Things You Should Know About Essay Topics for General Knowledge Test

Things You Should Know About Essay Topics for General Knowledge Test The Integrated Writing task was created to inspect the capacity of students to understand information, which came from various sources. A person receives education from her or his very own personal experiences. In the current modern and thoroughly progressive society, the idea of education is often associated with one's schooling. Additional details on financing your college education can likewise be found on the College is Possible web website. To score great marks you want to begin your prior studies and preparation. Start from beginning of the exam, if you're not able to answer, don't waste your time and continue on to next one. You will receive numerous practice tests along with scored mock tests. How to get ready for IELTS Exam is the big problem for those contenders who intend to study or immigrate to the other nations. The Essay Topics for General Knowledge Test Game You'll be shown your essay. It's not unlikely your essay might be judged entirely by the debut, or conclusion, which is an equally important portion of the essay. Last, be certain that your essay is organized. Banking essays can be real fun to play with if you've got an exhaustive understanding about the discipline and have keen interest in writing, so should you believe that you cannot write decent banking essays than again you're erroneous. It is critical to compose an essay in agreement with the academic standards and, at precisely the same time, it has to be a TOEFL piece of writing. What kind of essays will be there and what's anticipated to be written. These essays are essentially supposed to learn more about the creativity of the applications. The essay writing part of the FTCE test is among the biggest challenges you'll face. In the event the research is based on statistical data, then incorporate the quantities of the test benefits. Because it can't help itself. In some regions, you must take the whole battery of tests in a couple of sittings. A great beginning to achieving success. A well compiled Halloween quiz can be a whole lot of fun, as can any other themed quiz, and lots of people feel safe with these kinds of quizzes rather than merely a general knowledge quiz with questions they are afraid will present their ignorance to others competing. Just changing a couple words isn't good enough, you must c hange the entire question for the answer. 1 reason is normally it is fun. It may be beneficial to check at the news briefly ahead of taking the test, just to get a feel for those goings on on earth at this time, but the titles aren't going to require any particular knowledge in the slightest. The next thing to do is to create a perspective for looking at the issue. You are able to re-visit the question later, in case you have time. It is crucial to justify the reason behind your study. Gone are the times of going on a totally free site and taking their questions as an increasing number of people utilize smart phones. Both are very different from one another with regard to format, purpose, timing, and a lot more. Paraphrasing implies retelling some points from the original source in your words, you need to demonstrate that you understood the material and not simply copy the info you hear or read. Opt for a prompt at random from above, or pick a topic that you believe will b e hard that you detach from (because you're going to want to write about this issue, instead of the argument) set timer to 50 minutes and compose the essay. The topics you will discover are intended to secure you to select a side, then argue that side with supportive evidence. The Importance of Essay Topics for General Knowledge Test Some schools have many specific topics from which you're expected to choose and write about. Along with it, there are several tutorial videos and PPT's, which act no under a social service for those aspirants. It's well worth your time to check over the previous papers online and carry out a mock exam, if at all possible. Some superior options is to use hard copies like quiz books to receive your questions and answers. Interest once developed can go a ways for the kid. Once the kid is interested in a specific subject, he or she is able to read the range of books out there. Education is something that remains with the person because of his life time. So make education your very first priority alongside living your dreams. The Hidden Treasure of Essay Topics for General Knowledge Test You will have the ability to get a great understanding on what things to anticipate. Knowledge of earth consists of concrete information regarding specific subjects. Although if you like expanding your very own general knowledge then it does mean that you've got an intriguing hobby that could pay you a small amount of additional money. Vary the overall knowledge topics.

There is More to Rap Music Than Just Violent Lyrics Essay

There is More to Rap Music Than Just Violent Lyrics ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study is to show that there is more to rap and hip hop lyrics than what most people take them for. It cannot be disputed that violence is a major theme in this genre of music, but the lyrics of artists who have been able to stay in the game for a long time show that overtime the subject of their song matter varies with their experiences and success. Two artists who are very well respected in the rap industry and who have been around for awhile, Nas and Jay-Z both show a wide variety of topics in their music and that with success their music went from violent tales to songs that are more fun, more positive and more concerned with material things. Using a†¦show more content†¦Jay-Z explains in one song#8230;I never prayed to God, a Pray to Gotti. The desire for material things is something very common to those that are listening. Jay-Z, coming from the same back round writes songs on things he knows and surrounds him. Besides the hunger another su bject that is very common to this subculture is violence. It is not a coincidence that violence is a subject matter prevalent in both the music and the subculture. Like Donna Gaines, Nas and Jay-Z acts as sociologists reporting what they see. Nas writes on the graphic violence that he is accustomed to#8230;Straight up *censored* is real and any day could be your last in the jungle get murdered on the humble, gunsll blast, niggaz tumble the corners is the hot spot, full of mad criminals who dont care guzzling beers#8230; Donna Gaines writes that she has observed that the burnouts drink in front of a 7-11, Nas also explains that criminals hang out on the corner. Both Donna and Nas write about what they observe. It is true that violence is a major theme in this music, but that is because the artists are writing about the real issues that are present in the subculture whom they are part of. If Jay-Z and Nas continued to write song lyrics covering the same things in their first album in their later ones, than it could be argued there is too much nonsense and violence in lyrics. However, that is notShow MoreRelatedEssay about Rap Music and Teen Violence 944 Words   |  4 PagesMusic can be a reflection of our life experiences. Each genre of music invokes different emotions and reactions in its listeners. Rap has become a very popular genre of music. As its popularity has increased, some people have questioned whether it can trigger violence in teens. While some rap songs do have violent lyrics, there is no direct evidence that rap music provokes violence in teenagers. Rap music has African roots just like jazz, the blues and rock ‘n’ roll. African slaves sang songsRead MoreMusic Lyrics Do Not Promote Violence1697 Words   |  7 PagesMusic Lyrics being NON-VIOLENT Rap music can be considered a style of art, and a way for the artists to express feelings through their words on paper. However, there are quite a few rap artists that get criticized for their lyrics. In my essay, I want to discuss why rappers use certain lyrics in their music and why people shouldn’t believe that it causes violence among the younger generations. People shouldn’t censor the music just because of violent, vulgar and abusive messages it promotes to theRead MoreRap Music And Its Effects On Society1535 Words   |  7 Pagesthis is O.T. GenAsis and his awe inspiring lyrics featured in his hit single â€Å"Coco†. Rap wasn’t always this bad, back when Rap first started with a group by the name of Sugar Hill Gang and their hit single t o begin the era â€Å"Rapper’s Delight† Rap was about peace, harmony and just hanging out at a party, but r=this precedent split into more violent distorted versions of the genre such as the more 1990s popular genre of â€Å"Gangsta Rap† or the more recent rap music that glorifies sexual themes, practicesRead MoreThe Problem Of Hip Hop Music1721 Words   |  7 Pages In the past 2 years alone, more than 3 dozen criminal prosecutions have had rap lyrics be presented by the prosecutor as a vital piece of evidence in the case. [Manly] In many of these cases the prosecutor will use violent lyrics created by the defendant to prove that that person is inherently dangerous and in other cases, will use the lyrics as a direct confession to having committed the crime in question. If you read into these cases you will notice a common theme between them; the defense willRead MoreRap Music : Hip Hop Essay1509 Words   |  7 PagesRap, or hip hop as some call it, ranks in t he top ten of most popular music genres in the world. Since it burst on the scene in the late 1970s, rap music changed the landscape of the music industry, especially for African-American artists. The genre accredited some of the biggest names in the music industry. Popular artists like LL Cool J, Tupac, Notorious B. I. G., Jay-Z, Kanye West, and many others produce, or have produced, millions of hip-hop records. The secret to the success of hip hop centersRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Hot Nigga Essay1590 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"coolness.† They played the song for me and as I paid attention to the lyrics, I noted its constant mention of violence and I wondered if they did as well. While I initially found the lyrics of the song â€Å"Hot Nigga† disturbing, very quickly I realized that although my cousins proclaimed their love for this â€Å"cool† song and repeated the phrase â€Å"About a week ago† with reckless abandonment, they seemed to lack awareness of the rest of the lyrics. This became evident when I asked them to sing it, and the onlyRead MoreRap Music And Its Influence On African American Youth1705 Words   |  7 Pages Music and society have always been closely related. For years now music has been apart of people’s everyday lives all around the world. Having so many different genres out there, it makes it easy to be appealing to so many different ethnic backgrounds. However, one type of genre in particular has seemed to grab the attention of a younger generation. Rap music has undoubtedly had its utmost impact on African American youth, since many of the performers themselves are African American. An overtlyRead MoreEssay on Rap and Hip Hop Do Not Affect Society Negatively987 Words   |  4 Pages Rap and hip hop music have been debated many times over the years about whether or not this choice of music affects society negatively. As you will learn from this presentation, rap does not affect society negatively and is a great choice of music. It helps save lives, relieves stress, and tells vital messages to learn from. According to dictionary.com, the definition of hip hop is defined as, â€Å"the popular subculture of big-city teenagers, which includes rap music, breakdancing, and graffiti artRead MoreRegulating Children And Teen s Music Choice1343 Words   |  6 PagesRegulate Children and Teen’s Music Choice Music is prevalent and can be heard in a plethora of places such as, grocery stores, on the radio, and even on commercials. There are thousands of different genres of music that all serve the same purpose. Music varies all over the world and it is undeniable that it is very influential. It has the power to bring people together, put people in a good mood, bring back memories and inspire. Although music can be a positive influence by triggering happiness andRead More Music Censorship Essay1269 Words   |  6 PagesMusic Censorship Healthy debates have been caused by todays music. Generally, foul language has rapidly increased within modern popular song lyrics, especially among rap and heavy metal artists songs. An increase in explicit violence and misogyny in popular music lyrics has been recorded. These lyrics have been judged to be inspirations for violent, suicidal, and criminal acts. For example, Mr. Raymond Kuntz referred to his sons incident. When his wife went to wake their son for school, they

HR Role in Business Planning -Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the HR Role in Business planning using Walton and Burgonyne'e model. Answer: A strategic plan can be said to be a vision taken for the betterment of the organization in order to gain a positive hand in the competitive market. The plan is to be set out for the following 2 to 5 years. The plan is to be developed by the managers for the company and to be executed by the HR professionals[1]. The professionals in the HR department have to work as a part of the strategic planning as all employees would be able to execute the strategic mission for the organisation. The HR would be responsible for taking all the responsibility for the organisation. Connecting the people of the organisation and the ideas into a single binding plan would be able to help the organisation for the completion of the strategic plan. The HRs role is to bring in new ideas into the company. The HR should be able to understand the proper working ideas of the modern strategic planning for the development of the management trends in the company. After the creation of the strategic plan there need s to be connection of the plan to the objective and the working procedure of the company so that the plan can be easily executed[2]. Overcoming the obstacles during the implementation is important so as to combat the pressure of failure of the plan. The use of the HR role in a company is able to help in the process of bringing the proper initiatives for the making of the capital improvement in the company. References Bratton, John, and Jeff Gold.Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. Kerzner, Harold, and Harold R. Kerzner. Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley Sons, 2017. Kerzner, Harold, and Harold R. Kerzner. Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley Sons, 2017. Bratton, John, and Jeff Gold.Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.

