designed to impress those entering the city, probably served as the citys formal entrance for dignitaries and other important visitors (Collin, 2007, p35). A bronze sword of Aegean type, found outside the Lion Gate and inscribed with a dedication by Great king Tudhaliyas when he shattered the Assuwa-country, is important confirmation of the Assuwa campaign of Tudhaliyas I and of early Hittite contact with the west and the Aegean coast (Macqueen, 1986. P8-9). The Kings Gate with a deity carved in high relief on it, is believed to have been used primarily for special occasions, due to its very close distance from Temple 5. Professor Neve notes that Temple 5 with an area of 3,000 m is the biggest sacred building in the upper city (Bryce, 2002. P242-3). To the south-east of the South Citadel In Hattusa, a large sacred pool has been revealed, some 92m by 65m in area, supplied by an aqueduct from the north of the kings Gate. At the western end of this po ol is a large embankment, 100 m long and 30 m wide, under which are two barrel-vaulted chambers. One of those, built over an older water-channel, is decorated with the relief of a king and an inscription of suppiluliumas II which describes it as a sacred path to the underworld (Macqueen, 1986. P8-9). These gates were also there to give protective aid of supernatural powers, by being designed to keep evil influences and evil men at bay. Excavations show that in the ridge called Bulyukkaya, the Hittites built an extensive granary comprising rectangular cellars dug into the earth( Collin, 2007. P16), with a capacity to store some four to six thousand tons of grain totals, this indicated that the city prepared for siege and also for bad harvest years (Matthews, 2010). New excavations in the western part of the Upper City, dominated by Sarikale, have revealed that the area was settled already in the sixteenth century. The square structures dating to this period are thought to have been barracks for military troops, thus clearing up the mystery of where Hattusas defenders resided (Collin, 2007). There is focus on the new excavations (since 2001) in the western part of the Upper City in the valley west of the rock of Sarikale, which may provide evidence of the elusive residential quarter. One major challenge remaining for excavators is to find a royal tomb (Collin, 2007. P16). In the south-west the Shipwreck near Uluburun, east of Kas, has provided a rich cargo which includes copper, tin, gold, glass, ivory, ebony, amber, ostrich-egg shell, terebinth resin, pellets or purple murex dye, a scarab of Nefertiti, and a wooden folding writing tablet, as well as a wide assortment of jewellery, weapons, tools, weights and other equipment; the wreck vastly increases our understanding of international sea-trade and also of shipbuilding techniques c. 1300 BC. (Macqueen, 1986) Conclusions: The Hittite empire collapsed around 1180 BC, at end of the late Bronze Age. Early in the twelfth century, the royal capital Hattusa was destroyed by fire, and with its destruction the Anatolian kingdom of the Hittite came to an abrupt end. This occurred within the situation of the widespread upheavals linked with the fall down of many Bronze Age kingdoms throughout the Near East and mainland Greece (Bryce, 2002. P9) . This empire had a fragile political unit, perhaps due to the location of its capital and the great mixture of people living within it, which made union rather more difficult and sensitive. Harvests were failing, and grain had to be imported from as far afield as Egypt to ward off famine, which caused the empire to be on the edge. Hittites disappeared from central Anatolia but survived as small Iron Age kingdoms in the south east of Turkey and northern Syria; these are the peoples referred to in the Bible, whom we call Neo-Hittites (Matthews, 2010). While Hittitology con tinues to be a dynamic and evolving field of study, it is nevertheless still a relatively young and relatively small field, and there is still much to learn about its people and history.

The Life of Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest: Then & Now Essa

