Primary education Essay

According to the Kenyan government, education is â€Å"A long term objective to provide basic quality education to enhance Kenyans ability to preserve and utilize the environment for productive and sustainable livelihoods, to develop quality of the human race; to realize the universal access to education and training for all including the disadvantaged and the vulnerable and as a necessary tool for development and protection of the democratic institutions of human rights† (Ministry Of Education Science and Technology, 2005 pp2). The current Kenyan education system consists of Early Childhood Education, primary and secondary education. Early Childhood Education takes one year. At the end of the primary education, pupils sit for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) prepared by the Kenya National Examination Council. Performance in the KCPE determines who is admitted to secondary schools. At the end of secondary education, students sit for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education. Primary school education in Kenya is a basic and is considered the root of all formal and informal learning in Kenya. Free and compulsory primary education for Kenyan children was one of the key pre-election promises that led the NARC government led by President Mwai Kibaki, to ascend to power in December 2002. Since then, an estimated 1. 5 million children, who were previously out-of school, have turned up to attend classes (Paul Kenya, 2008). The free Primary Education policy was first implemented in January 2003. The FPE policy focuses on attaining Education For all and in particular, Universal Primary Education. Key concerns are access, retention, equity, quality and relevance and internal and external efficiencies within the education system (Ministry Of Education Science and Technology, 2005a, pp3). Through the FPE policy, the NARC government scrutinized the current 8-4-4 systems, which had previously been coupled with retention and reduced enrolment before it came to power. The policy’s focus is on â€Å"quality education and training as a human right in accordance to Kenya law and international conventions† (Ministry Of Education Science and Technology, 2005 pp3). VISION Quality education for development. (Elimu bora Kwa Maendeleo) MISSION To provide, promote and co-ordinate lifelong education, training and research for KLenya’s sustainable development. POLICY OBJECTIVES 1. To achieve education for all (EFA) by 2015 2. To achieve transition rate of 70% from primary to secondary from the current rate of 57% 3. To enhance access, equity and quality primary education 4. To achieve 50% improvement levels of literacy by 2015 5. To attain universal primary education (UPE). This is in line with the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals 6. To reduce the number of primary school children drop outs. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE POLICY 1. Increase in number of children enrolled in primary schools. Primary education has witnessed phenomenal growth since the policy was established. The number of primary school pupils rose dramatically from 5. 9 million in 2002 to 7. 6 million in 2005 to 82. 78 in 2009, according to a World Bank report, published in 2010 2. Significant reduction in the repetition rate. The number of students repeating and dropping out has reduced significantly() this may be attributed to the fact that parents no longer have to think about paying school fees. CHALLENGES FACED BY THE POLICY. 1. Delays in Funds Disbursement Delays in distributing funds to support free primary school education is one of the challenges facing the policy implementation. This has frustrated many teachers, put pressure and on parents financial burdens. Teachers thus lack motivation to teach the increasing number of pupils as a result of the introduction of the policy. 