Pediatrics Essays (3593 words) - Pediatrics, Pediatric Nursing

Pediatrics Pediatric Experience 1 Kimberly Testi 205-68-4533 Foundations of Nursing Judy Tate November 30,1999 Pediatric Experience 2 The Primary Care Clinic located in Children's Hospital is dedicated to the care of children. It is a place where children can be examined for routine physicals and sick visits. It is convenient because it is open until 9:00pm so children can be seen in the evening. This experience demonstrates that there are many differences in treatment of children and adults. T.T., a three year old male, was seen first. He was visiting the clinic due to a high temperature, 39.6oF(Jarvis,1996). Despite his fever, T.T. was very energetic. He was talking and playing. On observation enlarged tonsils, a strawberry tongue, and a rash on his torso were evident. He was diagnosed as having strep throat and scarlet fever. Expected findings include small tonsils, a pink tongue with no bumps or lesions, and a smooth torso with no rashes evident(Jarvis,1996). The nurse had useful techniques when assessing T.T. For example, when assessing his lungs, she was having a difficult time getting him to take deep breaths. She tried holding up her finger and telling him to pretend it was a birthday candle and to blow it out. When this did not work, she ripped up little pieces of paper and asked him to Pediatric Experience 3 blow them away. This technique not only worked for the assessment, but also in keeping T.T. happy. The next child, M.M., was a 10 year old male. He was visiting the clinic for a routine physical. The nurse began the assessment by asking questions. She started with history, asking if he'd been in the hospital before, if he was on any medications, and if he had any current complaints. The only concern he and his mother had was the fact that his right heel would get sore after physical activity. The nurse then moved to nutrition. M.M. claimed to have healthy eating habits, eating all food groups and not too much fat and sugar. After that, the nurse asked about physical activity. M.M. plays basketball but he doesn't get outside to play as much as he'd like. The nurse then began the physical assessment. She looked at all body systems. Musculoskeletal was fun for M.M. He had to do things such as touch his toes, hop on one foot and squat down to walk across the room. She assessed the genital area last. All she had to do was look to make sure he was developing correctly for his age. He said he was uncomfortable with this so she asked if he would like his mother to leave the room. He said no, so she proceeded to look very quickly. He was developing fine. There were no unusual findings on physical assessment. Pediatric Experience 4 An x-ray was taken of M.M.'s heel. It showed that a piece of bone had broken off at the end of his heel. He went to orthopedics and they took care of him from there. The third child observed was T.W., a 7 month old female. She was brought to the clinic due to eye drainage. The nurse began by taking a rectal temperature. Upon doing this, she noticed a flaming red rash on T.W.'s genital area. She asked the parents about this and they said it had been like that for about a week. She then went on to look at T.W.'s eyes. Her conjuctiva was very red and she did have a greenish drainage in and around her eye. The first nurse placed her on the exam table which was not very effective. T.W. was crying and would not stay still. The second nurse performed her examination with T.W. while her mother held her and this proved to be much more effective. T.W. was diagnosed with conjunctivitis and a candidal infection. All examinations were performed with the parent in the room. This was very effective. Infants, toddlers, and preschool children should be examined with a parent in the room. For children this age, the parent is the source of subjective data. For example, T.W. could not speak for herself. T.T. could speak to an extent, saying such things Pediatric Experience 5 as My throat hurts. His mother, however went into more detail about his symptoms. School-age children and adolescents should be

Leonardo Da Vinnci essays

Leonardo Da Vinnci essays Leonardo Da Vinci was born on April 14, 1452 in the town of Vinci near Florence Italy. He kept the name of his town for his last name. He lived during the fifteenth century, a period when the people of Europe were becoming interested in art. This period of time was known as the Renaissance period. Leonardo Da Vinci was very talented. He was a great artist, but he became famous because he was able to do so many other things. He was an architect, a musician, inventor, sculptor, scientist, and mathematician. His artistic talent revealed its self early in his life. When he was about 15 years old Leonardo's father took him to Florence Italy, to train as a painter and sculptor in the studio of Andrea del Verroccho. He studied with this master until the age of twenty five. At this point, he set up his own business and was famous for being a painter and a man of science. As a scientist, he observed everything he could in nature. Leonardo used what he learned from nature and science to make his paintings look real. He drew and took many notes of what he observed. His notes were written backwards, probably because he didn't want people to read about his discoveries and observations. In order to read Leonardo's notes, one has to hold them up to a mirror. In 1472 he entered a painters' guild. His earliest extensive works date back to this time. In 1482 Da Vinci worked for Duke Lodovico Sforza in Milan for 18 years. He fulfilled the position as court artist, but also worked as an engineer and architect. While in Milan Leonardo developed more theories about painting. Leonardo believed that knowledge should be based on observation. He believed that observation led to understanding, and artists had an obligation to record this understanding by painting accurate images. He made sketches of everything around him. This caused him to make a master plan, his plan was to record the structure of every building in the world. He believed...

Why Your Job Board Applications Aren’t Working

Why Your Job Board Applications Aren’t Working Are you a talented professional with amazing accomplishments, but who is getting nowhere applying for jobs through job boards?   If so, you are not alone, and you are fighting an uphill battle.   The fact is, job seekers get only a 1-3% response rate from the major job boards.   That means you might have to send out 100 resumes to get just one response! There is a trick to getting a higher response from the job boards, which I talk about in detail in How to Write a Resume that Beats the Computers.You also need some other strategies. There are plenty of jobs out there that are not posted on job boards, and that even your networking contacts dont know about. The company itself might not even know they want someone like you until you show up!  Ã‚   Mary Elizabeth Bradford, who won a Career Innovator Award at the 2011 Career Directors International conference, has packaged a Job Search Success System that will help you present yourself powerfully to find those hidden jobs. The basic premise of Mary Elizabeth’s system if that you need strategies to connect directly with companies.   You cut out the â€Å"middle man† (recruiters, HR, job boards, etc.). Most companies go through  at least five steps to fill a position  before they will post the position to a major job board. They get on the phone to a few trusted colleagues. They look to see if anyone internal is qualified to be promoted. They alert their staff to refer someone they might know. They launch an intimate campaign to try to fill the position waaaay before the general public is notified. And if after a few weeks, the position is still not filled, perhaps they contact a related association to post the job on their â€Å"Members Only job† or they contract a recruiter.   Job boards are a last resort. Can you break through to the Hidden Market? Mary Elizabeth emphasizes, â€Å"ANYONE (and I mean even if you are right out of college) can enjoy the benefits of the hidden job market. These jobs are available on all levels and in virtually all industries.   The trick is to hone your focus so you actually achieve the results you want.† What are the advantages to you of connecting to the hidden job market?   You get more job opportunities, more market leverage, less competition, a shorter interview process and bigger offers.   You still might want to send resumes out via the internet as part of your strategy; but why would you focus there exclusively when you can have so much more control over your next career move?! You might be wondering precisely how to tap into the unadvertised job market. There are three strategies recommended by the Job Search Success System that help you focus on and find great jobs that will never see a major job board. Tip #1: Have a plan Launch a proactive job search. Know precisely what you are looking for, then reach out to get it. Know your primary target market(s), primary positions sought, geographic parameters, and timeline. Tip #2: Pick three main job search strategies for tapping into your market Here are two examples of techniques you can utilize: Offer your skills to growing or changing companies: Companies that are expanding, merging, acquiring other companies, rolling out new products or services, or moving are likely to be seeking new employees to help them with their transition. Make direct company contact: Contacting a company directly is a great way to take leadership and control over your job search. Are you interested in looking at the higher education market in your state or the top organic food manufacturers in the US? Or maybe the fastest growing healthcare oriented businesses in your city? All of these â€Å"lists† are accessible to you and allow you to tap right into your market of focus. Tip #3: Manage your job search like a marketing campaign Make a simple plan to move forward. Pick the hours and days each week that you plan to invest in your next career move. Block out those times and stick to them! Honor your commitment to your job search just like you would honor your commitment to your present employer to show up on time each day. During your job search, keep things simple and focus on your actions, not their immediate results! This way you can celebrate your initial â€Å"successes†    the completions of your daily and weekly goals. The results will unfold elegantly and abundantly and you will enjoy the satisfaction of success whether you are investing in marketing yourself or basking in the warm glow of landing your third or fourth interview! How are job boards sounding now?   If you are ready to try a new strategy, I highly encourage you to look into Mary Elizabeth’s award-winning Job Search Success System. And please report your success to both Mary Elizabeth and me.   I love success stories and look forward to hearing yours! Category:Job SearchBy Brenda BernsteinNovember 14, 2011 1 Comment William Dufour says: May 10, 2017 at 8:14 am Thanks for the information. Log in to Reply

Community assigment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Community assigment - Assignment Example Such drugs generally cause the victim to experience illusions and destabilize their mental capacities making them vulnerable to carry out acts that can be seen as immoral or even illegal. In most cases, the community and the family members of the drug addict are the ones most hit. Drug addict parents have been known to subject their children to verbal or even physical abuse. Furthermore, the children might not be able to have that parental connection to their parents that they so much need as they grow up (Cheperon, 2010). There is even a greater potential problem that is bound to happen; kids who grow up in families where parents or guardians abuse drugs are likely to take up substance abuse since they learn to see it as a normal thing to do. The community where such people with substance abuse issues live in will not develop. The development of the communities we live in depends on a number of aspects ranging from moral stands, education, and innovative skills (Cheperon, 2010). All these aspects need one to be able to be in the right mindset, which can be hard if they abuse drugs. Among the problems we face today globally, many of them can be traced back to substance abuse as their root causes. Unwanted teenage pregnancies, new HIV infections, domestic violence and abuse against children are just but a few of these problems. It all goes down to mental incapacitation that is brought about by psychoactive substances. When a teenager smokes marijuana, for instance, their perception of what is around them becomes disoriented; eventually they will lack a physical coordination and make unthoughtful judgments. All this makes them become easy targets for rape, or they might even engage in unprotected sexual interactions, which can lead to either unwanted pregnancies or infection of HIV, and in most cases both (Ann, 2012). Domestic violence and child abuse falls in a more parental level since it

Internal Control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Internal Control - Essay Example Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act states that all annual financial reports must include an internal control report stating that management is responsible for an adequate internal control structure and an assessment by management of the effectiveness of the control structure (Sarbanes-oxley-101, 2015). The creation of SOX established new standards for internal controls that corporations must abide to, while at the same time ensuring that upper management became accountable for the actions of the company. The new internal control requirements must be monitored by upper management including the CEO and CFO who must personally sign the report making them liable in case these internal controls fail (Kmpg, 2004). This raises their accountability by 100% in comparison with the past. The act also requires a statement from the public company that audited the financial statement that it has issued an attestation report on managements assessment of the internal control of the company (Sec, 2008). Peavler, R. (2015). The Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Enron Scandal – Why are they Important. Retrieved January 6, 2015 from http://bizfinance.about.com/od/smallbusinessfinancefaqs/a/sarbanes-oxley-act-and-enron-scandal.htm Sec.gov (2008). Final Rule: Managements Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting and Certification of Disclosure in Exchange Act Periodic Reports. Retrieved January 6, 2015 from

Ininternet Addiction and How It Affects Educational Success Essay Example for Free

Ininternet Addiction and How It Affects Educational Success Essay Many people carry out most of their daily activities using the internet, for example, banking, paying bills and trading which has led to a marked dependence on the internet. According to the Center for On-Line Addiction (1998), there are several types of internet addiction: The first is Cyber-sexual Addiction where people get addicted to pornography on the internet. The second is Cyber-relationship Addiction where people make on-line friends in chatrooms and soon the online friends replace life friends and family. The third is Net- Compulsions where people engage in different compulsive behaviors such as gambling, auctions and excessive online trading. People develop an internet addiction for different reasons. Some people become addicted to the Internet because of the social connections they make online. This is because they develop emotional attachments to the online friends they ‘meet ’on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. The internet offers anonymity where people can talk about issues that they would not feel free to talk to close friends or family about. The internet also provides a wide array of activities which keeps people online in search of new and exciting forms of entertainment The internet has both positive and negative affects on education. Internet addiction negatively affects the social life of students; it leads to an inability to communicate in the ‘real world’. Lack of communication skills it makes it hard for students to form healthy relationships with their peers at school. The internet can also be very distracting. There are a lot of fun activities on the internet like games and social networks which distracts students from doing their school work. Internet addicts spend a lot of time on the internet which leads to exhaustion due to lack of sleep which in turn leads to a lack of concentration at school. Internet addiction continues to be a major problem in today’s society and measures should be taken to ensure that students who are addicted to the internet receive help in order to continue with their studies. Students should be made aware of the reality of internet addiction and its negative effects on their academic performance. Teachers and parents should also limit the time spent by students on the internet to enable them to achieve better academic excellence. References Centre for Internet Addiction (2011). A Growing Epidemic. Retrieved 5, 2013 from http://www. netaddiction. com Young K. S. (1998). Caught in the net: how to recognize the signs of Internet addiction-and a winning strategy for recovery. New York: J. Wiley.