The Life of Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest: Then & Now It has been estimated that the population of Native Americans living on or very near reservations in the United States ranges from about 1.1 to 1.3 million, and is distributed across more than 330 Indian nations in America (16). American Indian nations display an incredibly wide variety of social and economic characteristics. Although â€Å"American Indian† is identified as a single race category on the US Census, each tribe boasts its own culture and values. Members of two separate tribes may be as different as the populations of China and Africa. Long ago, the Indians of the Pacific Northwest depended entirely on their environment to support them. They were successful, self-sufficient groups who relied on their own means to sustain life. However, since the domination of Indian lands by the United States, these indigenous peoples have not had the resources to maintain their way of living. Not only were their lands invaded, but their culture was compromised as well. In response to their discontent with the sub-par living conditions, the US government has introduced laws to allow these groups to uphold their ancient values, while giving them the rights necessary to maintain the ability to support themselves. This includes the sovereignty of reservation lands, which has lead to the construction of casinos as a major money-maker for the Native American people, and a great deal of controversy to go along with it. From the ancient times of to hunting and gathering, to the invasion of Americans on Indian lands, to the modern c ompromises between the US and Native American governing bodies, the evolution of Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest is astoni... ...//www.indiangaming.org/info/pr/presskit/statistics.shtml>. 11. Native American Expressions. 15 May 2004. . 12. Native American Resource. 2002. 15 May 2004. . 13. Native American Shelters. 9 May 2004. . 14. Northwest Coast Canoe. 15 May 2004. . 15. Office of Hawaiian Affairs. May 27, 2004. . 16. Vogeler, Ingolf. Map of Indian Reservations. 1996. 15 May 2004. . 17. Your Tribe/Community’s History. May 14, 2004. .

The Meaning Of Life Through The Eyes Of Ivan Denisovich Essay example -

What is the meaning of life? This is one of the most frequently asked questions by all of humanity since the beginning of time. It is a question naturally asked by people because they have the ability to make choices about life. The question would appear to be difficult to answer and different for every individual depending on their circumstances. It is the ultimate search for truth and purpose in life, although the meaning of life is believed to be an idea that expresses their true purpose within life. These expressions can be defined within a given proximity in accordance with their current lifestyles. Ivan Denisovich ¡Ã‚ ¯s lifestyle differs from all aspects of a normal life, for his was depicted within a Siberian work camp in the Soviet Union. Within this camp all that mattered was the amount of food rations attained and the will to live the best he could. Although he was well aware of how things function in the camp, he learned when to work hard and when to take it easy, defi ning his acute character. The meaning in life through the eyes of Ivan Denisovich was to live a life of integrity and honesty, utilizing an optimistic attitude in all situations, while maintaining his upholding status. Ivan Denisovich is an old-timer in the prison camp and although he does odd jobs here and there to earn food or favors, he maintains a level of personal integrity. Integrity and honesty can be defined as the quality or state of being unimpaired or of being honest, refraining from lying, cheating, or stealing; being truthful, trustworthy, and upright. Ivan ¡Ã‚ ¯s honesty and integrity have been illustrated in many events that assure his own personal morals to live a life worthy of his own actions. He exemplifies these honorable morals in his actions throughout the entire day, which consisted of pitiful meals and harsh working conditions. He demonstrated his strict morality while eating dinner in the mess hall.  ¡Ã‚ °Yet, this old man is unlike all the other zeks. He sits upright and brings his spoon up to his lips. He does not put his bread on the dirty table, but on his clean rag. Somehow, even through countless years of prison life, he has maintained a sense of dignity. ¡Ã‚ ± He manifests his acute morals in all situations regardless of the status in which he is situated. He stands out, even though he is no different from any other, for many were wrongfully imprisoned for actions ... ...e been illustrated in many events that assure his own personal morals to live a life worthy of his own actions.  ¡Ã‚ °Somehow, even through countless years of prison life, he has maintained a sense of dignity. ¡Ã‚ ± Shukov demonstrated his integrity by attaining trust among the prisoners, a trust gained only from his previous engagements of sincere and honest deeds. Ivan ¡Ã‚ ¯s optimistic attitude motivated the others around him to perform the given tasks with a can do attitude. To a man, ones aspect of life can aspire a man to perform a great deed with a positive attitude, which Ivan had accomplished within the power plant. Ivan Denisovich ¡Ã‚ ¯s heart found sympathy for those who had suffered without a just cause for survival allowing him to remain sane throughout his sentence. His sanity was part of his meaning in life as his main goal was to live a life the best he could, and to maintain that life it was necessary for him to remain sane. Therefore the meaning in life through he eyes of Ivan Denisovich was to live a life of honesty and integrity with an optimistic attitude, allowing himself to sustain his own stature within his society while serving out his sentence as a prisoner of Communism.