2. Teacher Shortages A UNESCO survey on the evaluation of the Free Primary policy (UNESCO, 2005) indicates that the teacher: pupil ratio, in a significant number of schools was 1:70 which was far beyond the recommended maximum rate of 1:40. Such a high ratio has got challenges. For example, teachers find it impossible to pay attention to all learners, especially the slow ones. Also teachers were not able to give adequate assignments to the pupils, as they could not cope with the marking and teaching workload (UNESCO, 2005). 3. Teacher-Learning Facilities There is a challenge in the limited teacher-learning facilities, which forces pupils to share. Sharing of facilities such as textbooks, exercise books, pens e. t. c has affected pupil’s accessibility to the books while at home and many have to do their homework early in the morning the next day when in school. There is also the issue of inadequate physical facilities where most schools did not have adequate classroom to accommodate the large number of pupils enrolled under the FPE programmes. 4. Managerial Skills Most school managers (the head teachers) are not well equipped in managerial skills. This is to say that their managerial skills are poor and these results to poor results by the schools they head as well as mismanagement of available funds. 5. Mobility from Public to Private and within Public Schools This may not be a major challenge but it still is a challenge. Teachers complain that pupils’ frequent transfers from one school to another at any point of the term and in any class affect content delivery. This may be as a result of a preference for free and cheaper education, school availability and its proximity as well as the highest grade offered in a school. A lower fee is also a factor, and cheaper or free schools seemed to be an important motivation for school transfer. 6. Embezzlement of Funds and Corruption Embezzlement of funds is a core challenge. Some government officials are corrupt and hence there is mismanagement or misallocation of funds that are allocated to them, (UNESCO, 2005). For instance, the sponsor’s funds; this makes some children who are poor miss the opportune moments of schooling. I addition to that, senior officials in the Ministry of Education, in Kenya have been accused of protecting corrupt headmasters suspected of embezzling funds because they are also indirectly benefiting from incentives that are being paid by parents, disgruntled senior education officials have revealed, (UNESCO, 2005). RECCOMENDATIONS 1. Timely release of funds. Funds should be released as soon as they are available. This will ensure the teachers and students remain motivated to learn. 2. Increase numbers of teachers employed and increase their wages. Increasing the number of teachers permanently employed in public primary schools will help to take care of the teacher-student ratio. Increasing their wages will also ensure that the teachers are motivated to do their work well. 3. Investing in Teacher-Learning Facilities. The government should invest in building more classrooms to reduce the current congestion in the classrooms. The government should also work hand in hand with sponsors and international investors to ensure the pupils have enough books, pens and other facilities needed by both teachers and pupils. 4. Training of managers. Heads of schools should be trained on how to manage the funds given to them as well as efficiently running the schools. 5. Monitor ministry officials and those handling the funds. An organization or body that can monitor the ministry officials and those handling the funds such as the anti-corruption commission of Kenya to ensure that those handing the funds are not corrupt and those caught in corrupt practices face the law. REFERENCES 1. UNESCO (2005). Challenges of implementing free primary education in Kenya: assessment report. Kenya. Nairobi: Ministry of Education, Science & Technology. 2. Okwach, A. and George, O. (1997). Efficiency of primary education in Kenya: situational analysis and implications for educational reform. Nairobi: Institute of Policy Analysis and Research. 3. UNESCO (2006). Fact book on education for all, UNESCO Nairobi 4. Voss, R. ; Bedi, A. ; Kimalu, P. K. ; Manda,D. K. ; Nafula,N. N; Kimenyi, M. S. Achieving universal primary education: Can Kenya Afford it? University of Connecticut: Department of Economics working paper series.