harry potter and lord of the rings :: essays research papers

The Hero Quest Pattern in Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter The authors of the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter each use the hero quest pattern as a scheduled backdrop of action. The two protagonists, Frodo Baggins and Harry Potter have very similar beginnings. They are introduced as normal boys who find out that they are going to undertake something very great. The two protagonists however, are not alone in their quests. They both have very similar mentors in Gandalf and Dumbledore respectively. Even greater guidance comes from their friends, who are there every step of the way. Each novel uses a reoccurring symbol to show the presence of evil. The two journeys are so epic due in part to the dark and powerful villains that each hero has to battle. The two hero’s Harry Potter and Frodo Baggins are two very ordinary people before discovering what lay in store for them. Harry lived with his aunt and uncle in terrible conditions after his parents were murdered and Frodo lived with his uncle after his parents drowned. Harry learns of his true powers when he is twelve, he someone tells him that he was the one who killed Voldemort "To Harry Potter - the boy who lived"(Rowling). Harry’s parents were murdered but there love for him protected him, and when Voldemort tried to kill him, his spell backfired and nearly killed him. Harry doesn’t find this out until he is twelve years old, old enough to go to wizardry school. In the Lord of the Rings, middle earth can not agree on what to do with the ring. They finally decide to destroy it, but now can not decide who will carry it. Frodo volunteers to carry the ring when all the other races can not agree who will take it. harry potter and lord of the rings :: essays research papers The Hero Quest Pattern in Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter The authors of the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter each use the hero quest pattern as a scheduled backdrop of action. The two protagonists, Frodo Baggins and Harry Potter have very similar beginnings. They are introduced as normal boys who find out that they are going to undertake something very great. The two protagonists however, are not alone in their quests. They both have very similar mentors in Gandalf and Dumbledore respectively. Even greater guidance comes from their friends, who are there every step of the way. Each novel uses a reoccurring symbol to show the presence of evil. The two journeys are so epic due in part to the dark and powerful villains that each hero has to battle. The two hero’s Harry Potter and Frodo Baggins are two very ordinary people before discovering what lay in store for them. Harry lived with his aunt and uncle in terrible conditions after his parents were murdered and Frodo lived with his uncle after his parents drowned. Harry learns of his true powers when he is twelve, he someone tells him that he was the one who killed Voldemort "To Harry Potter - the boy who lived"(Rowling). Harry’s parents were murdered but there love for him protected him, and when Voldemort tried to kill him, his spell backfired and nearly killed him. Harry doesn’t find this out until he is twelve years old, old enough to go to wizardry school. In the Lord of the Rings, middle earth can not agree on what to do with the ring. They finally decide to destroy it, but now can not decide who will carry it. Frodo volunteers to carry the ring when all the other races can not agree who will take it.

Brand Onions The Crying Game: Article analysis

The crying game, Martin Well. Article Analysis The article from Martin Well Is calling Into question the use of models for brand- perception management. Brand-marketing models may create barriers in the development of brands. By following strict rules, the way for creativity is not accessible. To better understand the article we will mentioned the main statement from the author, to then better analyze it.Processes in marketing lock the values of companies in a strict way (like in a box), and it doses ‘t promote the creativity and the action. Employees will not think out of the box, being locked in those concepts. Then any messages, Ideas, options, alternatives, solutions or opinion that do not have a direct link to the â€Å"rules† are automatically rejected. This Is quite â€Å"Nazi† and does not promote Innovation. The brand will not take any risk. Its messages will be very simple. There won't be evolution over the time.The company stays stacked with its values, and launch messages around it, but probably this is not what its customer or target is expecting, and believe in. Or it is not well done (the message) and the target group does understand a different meaning of it. In the article, Nikkei is mentioned as an example, and Nine's slogan â€Å"Just Do It† Is probably Included In employee's minds. This motto Is part of the values of the firm. In this case this value Is very motivating, pushing for creation and action.Also It does encourage the employee to think out of the box. A call to action and creatively should always be part of any company' s values. Furthermore, these tools do not give much opportunity to adapt to national market, where values and messages could be improved in many cases. Of course it is useful as a base to help you understand (as a company), who you are, hat you want to achieve, where you are going and why? This is kind of a raisin d' ©tree, witch helps the business and its employees to stay focus, knowin g why they are waking up every morning.Any tool should be adapted, changed or only be used as a remembered over the time. Studies, trough tests directly taking place on the market, analyzing reactions of people). To understand if the message is perceived as we want it to be perceived, or even if it is the right one. Does the target group really want to be associated to those values? Is there any improvement to be done? Should we stick on our firm-values anyway? Or are we capable to adapt, to evolve, being smarter?I would like to conclude by this post from Erg Manses, witch commented the article: â€Å"we spend most of our time trying to post-rationalize the decisions we make by instinct†. The brain has two different parts that are (thanks god) connected between each other, meaning that our instinct might not be that instinct, but a fast connection inside our brain is probably made. Models we are using in order to plan a brand strategy should not be followed like science, but they should be used as different tools to orient ourselves.

Philosophy and Critical Thinking Skills

What Is Your Philosophy Georgette Duropan PHL/215 April 11,2012 Ryan Shriver What Is Your Philosophy? According to â€Å"Merriam Webster† (2012), Epistemology is the study or a theory of the nature and grounds of knowledge, especially with reference to its limits and validity. In my essay I will give you a description about the approaches to philosophical questions for each of the major philosophical areas of inquiry, and explanation of how philosophy and culture interact in the development of thought.I will also give an explanation of why the selected philosophy best describes my identification of cultural factors that influenced my choice of philosophy. The Divisions of Philosophy falls into four areas, such as Metaphysics, Epistemology, Ethics (moral philosophy, social philosophy, political philosophy, and aesthetics), and Logic. Metaphysics has more to do with being or existence. Epistemology is the theory of knowledge and wants to know the truth. Ethics covers four differ ent areas. Moral philosophy is the study of moral judgments.Social philosophy is the study of society and its institutions. Political philosophy focuses on the state and seeks to determine, proper organization. Aesthetics, study of art, and of value judgment. Making a statement to me will get me to use my critical thinking skills. I for one do one believe everything I am told until sold proof, facts, or reasoning have been proven. This falls into the same perspective on how philosophy and culture interact in the development of thought. How people choose to use their words when trying to explain something to me makes a big difference.Often times I can mistakenly misinterpret what the speaker is trying to say. In other words, something cannot be a true fact and a false fact in a sentence. I call this contradicting. However, two people coming from two different backgrounds or from two different cultures might say the same thing but mean the opposite. Using your critical thinking skills on how explanation of how philosophy and culture interact in the development of thought needs to be dug into and come out with solid proof, facts, or reasoning behind the statement.The major philosophical area of inquiry that best describes me is Epistemology. As I have mentioned above I am the kind of person where I need to have solid proof, facts, or reasoning before I believe something someone is trying to tell me. Because Epistemology is the theory of knowledge questions related to Epistemology are What is truth? and Is it possible to know anything with absolute certainty? The more you know, the more you are able to learn and grow.Knowledge is power. Epistemology has to do a lot on how one thinks. When I think I like to go deep into though, therefore; I rely on my own experiences as a reference. If I had none the only way to find out the truth is to experience it for my self. Some cultural factors that influenced my choice of philosophy specifically Epistemology is the Japanese cultural. For the New Year’s Japanese believes that consuming noodles will give you a long live because the noodles are longs.Although this is not a proven factor I do see a lot of older Japanese people consuming noodles. These people look healthy and strong therefore I just believed that noodles does give you along life. Another cultural factor that influenced my choice is the Filipino culture. My husband is pure Filipino and is originally from the Philippines. His mother, my mother in law told me that saving the first washing of the rice and use that first washing of the rice water to water the orchids will help sustain the life of the orchid plant.Because I am the kind of person that needs to have things proven to me I asked my mother in law to water one orchid with regular water and another orchid with the first washing of the rice water. Both orchids were of the same family of orchid types. After two months the orchid that was watered with the first washing of the rice produce two times as much more flowers then the regular watered orchid and the flowers from the first washing of the rice lasted about two times longer.Some may think that this is coincidence, however; after continuously watering the orchids with the first washing of the rice water versus regular results have spoken for itself. In conclusion, I discussed the definition of Epistemology, the approaches to philosophical questions for each of the major philosophical areas of inquiry, and explanation of how philosophy and culture interact in the development of thought.And I also gave an explanation of why the selected philosophy best describes my identification of cultural factors that influenced my choice of philosophy. Wanting to have solid proof, facts, or reasoning behind a question that is given is not a bad thing. This just shows that you obtaining answering behind a question will give you more knowledge. Knowledge is power! References Merriam webster. (2012). Retrieved from http:/ /www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/epistemology