Germination of Seeds

A seed consists essentially of a seed coat, stored food and a young plant, the embryo. The seed coat may be made of inner tegmen and outer testa. On the seed coat a scar (hilum) is present which shows the place of attachment of a seed in the fruit is present. At one end of the hilum is the micropyle. Through micropyle the seed absorbs water during the process of germination. The embryo consists of epicotyl,one or two seed leaves called cotyledons, and a hypocotyle. The portion of the embryo above the point of attachment of cotyledons to embryo axis, and below the plumule is called epicotyl. The plumule forms shoot. the portion of the embryo below the point of attachment of cotyledons to embryo axis but above the radicle, is called hypocotyls. The radicle forms root. The seed also contain the food, derived from the endosperm tissue. The food may remain as such or may be digested and stored in the cotyledons. Thus the cotyledons become thick due to the presence of stored food. This food is supplied to the developing plant during the process of germination of seeds. In the grain of maize, the cotyledon is modified into an organ called scutellum a term that comes from the Latin word meaning â€Å"Shield†. The food stored in scutellum is used first during germination of seed. Later on scutellum absorbs the food of endosperm and supply it to the developing embryo. â€Å"The maize grain is infact a single seeded fruit in which seed coat fruit wall is fused. † Practical Work: investigating structure of seed of gram and maize With the help of hand lens locate micropyle and hilum of the two seeds. With the help of scalpel cut the seeds longitudinally and observe different parts of the embryo along with endosperm with the help of (fig 16. 1) 1. What is the function of micropyle? 2. Why can’t you find endosperm in gram seed? Fig. 16. 11 Structure of seed of gram (a) and maize grain (b) 16. 5. 1 Seed germination During germination (growth and development) of a seed the water is absorbed through micropyle, and the formerly dormant embryo resumes growth and emerges from the seed. The root is normally the first structure emerging the seed, growing rapidly and absorbing water and min erals from the soil. Much of the water is transported to the cells in embryo. As its cells elongate the stem pushes out of the soil. There are two types of germination, epigeal and hypogeal. When the cotyledons appear above Fig 16. 12 (a) Hypogeal germination in gram seed the ground by the elongation of hypocotyl, the type of seed germination is called epigeal, e. g. seeds of melons, cucumber and beans[Fig 16. 12(b)]. 16. 12 (b) Epigeal germination in bean seed When the cotyledons remain below the soil, and epicotyl elongates bringing only plumule above the soil surface, it is described as hypogeal germination, e. g. eed of gram and maize grain[Fig 16. 12(a)] Germination is the onset of growth of a seed, often lollowing a period of dormancy, in response to suitable environmental conditions. 16. 5. 2 Conditions For germination to take place the seed must be viable (living) and should have sufficient food for its germination. The following environmental conditions must exist. In some seeds such as of tobacco plant light is also necessary to trigger germination o f seeds (i) Moisture or water (ii) Air(O2) (iii) Suitable temperature (i) Moisture or water Through micropyle, the seed absorbs water, which swells it causing the seed coat to burst. This helps the root to emerge out of seed. Water absorbed by the germination seed helps to activate the enzymes to digest the food of seed, which is made available to the growing embryo. It also helps to elongate hypocotyls and epicotyl, to grow out. (ii) Air Because oxidative metabolism usually takes over soon after a plant embryo starts to grow, most seeds require oxygen for germination. So air is very important for germination as it contains about 21% of oxygen, which is used during respiration. iii)Suitable temperature Germination of seeds occur over a wide temperatue range between 5-30 C. the optimum temperature for the germination of seeds of most plants ranges between 25-30 C. optimum or suitable temperature is necessary for the enzymes to function. During early germination of seeds, the vital mobilization of food reserves stored in the embryo cotyledons or the endosperm is mediated by h ormones, which in some cases are gibberellins. Practical work: investigating the conditions necessary for germination Set up four test tybes each with ten seeds labeled A, B, C and D as shown in Fig. 16. 13. Put tubes A, C and Din a warm place, in laboratory, Put tube B in a refrigerator. The test tube will have the following environmental conditions: Water, suitable temperature and air Water and the air (low temperature) Suitable temperature and air Water and suitable temperature (no air) Observe the test tubes regularly for about one week. 1. In which tubes the seeds germinate? 2. Did all the seeds in these tubes germinate, if not, why? Name the conditions necessary for the germination of seeds?