Anglo-Saxon/ Christian Heroes Essay

Heroes are examples of what is good and noble in a culture. British culture has changed their view of a hero between the 5th century and the 10th century. Anglo-Saxon literature is literature expressed orally during the Anglo-Saxon period of Britain, from the 5th century to the Norman conquest. During the Anglo-Saxon era, warriors were to follow a strict code of heroic behavior emphasizing bravery, loyalty, and vengeance. Because Anglo-Saxon was an oral culture, people could keep talking about your past deeds; being remembered makes you famous. Anglo-Saxon heroic values are revenge and boastfulness. One of the most famous Anglo-Saxon poems is Beowulf, which was written in the century. The character Beowulf is a great example of an Anglo-Saxon hero in British literature. Later in the 10th century, Christianity had spread and now Christian values were being considered heroic behavior in British culture. Christian heroic values are forgiveness, self-sacrifice, and humility; kindness mak es you famous. In the 10th century, Dream of the Rood was written. The character Christ is an example of a Christian hero in British literature. Even though Beowulf and Dream of the Rood were Anglo-Saxon heroic poems, they were preserved, because the Anglo-Saxon beliefs in the poems were compatible with Christian beliefs. In Beowulf poem, the hero is Anglo-Saxon epic hero. Beowulf is a mighty and noble warrior who helps Hrothgar and the Danes. He is also is a boastful hero. A boastful hero talks about oneself with excessive pride, so everyone will know about their heroic deeds. Beowulf’s boastfulness isn’t a Christian value. But later in the poem, Beowulf becomes a wise old man who is humbled. A humble person has no pride, egotism, conceit, or arrogance. Instead a humble person has altruism, humility, and modesty, which is a Christian value. In the poem, Hrothgar, the King of the Danes, whom Beowulf serves, warned Beowulf that â€Å" sickness or age will strip you of your strength, or the fangs of flame, or flood-surges, the sword’s bite, or the spear’s flight, or fearful frailty as bright eyes fade, dimming to darkness. Afterward death will sweep you away†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Pg. 65) Hrothgar is not as strong as Beowulf, but he is wiser, cunning, and generous. Hrothgar foreshadows what will happen to Beowulf and that he will become like Hrothgar. In The Dream of the Rood poem, the hero is a Christian hero. Christ is a generous hero. A generous hero is a person who is willing to give and share unsparingly. This quote shows how in the poem, the generous Christ honors the cross and Mary. â€Å"Lo! The Lord of Heaven, the Prince of Glory, honored me over any other tree just as He, Almighty God, for sake of mankind honored Mary, His own mother, before all other women in the world.† (Pg. 129) Because Mary and the cross had honored Christ, he was willing to share his praise with them. Both Beowulf and The Dream of the Rood poems, Beowulf and Christ are warriors in battle â€Å"Then the young warrior, God Almighty, stripped Himself, firm and unflinching. He climbed upon the cross, brave before so many, to redeem mankind.† (Pg. 128) This quote shows that Christ is a warrior in battle, which is an Anglo-Saxon concept, but in this poem it is meant to show strength. In Beowulf, Beowulf is a warrior his job is to protect people from danger. He was able to protect the Danes and Hrothgar from danger by killing Grendal and Grendal’s mother, but when he was older he still able to protect his kingdom from the dragon, but it costs his life. Both Beowulf and The Dream of the Rood poems, promotes courage and describe the ideal of sacrificing oneself to save others, which is prevalent in Christianity. In Beowulf, the narrator describes how Beowulf courageously battled Grendal, Grendal’s mother, and the dragon. Beowulf fights Grendal while he is young. He courageously fights Grendal without a sword. He rips off Grendal’s arm in Hrothgar’s mead hall, Heorot. Later Beowulf fights Grendal’s mother in her cave beneath the swampy lake. Beowulf brings a sword, Hruting, which he borrowed from his f riend, Unfeth, but he is unsuccessful. Then Beowulf miraculously finds a magical giant sword in the underwater cave and uses it to kill Grendal’s mother. In Beowulf the older, wiser Beowulf fought the dragon in order to protect his people. Beowulf comes fully armed and has an army to help him. Beowulf fights the dragon with his sword Naeling, which is ineffective against the dragon. The dragon morally wounds Beowulf and with Wiglaf’s help the dragon is slain. In The Dream of the Rood, Christ shows courage by climbing upon the cross and knowing his fate. In Christianity, they believe in the willingness to say and do the right thing regardless of the cost, which is defined as courage. According to the Christian Bible, Christ sacrificed himself to save us from our sins. The Dream of the Rood tells the Christian Biblical story to show Christ’s courage. In the story it says, â€Å"many enemies fastened me there. I saw the Lord of Mankind hasten with such courage to climb upon me.† (Pg. 127) This quote shows that Christ is a courageous hero in the poem. A courageous hero has strength in the face of pain or grief. Both Beowulf and The Dream of the Rood poems, describe judgment and consequences for one’s actions. In Beowulf, Wigluf says â€Å" You shall have no joy in the homeland you love. Your farms shall be forfeit, and each man fare alone and landless when foreign lands learn of your flight, your failure of faith. Better to die than dwell in disgrace.† (Pg. 86) Wigluf speaks to the earls and other warriors for not being loyal to Beowulf. Only Wigluf supported Beowulf in his last battle. After Beowulf’s death, Wigluf speaks of feuds and strife after Beowulf’s death, because the Swedes are fighting with the Geats. In The Dream of the Rood, the cross describes the Apocalypse, which is the cataclysmic destruction of the world, followed by resurrection of the dead, and judgment day. Beowulf and Dream of the Rood w ere Anglo-Saxon heroic poems. Both Beowulf and The Dream of the Rood have the Christian ideals of generosity, humbleness, courage, sacrificing oneself to save others, judgment, and having consequences for one’s actions. Similarly, Both Beowulf and The Dream of the Rood have the Anglo-Saxon ideal of a warrior in battle. Beowulf and Dream of the Rood were preserved, because the Anglo-Saxon beliefs congruent with Christian beliefs.