Following the Steps of Christabel Do You Believe in Vampires

Following the Steps of Christabel Do You Believe in Vampires The Story Untold: Coleridge and his Creation The story of pride and pain, the story told with the stifled sobbing and interrupted too fast, the piece created by Coleridge leaves much more mysteries than a reader can handle.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Following the Steps of Christabel: Do You Believe in Vampires? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More With the power of his imagination Coleridge makes the reader see the despair which the poem is shot through, yet he leaves very much to the imagination, leaving the real facts behind and telling only what lies on the surface. In spite of the fact that the poem was never completed, and despite Coleridge’s passion for talking mysteries, one can see the outlines of people and events on this beautiful canvas of poem. With no end and with tangled beginning, the poem needs explanation of the author, which Coleridge realized well enough. In addition, the female chara cter placed in the center of the story raised a number of debates among critics, which added to the mystery about the poem. As Kroeber recalled, †Often when Coleridge discusses Christabel, his poem becomes a lady whose character needs protecting or explaining.† (204). Indeed, unfinished and filled with various mysteries, the poem offers much food for the reader’s fantasy, yet it answers none of the questions the latter asks. Among the contradictory and debatable issues of the poem, its characters are one of the most complicated issues to discuss. In spite of the fact that their number is not great, the complicacy of their natures offers many grounds for discussion. The two most contradictory and controversal ones, Christabel and Geraldine, fill the entire poem with the air of grief and compassion. To lift the veil of mystery over the two maids’ faces, Feeding Vampires: Mother and Her Daughter No matter how petrifying that might sound, Christabel and Geraldi ne can be positioned as a mother and her child. Draining the energy from her new friend’s veins, the Lamia of the XVII century England is a child hungry for warmth and feelings. It is obvious that this bloodthirsty child of the parents sunken in vice needs the energy of her victim as a baby needs its mother’s milk. Surprisingly, this idea proves right if considering the characters closer. In spite of the fact that the terrifying lamia drains the soul of her new victim, leaving an empty shell of Geraldine, she does not treat the latter merely as a source of energy – on the contrary, Christabel displays keen interest in Geraldine’s life and becomes indignant with the people who brought suffer and sorrow to poor Geraldine.Advertising Looking for term paper on british literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As Hollinger argues, When we envision the vampire feeding, we see the victim and pr edator, seduced and seducer: why not Madonna and the child? Is the vampire’s lust for blood an extension of a more natural desire for sustenance and is its quest for victims and for others of its kind really a search fro mother and family? (Hollinger 45) Terrified himself o the terrible parallel drawn between motherhood and the vampire’s desire to be fed and warmed, Coleridge depicts the actions of Christabel as if observing the dreadful mischief from a secret lair. In spite of all the terror of the situation, the poet realizes that there is certain petrifying beauty in this scene – the beauty of a baby sucking its mother’s breast: And lo! the worker of these harms, That holds the maiden in her arms, Seems to slumber still and mild, As a mother with her child. (57) Drawing the Line between a Victim and a Seducer Expecting that the poet placed each tile of the story into its own place, the reader would be surprised to know that there are a number of ways t o interpret the poem. Although it seems obvious at first that it was insinuating Christabel who managed to subdue poor Geraldine to her will, further on it becomes evident that the problem is more than skin deep. Looking hurt and innocent, the girl found in the forest proves much more dangerous a guest than the family could have imagined. Considering Hoffmeister’s point of view, one can suppose that it was Geraldine who became the seducer of the daughter and her father: In describing how Geraldine first seduced the daughter and then the father, the narrator reveals several subtle shifts in sexual roles: Christabel as bridegroom carrying Geraldine over the threshold; Geraldine embracing Christabel â€Å"as a mother with her child†; Sir Leonile embracing as a young bride â€Å"the wrong daughter of his friend† and resenting his own daughter’s â€Å"jealousy† (49)Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Following the Steps of Ch ristabel: Do You Believe in Vampires? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Who was the lamia, then? On the one hand, it seems that in the given situation Hoffmesiter sees what he wants to see in the poem, making it thus even more complicated – if this is actually possible, for Coleridge already tangled it to the hilt – and sees hidden implications where there is nothing to be concealed? It is obvious that Hoffmeister considers the description of passing through the gates of the castle and Geraldine’ fainting as the main proof that the girl is a lamia: The lady sank, belike through pain, And Christabel with might and main Lifted her up, a weary weight, Over the threshold of the gate: Then the lady rose again, And moved, as she were not in pain. (Coleridge 47) Still it seems that the hint is far too subtle. Even though Coleridge could mean that there was something wrong about Geraldine, he would have showed it in a more explic it way, judging from the manner in which he depicted Geraldine’s woes. A Witch or a Child? Of course, there is that certain piece of witchery in every woman – yet it seems that Coleridge’s character comprises the traits of both the most virtuous and the most sinful woman ever. Christabel, the angel that dragged Geraldine out of the depth of her despair, becomes suddenly filled with mysterious fire burning her from within – that does somehow remind of auto-da-fes of the Inquisition epoch. However, Coleridge is far too delicate to mention this in his poem. Despite all the implications and the underlying idea of witchery, he mentions the very word only once, seemingly not connected to the idea of the poem. However, as the word is sounded, it gains certain shape and becomes one of the leitmotifs of the poem: In Langdale Pike and Witchs Lair, And Dungeon-ghyll so foully rent, With ropes of rock and bells of air Three sinful sextons ghosts are pent (Coleridge 6 0) Gaining even darker shades of mystery closer to the abrupt ending of the story, this idea of witchery becomes increasingly evident. Who could have thought that vice can take shapes of the most virtuous things and people? As Christabel breathes in the virus of sin, she is practically turning into a witch. As Twitchel marked,Advertising Looking for term paper on british literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The lamia myth takes on special importance in the scene where Geraldine and Christabel spend night together. For although there is no mention of any sexual act of bloodletting, we do see the results of some energy flow between them. (45) Compared to Christabel, Geraldine is a lost and lonesome child. Her soul is restless, and she is looking for a shoulder to cry on and find oblivion in someone as strong as her. However, she does not see that her new friend is rather a monster in disguise, a witch to beware. Conclusion Although the story of Geraldine and Christabel is way too blurred to decide which of the maidens was a real monster in disguise and if any was at all, one still can read a piece of truth between the lines of the poem. Mysterious and weird, it drags the reader to the bottom of endless sorrow to see what compassion and sympathy is. With help of the controversial plot, the poet asks another important question: what is virtue and what is it worth? While the story unwinds in front of the reader’s eyes, a number of various relationships start to structure, among them the ones between a mother and a daughter, a victim and a seducer, a witch and an innocent child. In his peculiar manner, Coleridge does not preach, but paints the pictures of his visions to show the reader, which is even more impressive than moralizing. Leaving the pleasure of wandering in the twists of the poem labyrinth to the reader, Coleridge creates the parallel world where the wildest and the most frightening fantasies become true for a moment – to prove that virtue is one of the most precious gifts. Coleridge, Samuel T. The Poetical Works of S. T. Coleridge, Including Dramas of  Wallenstein, Remorse and Zapolya, in Three Volumes. Vol. 2. London, UK: W. Pickering, 1828. Print. Hoffmesiter, Gerhart. European Romanticism: Literary Cross-Currents, Modes, and  Models. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press, 1990. Print. Hollinger, Veronica. Blood Read: The Vampire as Metaphor in Contemporary  Culture. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997. Print. Kroeber, Karl and Gene W. Ruoff. Romantic Poetry: Recent Revisionary Criticism.  Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1993. Print. Twitchel, James B. The Living Dead: A Study of the Vampire in Romantic Literature.  Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1981. Print.

Pochteca - Elite Long Distance Traders of Mesoamerica

Pochteca - Elite Long Distance Traders of Mesoamerica The Pochteca (pronounced pohsh-TAY-kah) were long-distance, professional Aztec merchants and traders who provided the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan and other major Aztec city-states with luxury and exotic items from faraway lands. The pochteca also worked as information agents for the Aztec empire, keeping tabs on their far-flung client states and uneasy neighbors such as Tlaxcallan. Long Distance Trade in Mesoamerica The Aztec pochteca were not the only merchants in Mesoamerica: there were many regional-based commercial actors who distributed fish, maize, chile and cotton; their activities provided the backbone of the economic society in the regions. The pochteca were a special guild of these merchants, based in the valley of Mexico, who traded in exotic goods throughout Mesoamerica and acted as a social and economic connection between the various regions. They interacted with the regional merchants, who in turn acted as middlemen for the pochtecas wider networks. Pochteca is sometimes used as a generic word for all Mesoamerican long-distance traders; but the word is a Nahua (Aztec) word, and we know much more about the Aztec pochteca because we have written recordsthe codexessupporting their history. Long distance trade began in Mesoamerica at least as long ago as the Formative period (2500-900 BC), in societies such as the Olmec; and the classic period Maya. Long distance traders in Maya communities were called ppolom; compared to the Aztec pochteca, the ppolom were loosely confederated and did not join guilds. Pochteca Social Organization The pochteca held a special status in Aztec society. They were not nobles, but their position was higher than any other non-noble person. They were organized into guilds and lived in their own neighborhoods in the capital cities. The guilds were restricted, highly controlled and hereditary. They kept their trade secrets about routes, exotic goods sources and connections across the region restricted to the guild membership. Only a few cities in the Aztec empire could claim to have a leader of a pochteca guild in residence. The pochteca had special ceremonies, laws and their own god, Yacatecuhtli (pronounced ya-ka-tay-coo-tli), who was the patron of commerce. Even if their position provided them with wealth and prestige, the Pochteca were not allowed to show it in public, in order not to offend the nobles. However, they could invest their wealth in the ceremonies for their patron god, organizing rich feasts and carrying out sophisticated rituals. Evidence of the effects of long distance trade by pochteca is found at Paquime (Casas Grandes) in Northern Mexico, where trade in exotic birds such as scarlet macaws  and quetzal birds, marine shell and polychrome pottery was based, and extended into societies of New Mexico and Arizona. Scholars such as Jacob van Etten have suggested the pochteca traders are responsible for the diversity of precolumbian maize, transporting seeds throughout the region. The Pochteca and the Aztec Empire The pochteca had the freedom to travel all over the empire even in lands not subjected to the Mexica emperor. That put them in a terrific position to work as spies or informants for the Aztec state. This also meant that political elites deeply mistrusted the pochteca, who wielded their economic prowess to establish and guard their trade routes and secrets. In order to obtain precious and exotic items such as jaguar pelts, jade, quetzal plumes, cocoa, and metals, pochteca had special permission to travel across foreign lands and were often escorted by armies along with servants and carriers. They were also trained as warriors since they often suffered attacks from the population who saw in the Pochteca another aspect of the yoke of the Aztec empire. Sources This glossary entry is a part of the About.com guide to the Aztec Civilization and the Dictionary of Archaeology. Berdan FF. 1980. Aztec Merchants and Markets: Local-Level Economic Activity in a Non-Industrial Empire. Mexicon 2(3):37-41. Drennan RD. 1984. Long-distance movement of goods in the Mesoamerican formative and classic. American Antiquity 49(1):27-43. Grimstead DN, Pailes MC, Dungan KA, Dettman DL, Tagà ¼eà ±a NM, and Clark AE. 2013. Identifying the origin of southwestern shell: a geochemical application to Mogollon Rim archaeomolluscs. American Antiquity 78(4):640-661. Malville NJ. 2001. Long distance transport of bulk goods in the pre-hispanic American southwest. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 20(2):230-443. Oka R, and Kusimba CM. 2008. The Archaeology of Trading Systems, Part 1: Towards a New Trade Synthesis. Journal of Archaeological Research 16(4):339-395. Somerville AD, Nelson BA, and Knudson KJ. 2010. Isotopic investigation of pre-Hispanic macaw breeding in Northwest Mexico. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 29(1):125-135. van Etten J. 2006. Molding maize: the shaping of a crop diversity landscape in the western highlands of Guatemala. Journal of Historical Geography 32(4):689-711. Whalen M. 2013. Wealth, Status, Ritual, and Marine Shell at Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico. American Antiquity 78(4):624-639. Whalen ME, and Minnis PE. 2003. The Local and the Distant in the Origin of Casas Grandes, Chichuahua, Mexico. American Antiquity 68(2):314-332. White NM, and Weinstein RA. 2008. The Mexican Connection and the Far West of the U.S. Southeast. American Antiquity 73(2):227-278. Updated by K. Kris Hirst

Discuss the impact of the Broken Window Theory and how it directly Essay

Discuss the impact of the Broken Window Theory and how it directly impacts the Criminal Justice System today - Essay Example This theory was proposed by George Kelling and James Wilson. It suggests that a subset of society or society that seems and appears to be lawless may ultimately breed lawlessness (Kelling and Coles 11). It is a criminological theory of the signaling effect and norm setting of urban vandalism and disorder on additional anti-social behavior and criminal activities. The theory holds that maintaining and monitoring urban environments in a condition that is well ordered can further stop escalation of minor and serious crime (Lilly, Cullen, and Richard 9). This paper will discuss the impact of the Broken Window Theory and how it has directly impacted on the Criminal Justice System in modern times. Since the Broken Window Theory was introduced by James Wilson and George Kelling in 1982, it has been a subject of huge public debate within the public sphere and in the social sciences. As a result, it has been used as a methodology and motivation for various reforms in the criminal justice system (Keizer 1681). In explaining the theory, Wilson and Kelling use the example of a building that has a broken window which remains unrepaired. The theory argues that crime is not caused by broken down neighborhoods, necessarily, but they become magnets for delinquent behavior and crime because of their disorganization. Residents may tend to become slacker in their civility and delinquents and criminals may then be drawn to lawlessness areas. The theory explains that the state of the urban environment may affect crime and delinquency due to the following three factors: signal crime and social signaling; the lack or presence of routine monitoring; and conformity and social norms (Sampson 320) . Under this theory, a clean and ordered environment and one which is maintained signals that the area is well-monitored and delinquent and criminal behavior is not tolerated. On the contrary,

Write a paper about the movie The Shining Essay

Write a paper about the movie The Shining - Essay Example He resolves to speak to him in a psychological way and gives him an ice cream. The telegraphically sent pictures that glow resulted to a communication termed as â€Å"Shining.† The communication between Danny and Dick the head chef gets to a hint of a terrible happening and questions concerning room 237. The head chef declines to respond but gives a warning in relation to the room. Jack encounters rapid mental health deterioration while alone with the family. He had cryptography and irritations while the son stays wondering about the room 237 in dissolution. A scenario follows with Danny sees a ball rolling from room 237 and discovers the open door. He takes an encounter to discover what is in the room while Wendy comes from the basement at a sound of a scream. The confrontations are ending with an accusation towards Jack. The Shining’s narrative adopts a plopping sequence where the narrator flips back and forth between events in the history and future foresight events. The film has a subliminal structure that is mixed up making it difficult to unravel the chronology. This is because the film deceives the viewer with false surface narrative. It also has mark-up devices that can be used to categorize scenes into their appropriate places on the entire timeframe. This is by the use of unannounced dream sequences, cross symbolisms of characters and factual narrative. The film has a novel adaptation where the author complains loudly. Kubrick’s adaptation of the film does not make significant changes from the novel by Stephen King. The movie is scary and horrific in the same that the novel is. They have a similar setting of a hotel with a haunted past that depicts the mood that drives the film. The film was in directorial narcissism brash exercise that was not faithful to the source. The film is a classic, horror movie that holds extraordinary artistic accomplishment. It has an