Barriers For Speakers Of Other Languages English Language Essay

Barriers For Speakers Of Other Languages English Language Essay Multilingual and bilingual education programs have been increasing tremendously over the recent past. This follows the increasing diversity in modern-day classrooms in most parts of the world. Such diversity reflects the ever evolving migration patterns and the hence the increasing need to address the issue of multilingual education programs. These programs target communicative proficiency in at least more than two languages. In connection to this, research on issues of bilingual education has been growing. The popularity of these programs can be attributed to the important role played by bilingual education such as in the accomplishment of various sociopolitical goals (Holliday 21). In most US schools currently, a larger percentage of students use English as a second language. Due to such statistics, the English only philosophy of adopted by the federal government through the Structured English Immersion has been subject to great criticism. However, ESL students encounter great bar riers as they learn the English language. These barriers are either with respect to linguistic factors or cultural factors (Eugene 32). This draws from the fact that ESL learners have their culture which is so different from that of any native English speaking country as well as certain linguistic aspects based on their primary (mother tongue) language. These aspects are difficult to abandon and hence they tend to present a barrier to the effectiveness with which an ESL students learns English. This paper discuses these barriers in detail and also presents a range of strategies that can be employed to addresses such challenges. Cultural Factors One of the important cultural barriers affecting ESL education draws from the fact that most ESL programs instructors are in most cases native English speakers. This is because irrespective of the importance of having ESL education taught by teachers from the language minority groups, the government mostly has in place native speakers teachin g English to ESL learners (Eugene 47). Research has also shown that the native speakers teaching ESL education differ greatly in terms of their cultural and social economic endowments with their ESL students (Huang and Brown, 645). For instance, in US, most of the ESL program teachers are Americans who of course are culturally very different from the L2 learners. This is due to the poor performance as regards to the objective of ensuring that individuals from the minority language community(ies) are developed into being credentialed teachers through relevant training, to enhance the development of ESL education (Nasr 65). These native teachers employ socioeconomically and culturally different styles of teaching ESL education as compared to those ESL learners are used to, from their culture. This presents a lack of connection of the two cultures especially if the teacher fails to employ effective instructional approaches mean such as collaboration. This is made worse by the lack of z eal among the native teachers to learn these different cultures and become part of the ESL learning community (Zimmerman 17). In most instances, the trainers fail to reflect on how their sociocultural backgrounds impact on their perceptions of the community and therefore on how they teach.

Living Longer than Expected Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Living Longer than Expected - Essay Example The main reason life expectancy has increased is the improvement in medicine in general, with particular emphasis on the development of brand-new drugs during the 20th Century, namely antibiotics. The influence of these remarkable drugs can be summed up in a single fact: more people are saved in a single year from antibiotics than the c.100,000,000 who were killed in wars during the whole of the Twentieth Century (Cooter, 2002). Ironically, the final push towards the development of antibiotics occurred because of the mortality rates from infections within soldiers during the worst of those wars, WWII (Cooter, 2002). Together with the development of antibiotics to treat infections, another whole class of drugs - vaccinations, were developed and perfected during the century. One of the worst killers of previous centuries had been tuberculosis, By the middle of the century it was virtually a fading memory in much of the developed world because of the invention and perfection of a simple, safe vaccine (Bloom, 2002. Together with other vaccinations a whole host of deadly diseases were virtually wiped out, ensuring far more children survived into the relatively healthy adult years. Improved sanitation and nutrition also helped to increase life expectancy in the first half of the century. In the last decades of the Twentieth Century the increased efficacy of medicine treating serious diseases from cancer to heart disease has enabled older people to live through conditions that would have previously killed them. Operations such as bypass surgery, transplantation and a whole array of new drugs have increased life-expectancy. While the current "obesity epidemic" (nih, 2006) may slow the increase in life expectancy, it is clear that babies being born today may well have a lifespan approach an average of ninety. This is an extraordinary situation: the doubling of life expectancy over a single century. Present Effects of Increased Longevity The present effects of increased vary from those that are fairly obvious, such as more old people, to those a little more intangible, such as changes in marriage patterns. The effects of increased lifespan on the health industry are profound. While advances in medicine are largely accountable for longevity, the healthcare industry also bears the brunt of the pressures that are created by the changing demographics of its patients. Old people tend to become sick more often, and the nature of their care is also different: Population aging can have an important impact on health expenditures (both public and private) as well as on the optimal design of health care systems. The technologies associated with diseases of the old tend to be more expensive than the technologies associated with diseases of the young. (James, 1999) Also, about 30 of healthcare costs now stem from treatment in the last six months of life (nih, 2006). These were people (often old) who would normally have died in earlier times. Ethical questions regarding