Environmental theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Environmental theory - Essay Example ?s otherness’ requires not identifying oneself (or one’s own interests, or indeed humanity or humanity’s interests) with wider nature, and recognizing that wider nature is not merely an extension of human culture (i.e., its material resource). Similarly, liberal ‘political reasonableness’ requires accepting neutrality the level of the justification of principles of justice; one should not expect them to enshrine one’s own conception of the good† (1). With nature considered to be something existent unto itself, it must be considered within the framework of political liberalism. Having presented his argument and attempted to make it clear, the author then moves on to explore what he means more fully regarding ecological justice. This process starts with a more thorough exploration of what it might mean to take a non-instrumental view of nature and how to consider what it would mean to respect nature’s otherness. Essentially, he describes ‘nature as other’ as something â€Å"independent of, or not determined by, the significances attributed to it, and the modifications made to it, within local landscapes† (2). While he acknowledges that this is an imprecise definition, he also makes the case that it is precise enough for the purposes of his argument. To determine what it means to respect nature’s otherness, he then presents what he terms three fundamental truths that must be kept in mind. The first of these is that ideas of ‘awe and humility’ must be given priority over concepts of arrogance and superiority over nature as it simply exists. This suggests that humans should â€Å"maintain a respectful distance† from the idea of nature by avoiding making any express demands on it. This includes making any attempt to put its resources to meeting human consumption demands or to involve it as an object of human adoration. The two additional truths include the No Teleology Thesis and the Autonomy Thesis, each of which assert the concept

The Problems Of Indiscipline In Rivers

The Problems Of Indiscipline In Rivers Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate The Problems of Indiscipline in Secondary Schools in Abua/Odual Local Government Area. One hundred teachers constituted the study sample. Questionnaire was administered to teachers to obtain data for five research questions. The statistical tool used to analyse the raw data was percentage method. The results showed that lack of corporal punishment, irregular payment of teachers salaries, poor administration constitutes the major problems to indiscipline in schools. In this regard, it was suggested that corporal punishment should be introduced in schools; also, more and adequate incentives should be provided to the teachers. CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Background of the Study Education in any perspective finds its usefulness in the areas of moral, intellectual, social and spiritual development of the child. This development to a great extent is a function of the quality of the educational system, which is partly measured on the basis of students discipline. Discipline constitutes one of the fundamental, critical and challenging functions of the teacher. Mostly, when viewed from the fact that students whom they manage their affairs are drawn from different home background, accommodates the influence of peer groups and thus, were bound to exhibit different patterns of behaviour that may not conform with the instructional standard of the school. Discipline is an aspect of school function which if not well maintained can render the school system ineffective. School discipline as a matter of fact is seen as a vital element in the process by which students are enabled to function in the society. The general idea underlying this fact is that if the school is situated in the society and it is hoped that the products of these schools will be absorbed into the society, the students must therefore be made to develop rule-following and law, adding habits so that they conform to the general social expectations of the main culture absorbing its basic attitudes and beliefs, Sieber and wilder (1997:70) point out that a society without rules is inconceivable, and rules without attitude of disapproval towards them are inconceivable. In the English Elementary School, obedience was enforced mildly without any military goal in mind and in that discipline was seen essentially as a process of obedient training for society at large. On the other hand, thinking of discipline in terms of training for society, Docking (1990:4) says it may encourage a schooling for subordination where teachers use their disciplinary authority to satisfy some unfulfilled need within themselves so that they are to view children as a means rather than as ends. The promotion or maintenance of effective discipline is essential if organised group action is to be effective or productive whether the group is a club, society, a union, a company, a business or industrial concern or a nation. The word discipline connotes that the members or a group should reasonably conform to the rules and regulations, which is the code of behaviour which have been formed for it or by it, so that every one may benefit by them. Peoples morale or industrial peace are definitely proper by maintenance of discipline if the members of a group do not abide by the rules of the organisation, it may collapse. Chaos, confusion, disobedience, disloyalty and antisocial or anti-organisational activities develop to the detriment of every one. In the word of Spriegel (1997:34) discipline is the force that prompts an individual or a group to observe the rules, regulations which are seemed to be necessary to the attainment of an objective. It is a factor, which restrains an indivi dual from doing certain things, which are deemed to be disruptive for the group objectives. It is also the exercise of restraint or the enforcement of penalties for the violation of group regulations. Thus, discipline can be said as an attitude of the mind, a product of culture and a particular environment which promotes an individual to willingly co-operate in the observance of the rules of the organizational to which he belongs. School discipline is often seen as an important ingredient in the process by which children are enabled to function in the society because living in the society entails living in association with certain agreed rules, which govern ones behaviour. Thus, keeping order in the school is a multi-faced problem associated with range of interacting factors, such as the child himself, home and neighbourhood influence, changing societal values and expectations, the school and its natural environment, and the individual teacher. The problem of indiscipline is more apparent among secondary school students all over the world. Indiscipline among them has attracted serious attention of scholars and administrators. These scholars and administrators attributes to their state of development. They opine that when students notice certain biological changes signalling maturity in the course of the growth and development, they tend to misbehave by faulting school rules and regulations Mukhargee (1995:17). Indiscipline is a mode of life not in conformity with rules and non-subjected to control. By extension, the term connotes the violation of school rules and regulations capable of obstructing the smooth and orderly, functioning of the school system Adeyemo (1995:22). School rules and regulations in most cases affect students more than any other thing because they are made by the school authorities in order to guide and protect the students while in school. Statement of the Problem In the teaching and learning process certain identifiable problems of indiscipline militate against its success and achievements. That means for effective teaching and learning to take place there must be discipline in order to make reasonable achievements. In spite of the effort so far made by the government for the past eight years to curb indiscipline in our secondary schools, delinquency, truancy, disobedience, absenteeism, etc. are some of the problems of teaching and learning in our secondary schools in Abua/Odual Local Government Area. This study is therefore interested in addressing the problems of indiscipline so that teaching and learning will improve in our schools. Purpose of the Study The general purpose of this study includes the following: (a) Determine the factors underlying the problem of maintaining effective discipline in secondary schools. (b) Ascertain the effects of such factors on academic performance. (c) Make recommendation on the areas that would solve these problems. Research Questions The study shall be guided by the following research questions: What factors are responsible for school indiscipline? What are the effects of such factors on students academic performance? What are the strategies adopted by teachers to prevent classroom indiscipline? Does the rate of indiscipline among secondary school students increase or decrease for the past three years? Are girls more receptive to instruction than boys in secondary schools? Significance of the Study The importance of this study includes the following: (1) To provide information for government and school administrators about the solution to the problems of school indiscipline. (2) To provide relevant data about the causes of indiscipline from teachers perspective. (3) To make recommendations and suggestions that possibly could help solve the problem of indiscipline. Scope of the Study The study focus on school indiscipline from twenty-two (22) selected secondary schools in Abua/Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State. Definition of Terms For the purpose of this study, the following terminologies shall be defined thus: Student: A person who is studying in a school, especially a secondary school. Secondary School: This is a school for young people between the age of 11 and 16. Regulation: This is an official rule made by authority. Discipline: This is the practice of training people to obey rules and regulations. Indiscipline: This is lack of discipline, control in the behaviour of a group of people. CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE The chapter can be reviewed under the following headings. 2.1. Students discipline in Nigeria schools 2.2 Imperative of indiscipline in secondary schools 2.3. Causes of indiscipline 2.4 School indiscipline and academic achievement 2.5 School rules and regulations on student discipline 2.6 The concept of in loco-parentis and its relationship to students discipline 2.7 Student discipline and classroom management 2.8 Strategies of curbing indiscipline 2.9 Summary of the literature reviewed 2.1 Students Discipline in Nigeria Schools According to Matsoga (2003:54) violence and misbehaviour exist in Nigeria schools. This lack of discipline which interferes with the teaching and learning process, manifests itself in various ways including bullying, vandalism, alcohol and substance abuse, truancy, inability or unwillingness to do homework etc. Moswele (2004:146) and Matsoga (2003:53). Vandalizing school property is at rampart and this has influenced the government to introduce school fees in order to mend, that which was broken such as window, panes, furniture and walls. Theft is also common. For instance, in 2003 students in one senior secondary school broke into a biology laboratory to steal ethanol Banda (2004:16) some of these students lost their lives and others lost their sight. In another senior secondary school, 19-year-old boy committed suicide after fighting with another student over a borrowed plate Maleka (2003:162). These horrible acts left the nation speechless, not knowing where such behaviour originates. These incidents sprang the debate on the use of corporal punishment in schools which concluded that Nigeria cannot do away with it, but it has to be used guardedly Maleka (2003:162) and Keorang (2004:51). Experience had it that, teachers may ask for transfers; while parents withdraw their children from schools with numerous cases of student misconduct such as the one mentioned above. 2.2 Imperative of indiscipline in secondary schools Discipline in these schools is now passing through an eclipse. The problem of indiscipline is found everywhere, therefore, students do no longer believe in hard work as the only honourable path to success. Slangs connoting examination malpractice like choke exhibit, dagbo, omokirikiri and the like are common during examination time and they are expressed in such free but shameful that one somehow think that it does not mean anything. Children of the high and low, big and small, powerful and the downtrodden are involved in varying degrees. At this juncture, it would be worthwhile to highlight some of the prevalent cases and acts of indiscipline amongst secondary school students. 1. Cultism Cultism has suddenly become the giant monster that has swallowed up our ethics and morals; any student who fails to belong is quickly packed off the stage by either being intimidated out of school or killed. Many have been forced to join counter cultist group, which often produced fatal consequences. Section 329 (1) of the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria defines cultism (secret cult) as an association that uses secret signs, oaths, rites or symbols and which is formed to promote a cause, the purpose or part of the purpose which is to foster the interest of its members and to aid one another under any circumstance without the regard to merit, fair or justice to the demerit of those who are not members. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦who members are sworn to observe oaths of secrecyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 2. Indecent Dressing Near naked and other forms of nudity is the order of the day in our schools. Kpakol (2004:62) argues that peer pressure, self-indulgence, and dress to kill-the deliberate habit of putting on seductive clothes to attract those of the opposite gender sexually or throw off balance emotionally. In this connection Bellow, (1993:3) states that school discipline is the training which produces in children self-restraint, orderliness, good conduct, operation and the habit of getting the best out of themselves. It involves intellectual and moral education as opposed to mere order and instruction. 3. Curriculum content Any society whose educational system is careless about the need of the society is doomed. It thus, not enough to have a curriculum. It is most important that the curriculum relates and adequately takes care of the entire societal aspiration. Our curriculum today is greatly deficient in moral education as contained in the curriculum is shabby and neglected. In some schools, it is not even taught. The subjects of History, Civic and Nature study and so on that immediately inculcates the ideal nation building to the youth are abolished social studies and integrated science that is fashioned in their stead has proved to be incapable in content and practice. 4. Parental Training Charity it is said begins from home. A parent who is not firm with his children and lets them go the bad is not kind to them. Parents do not often consider the future welfare and success of their children as of great importance. Firmness is not shown by constant scolding, beating and fussing, this is to many educators indicates weakness. In addition, some parents are always quarrelling and fighting. This definitely makes the students not to have affection and develop negative attitude to life. In school, that student may be and always picking quarrel with his peer because this is what he grew up with. 2.3 Causes of Indiscipline Indiscipline as we have noted elsewhere is not a new phenomenon. It has engaged the attention of many writers and authors at different levels. Causes of indiscipline in secondary schools are numerous. They include school society, wrong ideals, idleness, lack of good leadership, injustice, lack of realistic rules, bad home training and upbringing, etc. Okoroma (2000:1109) and Nwankwo (1991:67) note that the causes and symptoms of indiscipline are many and vary from school to school and from place to place. In their view, some symptoms of indiscipline include general unrest and deliberate breaches of school rules, peaceful and violent demonstration, mass disobedience, truancy, delinquency, absenteeism, drug use and abuse, as well as drunkenness. Shakaran (1997:47) and Nwankwo (1991:67) have identified the causes of indiscipline in secondary schools in Nigeria to include authoritarian methods, bad staff behaviour, harsh school rules, poor communication, results, lack of adequate school facilities, influence of home and society. In this paper, we however, proffer a multi-dimensional approach to this burning issue of indiscipline in our secondary schools; hence our consideration of the causes of indiscipline will be multi-dimensional. 1. Social Influence There has become a sudden shift from merit to lack lustre. Achievements are no longer measured by commitment and capability but influence and material wealth who you know than what you are measured up in terms of merit, is what determines promotion. Thus, a student need not burn the night candle. 2. Corruption This is the oldest son of indiscipline. This son has grown up that it often stands shoulder to shoulder with its father indiscipline. What permeates all the stretch of our society today is how to make it quickly. Public finance meant for welfare programmes that would have stemmed the aid of mal-behaviour in our youths and adolescents gets diverted to redundant programmes or private pockets. To such extent, there is no motivation in those who should be seen to be disciplined. With empty stomach, ragged dressing, hopeless accommodation, intolerable health, there is no way a person can resist temptation. 