Local landfills and their effect on the environment Research Paper

Local landfills and their effect on the environment - Research Paper Example The City mainly handles its waste management by contracting them out to Local Waste Services. There are some local waste services in the city that operate some landfills, but Grove City majorly allowed SWACO to handle its waste management procedures, which involves the collection and disposal of solid waste at the Franklin County Landfill (Grove City 2011). Apart from SWACO, other waste management companies that are used by people in Grove City 2 include Tri-County Industries, Inc., and Franklin Road Recycling Solution, both of which also operate landfills. Studies have shown that one of the problems of the 21st century in the United States is waste—the country is going through a phase of mountainous waste-production, which is estimated to be millions of tons of waste yearly (Rahm 1-2). As a result of this, city administrators often find themselves at the crossroads to design a functional process for collecting and disposing of these waste materials. For many years now, landfi lls have been the appropriate systems for the disposal of waste in the United States. ... the positive effects of SWACO landfill admired by the Grove City administration are highlighted in the remaining part of this paper, comparing them with that of other local waste services. Tri-County Industries handle the waste materials for residential, industrial and commercial clients located in Grove City, Ohio. The company utilizes its big size and years of experience to help clients cut the cost of disposing of their waste in landfill (Tri-County Industries, Inc. 2011). But Tri-County Industries Landfill has some negative impacts on 3 Grove City residents: according to a recent court case against Tr-County, its landfills located at Pine and Liberty have strong bad odor, lighting issues and noises could be heard at night (Allied News 2011). Similarly, Frank Road Recycling Solutions, for over 75 years, has provided its customers in Grove City, Ohio with good waste-disposal and recycling solutions. These solutions were aimed at helping them do away with their operational waste and protect the environment (Frank Road Recycling Solutions 2011). But Frank Road Recycling Solutions Landfill does not provide the green opportunities offered by SWACO Landfill. Therefore, both Tri-County Industries, Inc., and Frank Road Recycling Solutions do not match the positive effects of SWACO as described below. Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) was created as a waste-management agency with other 51 solid waste districts by Ohio General Assembly in 1989. SWACO was specifically established to help Ohio residents proactively dispose of their waste materials (SWACO 2011). And SWACO landfill provides the following positive effects in Grove City, Ohio. Solid waste materials are disposed of at SWACO landfill while customers are strongly encouraged to recycle some recyclable

The Engineers Concern about the Overhead Rate Going Up and Up in Assignment

The Engineers Concern about the Overhead Rate Going Up and Up in Managerial Accounting - Assignment Example A single hour of the labor carries an additional burden amount of $1,500 (Wagener, 2010). Moreover, the underlying labor cost contributes up to five percent of the prevailing cost of the product thus making it the main propeller of the all the cost of Fabricator Inc. Since one cost is utilized as the main pricing standard and in the case of the Fabricator Inc they use labor, their main concern that the underlying set standard might be cumbersome to accomplish (Warren, Reeve, Duchac, & Warren, 2012). Therefore, lost labor in its entity is inadequacies as an example is depicted by the prevailing management as either poor pricing or production (Warren, Reeve, Duchac, & Warren, 2012). Even though overhead is fundamental and normally demanded the production process, bid pricing that is mainly driven by labor as the standard would eventually be more expensive. The most effective means would be utilizing activity-based costing because Fabricator Inc mainly specializes in executing underlying customer orders and every order is unique and possesses different requirement. Utilizing single overhead rate is thus not acceptable (Wagener, 2010). The engineer has also mentioned that the standard was being worked around by the corresponding design engineering thus rendering the prevailing standard utilized by Fabricator Inc unreliable (Kaplan & Anderson, 2007). The engineer meant that high job cost standard for the project biding might infrequent the prevailing project managers mandated by pricing a job forbid when he said that a relatively large overhead rate is a disadvantage to the company in terms of placing bids and seeking new business (Lal & Srivastava, 2009). Any errors in the estimate for the labor hours would definitely possess massive implications in the operation of the company (Warren, Reeve, Duchac, & Warren, 2012). Moreover, miscalculation or rather a failure by few hours  could definitely imply that the company would either be losing the bid or correspondingly be losing money in case the job is acquired.  