3. Rural-urban Drift Closely related to the issue of government policy and corruption is the issue of rural-urban drift. A writer once said that everyone is a village by root. The rate, at which our youths and adolescents migrate from the serene, quiet and less atrocious life in the village to the noisy, burdensome, busy and unnecessarily over populated cities, is alarming. One identified reason for this as outright lack of basic facilities and infrastructure in our villages. Where there is any, it is often in a state of despair so grossly inadequate that no youth would see his mate coming home from the city without being tempted to taste the city. This sudden transformation from the village to city life is bound to produce unpalatable consequences. This explains why secondary school students are engaged in crimes nowadays either to be able to sustain the tempo of life in the city or in preparation to get to the city. 2.4 School Indiscipline and Academic Achievement In classroom teaching, discipline implies the control of a class to achieve desirable behaviour. The concept of school discipline and school rewards has the similar objectives of assisting students to make maximum achievement in their academic pursuits. According to Nwankwo (1991:67) discipline behaviour involves characteristics such as self-sacrifice, diligence, co-operation, integrity, consideration and sympathy for others as well as the fear of God. He goes on to say that discipline is a system of guiding the individual to make reasonable and responsible decisions. In classroom teaching, discipline means the control of a class to achieve desirable behaviour. Discipline involves self-control; a disciplined person knows and takes the right course of action. He is guided not simply by self-interest, but also by consideration of interest of others. A disciplined individual is also guided in his behaviour by moral and social principles. Factors of indiscipline that lead to low academic achievement are common with student from socio-economic status families Alumode (2002:84). This is because teachers are often prejudiced against youth from low socio-economic status families and show preferential treatment to students from high socio-economic status families Manster (2001:297). Another reason is that peer influences on low socio-economic students are often antisocial and delinquency prone, emphasizing early marriage for the girls and gang activities for the boys Conger (1993:13). Blodsoe (2005:28) believes that the quality of interaction among members of the adolescents family influence the degree of discipline and success in school work. According to him, the studies of the family relationship of bright, high-achieving students versus under-achieving high school students shows that the high achievers more often than under-achievers describe their parents as typically sharing vacation and ideas as understanding, appro ving, trusting, affection etc. encouraging (but not pressuring) with respect to achievement and over restrictive or severe in discipline. 2.5 School Rules and Regulation on Discipline The Education Act of 1999 has documented some rules and regulations that govern student discipline in Nigeria schools. It stipulates methods and procedure for minor and severe disciplinary measures such as corporal punishment, suspension and student expulsion. Rules and regulations are drawn for the orderly conduct of the school affairs. Some of them are written and others are implied and they recognised by law. Addressing the issue of rules and regulations Nwangwu (2009:142) state that: The Schools Board and individual school authorities have the right to make any reasonable rules and regulations for the orderly conduct of school affairs in the interest of the entire school and school system. The fundamental point raised above is that those provisions are made by relevant authorized bodies to direct and spell out the relationship between teachers, student and school authorities. The responsibility is therefore on every member of the school system to respect and obey the rules, as any breach must be followed by the application of appropriate disciplinary measures. The courts of law shall always put into consideration the reasonableness and constitutional right of the school rules and regulations. Rules that encroached on a constitutional right of students will invariably be invalidated by courts. 2.6 The Concept of in Loco-Parentis and its Relationship to Students Discipline In educational circle, the special relationship which exists between students and the schoolteacher regarding discipline is termed in loco-parentis. It is assumed that the teacher in performing certain roles especially as it relate to control of parental jurisdiction. According to Remmlein and Wane in Igwe (1998:82) in loco-parentis means in place of the parent, charged with some of the parents right, duties and responsibilities. The implication is that schoolteachers or authorities stand in place of parents in respect to students education and discipline. By this it is expected that teacher have the invariably contracted with parents to perform some of the duties and functions of the latter. The teacher is therefore expected to act reasonably in this capacity. In present, the teachers acting in loco-parent is to discipline an erring student, and should ensure that the punishment was done reasonably and in good faith in order to avoid costly and embarrassing court cases. The teacher should act within the limit of this principle, because according to Eferakaya (1998:17), school officials who perpetuate acts of indiscipline can no longer be protected by the in loco parentis doctrines the courts are quite convinced that the school is incapable of assuming full parental responsibilities. 2.7 Students Indiscipline and Classroom Management The International Dictionary of Education formally defines discipline as a term to describe teacher classroom control or general restraint of pupils behaviour Lingworth (2004:18) argues that coercion can never be a method of educating in the sense that where teachers tend to interpret control of threats thereby forcing students to learn what he has taught them is far behind the truth. Another interesting aspect of discipline and administrative control is the use of scientific procedures known as behaviour modification based on the learning theory developed by Skinner who advocates some technique and positive reinforcement such as using rewards to bring about and maintain desired behaviour combined with extinction behaviour i.e. weakening undesired behaviour by ignoring it or by otherwise removing its reward consequences. However, the work of Lauwerys (1999:42) is discovered to be in contrast with the scientific procedures of behaviour modification and psychodrama work of Piaget. His work on classroom management focuses attention on the teachers public demonstration that he knows what is going on, his ability to facilitate smooth transaction from one activity to another and handle movement and type of demand he makes from pupil. There is bound to be conflict when administration in school is taken to be rigid and regimentation, where students have to fear administrations rather than respect them. Fagbula (2002:80) in his work concludes that teachers rather than settle their minor matters take them to the school administrators create a problem to administrative control of schools. Bad administrative control can hinder effective discipline tone in the school. These can take the form of giving bad and inadequate food to students, ineffective teaching, bad staff behaviour, authoritarian methods of administ ration, high school rules, arrogant attitude of the school prefects, unsatisfactory curricula, poor examination results, poor communication between administrators and school pupils. 2.8 Strategies for Curbing Indiscipline It is imperative to ensure that the best behaviours and conditions are inculcates, established and maintained for effective learning to take place in our secondary schools. This can be realised if we accept that the teacher has the power to impose discipline by using some sort of power over this students. However, this is only possible to a little extent, for it to have meaningful impact it must also take into account the psychological needs and development level of the student. A well-managed school begins with thorough advance planning by the school head and the teachers. Accordingly, extrinsic and intrinsic motivation should be used, positive and negative motivation, provision and satisfaction of students need the teacher having adequate knowledge of the subject, teaching students how to learn and making them to use their time effectively. The school environment should be busy, and an active place in which the students and teachers know that they are on the same side working together to achieve something worthwhile. Such an environment is likely to establish mutual respect, and a mild reproof or expression of disappointment on the part of the teacher will enhance discipline. Cleanliness and tidiness of surrounding, not being excessively noisy or disruptive when others are working, taking care of communal property, and punctuality exhibition of normal courtesies expected by the society to be observed. The rules can be established by quite persistence and good example by the teacher. In essence, good discipline enables the sort of psychological need proposed by Maslow and others to be satisfied. This is because most disciplinary cases are as a result of unfulfilled basic needs. The teacher should look carefully at each level including the most basic psychological one of nutrition and ventilation. 2.9 Summary of the Reviewed Literature The chapter examined the concept of indiscipline as it derived from the word discipline. Discipline here means a mode of life in accordance with rules, subjected to control. Therefore, indiscipline means lack of control in the behaviour of a group of people. Relating the above to the school environment, indiscipline could be referred to as inability of a person to live in accordance with school rules and regulation; it is the breaking of rules and regulations of institution. Imperative and causes of indiscipline were discussed from the multi-dimensional perspective, which include cultism, indecent dressing, curriculum content, parental training, societal influence, corruption and rural-urban drift. Again, school indiscipline and academic achievement, which implies the control of a class to achieve desired behaviour was discussed. The chapter also examined school rules and regulations on discipline, which are drawn up to regulate school activities for the orderly conduct of the school affairs. The concept of in loco-parentis and its relationship to student discipline, which is the special relationship that exist between students and the school teacher regarding discipline, because the teacher is expected to stand in place of the parent in respect to students education and discipline. Finally, strategies of curbing indiscipline which include pedagogical, social and psychological techniques of curbing indiscipline in secondary school were proffered. CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This chapter presents the research methodology to be adopted for the study. It is organised under the following heading: Research Design, Population of the Study, Sample and Sampling Technique, Instrumentation, Validity of the Instrument, Administration of the Instrument, and Data Analysis Technique. 3.1 Research Design The research design adopted for this study is the descriptive survey research design, which is concerned with condition or relationships that exist and practices that prevail. Specifically, it is concerned with identified the problems of indiscipline in secondary schools in Abua/Odual Local Government Area. 3.2 Population of the Study The population of this study is 440 persons, who are teachers in the twenty-two (22) secondary schools in Abua/Odual Local Government Area. 3.3 Sample and Sampling Techniques A stratified random sampling technique was used for the study. Out of twenty-two (22) secondary schools in Abua/Odual Local Government Area, ten (10) were sampled out through the ballot system; this represents 46% of secondary schools in Abua/Odual Local Government. In each school, ten (10) teachers were randomly selected to give 100 teachers, which represent 52% of the total number of teachers in Abua/Odual Local Government Area. Thus, the sample for this study is made up of 100 respondents. 3.4 Development of Research Instrument The instrument for this study is questionnaire titled Questionnaire for Teachers on indiscipline problems (QTIP). It was developed for this study and addressed to various respondents with structured questions developed based on the objectives of the study and the literature reviewed. The instrument is divided into two (2) sections (A and B). Section A deals with the personal data of the respondents; section B sought responses to items on factors, which militate against the effective maintenance of discipline in secondary schools. The questionnaire adopted the 4-point Likert summated rating scale with values: Strongly Agree (SA) = 4; Agree (A) = 3; Disagree (D) = 2; and Strongly Disagree (SD) = 1. 3.5 Validity of the Instrument The instrument was given to the supervisor and senior lecturers in the department who are experts in educational management to examine and make corrections. They scrutinize item by item and decide its validity to elicit the necessary information needed to provide adequate answers to the research questions. The final draft of instrument was designed to reflect corrections of the experts in the department. Also the researcher ensured that the five interested research problem areas, which militate against the effective maintenance of discipline in secondary schools to ensure that it is adequate enough to measure, what is supposed to measure and ensuring that the desirable result is achieved. 3.6 Administration of the Instrument The instrument for this study was administered personally by the researcher. The completed copies were retrieved on the spot while the others were retrieved later. 3.7 Data Analysis Technique The responses was based on the 4-point Likert summated rating scale will be analysed and presented in table by means of percentages. A decision on the research questions was made to arrive at by dividing frequency of occurrence by the total number of respondents and multiplied the product by 100, that is: Frequency of occurrence x 100 Number of respondents 1 CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA In this chapter the data collected is presented and analysed as follows: Research question one: What factors are responsible for school indiscipline? Note: the following was used to analyze the work. Strongly Agree (SA) = 4 Agree (A) = 3 Disagree (D) = 2 Strongly Disagree (SD) = 1 Table 4.1 Factors of school indiscipline S/NO

George Orwells Writing techniques in Animal Farm :: Animal Farm Essays

George Orwell’s Techniques Discuss the ways in which Orwell effectively shows some of the aspects of communism and the events surrounding the Russian Revolution This essay will focus on the ways and techniques that George Orwell uses, to show the parallels between Russian Communism, and Animal Farm. It will explain the importance of the single techniques, and the overall aim of the writer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Book, Animal Farm, was written by George Orwell and was first published in 1945. As Orwell always wants to draw attention to a lie or faults in the system with his books, he concentrated on Russian Communism with this one, and although it sounds like a childish story at first, it is very serious from its bases to the finished story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By creating a smaller, compressed version of the USSR within a farm in England, Orwell shows how easily someone can grasp power by abusing the communist principles and shaping them to his liking and benefit. He also associated the animal characters within the story, with communist party members, peasants, workers and army. Everyone gets a job, that he or she has to do and everyone is everyone’s â€Å"comrade†. There are Stalin and Trotsky, represented by the two pigs Napoleon and Snowball, the politburo is represented by the pigs in genera,l the peasants are sheep that follow without their own opinion about things, and the pigeons for example are messengers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He uses extremely simple language, because he wanted to state his message about communism as clearly as possible and with no chance of misunderstanding the text. For example: The seven animal commandments are extremely simple language and easy to understand for everyone (animal and man or reader).â€Å"1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. 2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. 3. No animal shall wear clothes†¦ etc†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He also uses this simple language, because he wants to make a clear statement that no one can manipulate. The normal reader would also understand it, if it were a bit harder, but the press could then change it to their own liking and that’s exactly what he didn’t want. Only because the book is written in simple language, it doesn’t mean it’s a children’s book. It’s the same as with the little prince. Children can read it, and understand the funny story about animals, and adults can read it and understand the serious and horrible core of the story where no one has their own rights anymore, because everyone is equal.

Belgium Cultural Analysis

I. Introduction II. Brief Discussion of Belgium’s relevant history III. Geographical Setting a. Location – between France (S) and Holland (N); Germany and Luxembourg (E); and North Sea (W) b. Climate – Belgium has temperate weather, warm in summer (May to September) and cool to cold in winter, with snow very likely. temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy c. d. Topography – The coastal region, extending about 16–48 km (10–30 mi) inland, consists of sand dunes, flat pasture land, and polders (land reclaimed from the sea and protected by dikes), and attains a maximum of 15 m (50 ft) above sea level. Eastward, this region gradually gives way to a gently rolling central plain, whose many fertile valleys are irrigated by an extensive network of canals and waterways. Altitudes in this region are about 60–180 m (200– 600 ft). The Ardennes, a heavily wooded plateau, is located in southeast Belgium and continues into France. It has an average altitude of about 460 m (1,500 ft) and reaches a maximum of 694 m (2,277 ft) at the Signal de Botrange, the country's highest point. Chief rivers are the Schelde (Scheldt, Escaut) and the Meuse (Maas), both of which rise in France, flow through Belgium, pass through the Netherlands, and empty into the North Sea. IV. Social Institutions a. Family i. The nuclear family – Belgians are among the happiest, most satisfied people in the world and among the least likely to leave their country. happiness is a safe and comfortable life shared with family and friends. Much of the Belgian culture revolves around their family. The Belgian family has remained very close-knit despite great changes in society due to industrialization. Most children have a strong sense of loyalty not only to their parents, but also to grandparents, siblings and cousins. The extended family has remained relatively close. It is not unusual for a family to live in the same neighborhood or even the same house throughout a lifetime. The average Belgian family size is 2. 9 people. ii. The extended family – The extended family has remained relatively close. It is not unusual for a family to live in the same neighborhood or even the same house throughout a lifetime. iii. Dynamics of the family . parental roles – parents in Belgium sent their children to preschool programs so that they could learn to become more independent and socially adept. Most Belgian children over age 2 attend these state-funded programs full-time. Belgian parents listed smaller classes and more physical education and music as desirable improvements. 2. Marriage and Courtship – Long marriage engagements are common, as is living together before or instead of marriage. Only civil marriages are legal, but many couples also have a religious ceremony. As you declare your wedding in Belgium, the first thing that you must do is to print two wedding invitations, one from the groom's family and the other from the bride's family. The invitations are a symbol of the union of the two families as well as the beginning of the new union. Following the ancient Belgium tradition the bride must walk up the isle to hand her mother a single flower which is followed by an embracing. After your marriage is over the bride presents the groom's mother a single flower and then the two of them embrace. This symbolizes the bride's acceptance of her new â€Å"mother† which is simply fantastic. Another noteworthy wedding feature in Belgium is that the bride must carry a specially embroidered handkerchief with her name on it. This is required as after your marriage celebration is over this handkerchief is framed and hung on the wall in a place of honor. There is more to add to this tradition. This very handkerchief is passed on to the next female member of the bride's family when she plans to get married. iv. Female/Male Roles – Fathers are ultimate decision makers. Mothers discipline and rule household matters v. Education 1. The role of education in society a. Primary b. Secondary c. Higher d. The structure of the educational system consists of pre school (3-6 years); six years of primary school and six years of secondary school. Belgium has two systems of education: the state system and the private (mostly Catholic) system. Education is free in both of these systems, and the curriculum is the same. There are four types of education: †¢General Secondary Education (ASO): general education; mostly theoretical that prepares students for higher education. †¢Art Secondary Education (KSO): Along with general subjects, students take visual arts, music, dance, drama, etc. A previous knowledge of the subject is required. †¢Professional Secondary Education (BSO): in this category students may choose from a selection of courses such a hairdressing, car mechanics, and sewing, among others. Students completing the 12th year level receive certificate of higher secondary education. This diploma is sufficient for higher specialized study: interpreting, architecture, technical engineering, pedagogy, etc. Only 16 17% of Belgian students graduate at this level. Education is considered very important in Belgium. Therefore standard are high and students take school very seriously. At Christmas and Easter schools are closed for two weeks. Carnaval and All Saints Day (Nov. 1) bring short breaks of a week each. Summer holidays (vacation) last from June 30 to September 1. 2. Literacy rates – 99% over 15 can read and write vi. Political System 1. Political Structure – federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy 2. Political Parties – Flemish parties: Christian Democratic and Flemish or CDV [Marianne THYSSEN]; Dedecker List [Jean-Marie DEDECKER]; Flemish Liberals and Democrats or Open VLD [Bart SOMERS]; Groen! Mieke VOGELS] (formerly AGALEV, Flemish Greens); New Flemish Alliance or N-VA [Bart DE WEVER]; Social Liberal Party or SLP [Geert LAMBERT]; note – prior to 19 April 2008, known as Spirit; Social Progressive Alternative or SP. A [Caroline GENNEZ]; Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) or VB [Bruno VALKENIERS] Francophone parties: Ecolo (Francophone Greens) [Jean-Michel JAVAUX, Isabelle DURANT]; Humanist and Democratic Center or CDH [Joelle MILQUET]; National Front or FN [Daniel HUYGENS]; Reform Movement or MR [Didier REYNDERS]; Socialist Party or PS [Elio DI RUPO]; other minor parties 3. Stability of Government – Very Stable; Original member of EU and debt = 80% of GDP 4. Special Taxes – Expatriates in Belgium are generally regarded as Belgian tax residents and are therefore subject to Belgian income tax on their worldwide income. However, the Belgian authorities have encouraged multinationals to transfer foreign executives to Belgium by introducing special tax concessions to non-Belgians who are ‘temporarily’ working in the country. The tax concessions allow such expatriates to be treated as non-residents for tax purposes. The concessions do not apply to inheritance tax. To qualify for these special concessions, a number of factors are considered e. g. ‘does the employment contract specify a limited time? ’, ‘has the expatriate’s family moved? ’, ‘is the expatriate’s centre of economic and/or personal interest in Belgium? ’, ‘is the employment with a qualifying entity? ’. Under the special concessions: Only Belgian sourced income is taxable, including property income and dividend income, although total world-wide, earned income must be declared. Municipal taxes are payable at 7% of total income tax payable. There is no capital gains tax, except for certain types of sale of Belgian property. Expatriates who benefit from the non-residents special tax regime cannot invoke double taxation agreements because they only apply for the benefit of Belgian residents. 5. Role of Local Government – Each of the provinces has a council of 50 to 90 members elected for four-year terms by direct suffrage and empowered to legislate in matters of local concern. A governor, appointed by the king, is the highest executive officer in each province. There are 589 communes. Each municipality has a town council elected for a six-year term. The council elects an executive body called the board of aldermen. The head of the municipality is the burgomaster, who is appointed by the sovereign upon nomination by the town council. Recently, the number of municipalities has been greatly reduced through consolidation. vii. Legal System 1. Organization of judiciary system – The judiciary is an independent branch of government on an equal footing with the legislative and the executive branches. Minor offenses are dealt with by justices of the peace and police tribunals. More serious offenses and civil lawsuits are brought before district courts of first instance. Other district courts are commerce and labor tribunals. Verdicts rendered by these courts may be appealed before 5 regional courts of appeal or the 5 regional labor courts in Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, Mons, and Liege. All offenses punishable by prison sentences of more than five years must be dealt with by the eleven courts of assize (one for each province and the city of Brussels), the only jury courts in Belgium. The highest courts are five civil and criminal courts of appeal and the supreme Court of Cassation. The latter's function is to verify that the law has been properly applied and interpreted. The constitutionality of legislation is the province of the Council of State, an advisory legal group. 2. Code, common, socialist, or Islamic law country? Belgian Civil Code 3. Participation in Patents, trademarks, other conventions – Yes viii. Social Organizations 1. Group behavior – 2. Social Classes – There is a relatively even distribution of wealth, with 5 to 6 percent living close to the poverty line. The majority of the population is middle class. The vast majority has equal opportunities for education and a professional life. There is a very inclusive social security system. 3. Clubs, Other organizations – Belgium hosts many international organizations and hundreds of lobbying-groups, but their presence has little direct impact on social life. The most influential organizations are the Catholic Church and its affiliates and social organizations related to the pillars, such as trade unions. 4. Race, Ethnicity, and Sub culture – The nation's cultural diversity has been enriched by international and local immigration. The high numbers of Flemish names in the south and Walloon names in the north indicate long time internal mobility. In the last hundred years the most important immigrant groups were Jews who form a sizable community in Antwerp; Poles, who came in the early 1930s and after the fall of communism; Italians (in the 1930s and 1950s); and North Africans and Turks, who arrived in the 1960s. There are many recent immigrants from other countries in the European Union as well as many expatriates working in or around European Union institutions and NATO headquarters. The percentage of noncitizens in the population is high at 15 percent nationally and 28 percent in Brussels. ix. Business customs and practices- Relationships & Communication. Although third-party introductions are not necessary, they often smooth the way. .  Regardless of how you are introduced, you must always be polite and well mannered. .  Belgians are careful and prudent so take time before they trust others, be they individuals or representatives of companies. .  Business dealings tend to be bureaucratic. There are many procedures and a great deal of paperwork.   Belgians are excellent linguists and many are sufficiently fluent to conduct meetings in English. .  Belgians prefer subtlety to directness, believing that subtlety is a reflection of intelligence. .  Although they are more direct in their communication than many cultures, if a response is too direct it may be seen as simplistic. .  They prefer communication to be logical and based on reason . Belgians of ten engage in long, critical discussions before reaching a decision so that they can be certain that they have considered all the alternatives.   They believe it is rude to be confrontational. Business Meeting Etiquette .  Appointments are necessary .  The person you are meeting will generally set the time for the meeting, usually mid morning or mid afternoon. .  Avoid scheduling meetings during July and August, which are prime vacation times; the week before Easter; and the week between Christmas and New Year. .  Everyone is expected to arrive on time .  Arriving late may brand you as unreliable. .  Meetings are formal .  First appointments are more socially than business oriented, as Belgians prefer to do business with those they know.   Do not remove your jacket during a meeting. Dress Etiquette .  Men should wear dark coloured, conservative business suits with white shirts and silk ties. .  Women should wear business suits or conservative dresses. .  Men should only wear laced shoes, never loafers or other slip-ons, as they are too casual. .  Polished shoes are an integral part of a professional image. Business Cards .  Business cards are exchanged without formal ritual. .  Have one side of your business card translated into French or Dutch. This shows respect and understanding of the linguistic heritage of your colleagues.   If you have meetings in both areas, have two sets of business cards printed, and be careful to use the proper ones. .  Present your business card so the recipient can read the side with their national language. V. Religion and Aesthetics a. Religion and other belief systems i. Orthodox doctrines and structures – Catholicism is the main religious faith. The government financially supports the Catholic and Protestant churches as well as the Jewish and Muslim faiths. The Catholic Church controls an important network of schools with 70 percent of the pupils in secondary education and two main unive rsities. Religious beliefs and practice declined during the twentieth century, but approximately 65 percent of Belgians believe in God. Many people who say they do not believe in God take part in religious rituals for major events such as baptisms, weddings, and funerals. Minority faiths include Muslims, Jews, and Protestants. ii. Relationships with the people – The Catholic Church controls an important network of schools with 70 percent of the pupils in secondary education and two main universities. iii. Prominent religions – Catholicism iv. Membership of each religion v. Any powerful or influential cults? No b. Aesthetics i. Visual Arts – The golden age of graphic arts lasted from the fourteenth century to the seventeenth century and was embodied mostly in painting. The Flemish Primitives school of painting (fourteenth and fifteenth centuries) made the region the main artistic center of Europe outside of Italy. Artists such as Jan Van Eyck (1395–1441) and Rogier Van Der Weyden (1400–1464) were interested in spatial composition and psychology and rendered the colors and textures of living and material objects with realism. The main artistic figure of the next century was Pieter Breughel the Elder (1525–1569), with his lively paintings of peasant life. Pieter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) was the most famous painter of his time, receiving commissions from European sovereigns. His main focus was on the human figure. Rubens influenced Anthony Van Dyk (1599–1641) and Jacob Jordaens (1593–1678). The graphic arts declined until the late nineteenth century, when James Ensor and Rene Magritte (in the twentieth century) revived the avant-garde. The most innovative works of living artists can be seen in contemporary art museums in Antwerp and Ghent. ii. Music – Classical, Blues and Jazz, Folk, Pop and Rock iii. Performing arts – The Franco-Flemish style dominated European music in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, with composers such as Josquin des Prez and Orlando di Lasso. In the twentieth century, the most famous Belgian musician was the singer Jacques Brel. Several living classical composers are active. The harmonica player Toots Thielemans is the most famous jazz musician. The Blindman Kwartet combines jazz, pop, and classical music. The presence in Brussels between 1959 and 1987 of the French choreographer Maurice Bejart stimulated a new generation of choreographers. The main theatrical centers are De Singel in Antwerp and the Kaai Teater in Brussels. Several theaters and orchestras are supported by the government. iv. Folklore and relevant symbols – The calotte (plural calottes, French from Provencal calota or Italian callotta), is a skullcap worn by students at catholic universities in Belgium. In the front of the calotte are stripes representing the Belgium flag (black, yellow and red) and stripes representing the colors of the city or the university where the calotte has been received. At the back of the calotte, the faculty of the student is represented by a color and a symbol, with if needed an additional symbol to determine the speciality. Golden stars around the calotte represent the number of years that the student has studied successfully (if a year has to be retaken, a silver star will represent it). In addition to that, a number of official and personal pins will be added to the calotte, all representing something about its owner examples include: †¢ Official position in a student organisation (above the considered year's star) Hobbies and occupations (cardplayer, partyer†¦ ) †¢ Character (patriot, lazy†¦ ) the meaning of the calotte has evolved, but whatever the theories may be on its origins, the calotte is mainly a sign that indicates the student's belonging to a group. The student is also able to express his individuality by wearing several insignia on the calotte that will reflect their academic curriculum, their personal interests and even their character. VI. Living Conditions a. Diet and Nutrition i. Meat and vegetable consumption rates – Bread and potatoes are the traditional staple foods. Most meals include, pork, chicken, or beef, and Seafood is popular in the northern part of the country. The national drink is beer, but wine is imported in large quantities. In northern cities, popular dishes include mussels with fries and waterzooi a broth of vegetables and meat or fish. Throughout the country, French fries are eaten with steaks or minced raw meat. Cooking is traditionally done with butter rather than oil; there is also a high consumption of dairy products. ii. Typical Meals – Traditionally, the noon meal is the main meal of the day: businessmen take a two-hour break and most children come home from school. This is the meal that begins with soup or hors d'oeuvres, then a hearty meat or fish dish with potatoes, followed by a separate course of salad or cooked vegetables. Frequently the meat is carved in the kitchen and the platter garnished with seasonal [pic]vegetables. It is interesting to note that [pic]vegetables and salads are almost a social status symbol – the higher the level, the more [pic]vegetables and salads are used. For most families, however, potatoes are the only vegetable requirement. A dessert for dinner would be fruit and cheese, a tart or pudding. Wine or beer is usually served as well iii. Malnutrition rates – n/a iv. Foods available – The Belgian market offers good opportunities and has enjoyed considerable growth in recent years in the following areas: 1. health and organic foods, 2. energy foods and sports drinks, 3. snack foods, 4. ethnic foods, 5. ready-made and microwave products, 6. frozen and fresh food and vegetables, 7. ried fruits and nuts, 8. wine, 9. specialty meats such as bison and pet food, 10. seafood, and 11. specialty products (e. g. kosher food, wild rice,maple products and other confectionery goods etc. ) b. Housing i. Owning your own home isn’t considered such an important an investment as it is in some other countries. Types of housing available – While property in Belgium is cheap by UK standards, the various fees, charges and deposits a ssociated with buying a house and securing a mortgage are likely to discourage all but the most determined buyers. There’s no mortgage relief on income tax ii. Do more people own or rent? More own iii. Do most live in one family dwellings or with other families? One family c. Clothing i. National Dress – Belgians, especially those in the cities, wear modern Western-style clothes. The ethnic costumes of the Flemings and Walloons are seldom worn today. On some farms women still wear the traditional dark-colored clothing and white aprons, and men wear the old-fashioned caps. ii. Types of clothes worn at work – Men who work in offices are expected to wear suit jackets to work. It is generally acceptable for women to wear slacks to work. d. Recreation, sports, and other leisure activities i. Types available and in demand – The most popular participant sport in Belgium is bicycling. Belgians also participate in and watch soccer, and there are many regional teams. Other sports popular in Belgium include tennis, horseback riding, hiking, and skiing. Belgians also enjoy the popular European sport of sand sailing. A sort of minicar with sails called a â€Å"sand yacht† is driven along the coast, powered by the wind. Also popular, especially in Wallonia, is pigeon racing. As many as 100,000 pigeons may be entered in a single race. Like many other Europeans, Belgians are avid soccer fans. There are over sixty teams in the national league. Concerts and theater are popular evening pastimes in the cities, and Brussels also has opera, ballet, and cafe cabarets (restaurants with musical entertainment such as singing and dancing). ii. Percentage of income spent on such activities – 9. 5% e. Social Security – Belgium has a comprehensive system of social security, which applies to all residents. It covers family benefits, unemployment insurance, work accident insurance, health care, old age and invalidity pensions, and long-term care insurance. Belgium takes great pride in its benefits systems and the quality of its social security services, although the high cost of providing those services and benefits (employer contributions of up to 40 per cent plus employee contributions of up to 20 per cent of gross pay) has recently prompted the government to consider changes to the social security system in an attempt to encourage individuals to assume greater responsibility for the costs of retirement, disability and even health care. . HealthCare – Health insurance is mandatory in Belgium, and basic cover is generally provided by the national social security system. Contributions are paid by both employers and employees, and most forms of public assistance (unemployment benefit, old age pensions, certain forms of sickness and maternity benefits) are paid net of withholdings for health insurance, the benefit authority effectively paying the employer contributions. Foreigners coming to live in Belgium without working (e. . retirees and the ‘idle’ rich) must generally produce proof of health insurance in order to obtain a residence permit. There are special health insurance plans, valid in a number of countries, designed specifically for the needs of expatriates and those who travel frequently. If you qualify for ‘non-resident’ tax status, you may not be required to contribute to national social security, in which case you will probably be covered by your employer’s health care plan. (You should check! All employees and self-employed people in Belgium must contribute to a health insurance fund ( mutualite/ziekenfonds) as part of the normal social security enrolment process. Some funds are restricted to members of various religious, political or professional organisations for historic reasons, but most are open to all. Your employer should be able to provide you with information about available funds, and you should ask neighbours or colleagues for recommendations. All funds charge the same basic contribution and pay similar benefits, but some take longer than others to make reimbursements. Health insurance contributions are made by your employer directly to your chosen fund. These amount to 7. 35 per cent of your gross salary, of which 3. 55 per cent is withheld from your pay and the remaining 3. 8 per cent contributed by your employer. If you’re self-employed, you contribute the full 7. 35 per cent through your quarterly social security payments. Cover is automatically provided for dependent family members, including spouses (if they don’t have their own cover) and children up to the age of 18. When you enrol in a Belgian health fund, there’s a six-month waiting period before you can claim benefits. This waiting period can be waived if you were previously included for at least six months in another person’s health cover (i. e. as a dependant) or, in many cases, if you were covered by a state health care plan (or the equivalent) in another EU country for at least six months before your arrival in Belgium. For most medical services, you must pay the bill and then submit the receipt for reimbursement. Reimbursements are usually less than the charges incurred, and most Belgians take out supplementary health insurance to cover the unreimbursed portion or to upgrade their cover from the statutory level. Many employers provide supplementary health insurance cover as an employment benefit, or you can purchase individual cover. Supplementary health insurance is also available to self-employed people through professional associations and private insurers. In typical Belgian fashion, the exact nature of what is and isn’t covered by the state system is rather complicated. Services rendered by most doctors and specialists, hospitalisation, prescriptions, pregnancy and childbirth, rehabilitation and other forms of therapy are normally covered, although the self-employed are covered only for ‘major risks’, which include mental illness, tuberculosis, cancer, hereditary diseases and birth defects, most types of surgery and childbirth. There are no fewer than 18 categories of medical procedure and service, each with its own reimbursement level, varying from 0 to 100 per cent (although the number of items qualifying for 100 per cent reimbursement is constantly diminishing because of funding problems). There are also certain ‘preferred’ categories of people who are entitled to a higher level of reimbursement for many items, including widows, orphans and those receiving certain forms of public aid (e. g. the blind). A standard doctor’s appointment, for example, is normally reimbursed at 75 per cent, whereas those in a preferred category may be reimbursed at 85 or 90 per cent, depending on their circumstances. It’s wise to keep copies of all receipts and any other documents you send to your health insurance fund in case anything is lost. Rather than sending each receipt separately, it’s often better to collect all receipts for a given illness or accident or all receipts during a three or six-month period before submitting them for reimbursement. If you have supplementary insurance, your health fund usually forwards information to your private insurer, and both insurers normally pay reimbursements directly into your bank account. If you’re hospitalised, you must usually pay a fixed daily accommodation fee, either in advance or when you’re discharged, but the hospital normally sends all other bills directly to your health insurance fund. In the case of prescriptions, if you take most of them to the same chemist, it’s usually possible to register with him so that he bills your health insurance fund directly. In this way you pay only the unreimbursed portion of the prescription fees, as well as saving yourself the headache of keeping track of your payments. Prescriptions are subject to a particularly complex scale of reimbursement percentages, according to the ‘social and medical usefulness’ of each medicine and whether it’s available ‘off the shelf’ or must be made up by a chemist. Certain types of medicines have maximum patient contribution levels, where 100 per cent of charges are reimbursed after a certain period. VII. Language a. Official Language(s) – Belgium has three official languages: French, German, and Flemish, which is similar to Dutch. b. Spoken vs. Written languages- N/A c. Dialects – Dutch in Belgium is virtually identical to Dutch in the Netherlands, with the exception of a few local terms and expressions, although certain areas in Dutch-speaking Belgium have local dialects that can sometimes be incomprehensible to speakers of standard Dutch. The French spoken in Belgium is standard but with its own distinctive accent (at least according to the French! ) and a few specialised words, notably the use of septante and nonante for 70 and 90 instead of soixante-dix and quatre-vingt-dix. (Oddly, the Belgians do use quatre-vingt for the number 80 rather than octante, which is used in Switzerland and some other francophone areas of the world. ) VIII. Executive Summary IX. Sources of Information