Remote Sensing of the Coral Reefs Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Remote Sensing of the Coral Reefs - Coursework Example Coral reefs are productive ecosystem and diverse habitats in the world because of their economic and social importance including food provision, tourism among others. There is a high rate of global degradation of coral reefs and these calls for their sustainable management. Their reduction has fueled the local and international communities to come up with approaches of monitoring coral reefs. Ecology involves the study of organisms in the environmental surroundings which require spatially accurate data given the distribution of spices. In the past manual and field observation methods were used to gather ecological information. These methods were labor-intensive and time-consuming. As a result, remote sensing became widely incorporated in the ecological duties because of its large coverage, cost-effectiveness, and accuracy. This called for the venture into new technologies to enable easy and faster access to remotely sensed information in the management and monitoring of ecological sp ecies. The coral ecosystem is one of the important habitats in the world. Coral reefs play a significant role in checking the amount of carbon dioxide in the sea. Without them regulating the level of carbon dioxide in water could be difficult and many species on earth including human being could be at high risk. Although, that is the current situation in the world because people have destroyed the reefs due to the level of impurities in the water bodies this has resulted in global warming. They are also habitat to millions of fish species, source of employment, food provision, tourism attraction sites and protect the shores fro waves. In short, they are a source of livelihood to millions of people around the globe. This paper addresses landscape remote sensing approaches of mapping coral reefs.

ABC Company Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

ABC Company - Research Paper Example Ending Income tax payable (10,000) (30,000) Net cash flow from operating activities (164,000) Analysis of ABC Co.’s Cash Flow A company’s operating cash flow indicates the revenue generated from doing business over a specified period less the operating expenses (Howell & Bain, 2008). This is an important process since it helps a company determine whether the business has a healthy financial position between the one given on paper and the one that is applicable in practice. From the results of ABC’s operating cash flow, the company is experiencing a negative cash flow. Although this is normal sometimes, it is still a cause for alarm to the company management. The situation indicates that the company is spending more money than it is receiving. This is a common phenomenon with new companies, however, the situation is dangerous if persistent over the long run (Lerner, 1995). There are several reasons for a negative cash flow but the main causes include poor debt col lection, high operating costs, and bad business decisions. In the case of ABC Company, there are three likely reasons for the negative cash flow. These are high costs of goods sold which mostly consists of purchases. The other reason is poor debt collection, the company’s accounts statement indicates that the net accounts receivable were still very high with a small margin having been collected compared to the previous period’s accounts. The third reason is the nature of the company, with a 25% growth in sales it means the company is a fast growing company, which results into significant increase in the company’s working capital. To improve the cash flow situation at ABC, the company needs to reduce its spending and increase its sales (Laughlin, Bebbington, & Gray, 2001)However, the best option in... ABC Company Besides facing competition from other companies that deal with cedar in making roofing and siding shingles, ABC also faces competition from products made of iron and clay, which are operating in the same market. However, cedar products have a higher competitive advantage over similar products in the market made of iron or clay. The main disadvantage of cedar roofing and siding products is the attached price, which might lead to potential buyers resolving for cheaper iron products. ABC Company is therefore likely to maintain its growth with minimal deviation either downwards or upwards. These deviations may be because of the harsh economic times forcing many homeowners to prefer cheaper iron products or clay products for their roofing and siding. Environmental conservation movements are also affecting the industry negatively (Sparrow Exteriors, 2013). These conservation policies are in turn making the cost of raw materials for cedar roofing tiles to be more expensive. Indulging into a new project such as building the dollhouse could be a viable solution for the company to meet its target goal of $3 million in the next three years. Being the company’s controller, my objective is to create a strict budget and assess all the employees towards the project so that I can ensure everything goes according to the set budget limits. The CEO should undertake the new project. After carefully consideration of its profit margin and the costs involved, the project is likely to help the company meet its target.

The leadership experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The leadership experience - Essay Example When you wield your power over people without establishing the necessary relations then you cannot assert influence necessary to propel one to a higher office. Many leaders, for instance, Paul Wolfowitz of the World Bank fail because of their ambitions and how they wield their power. Women with their relationship oriented approach to leadership put them in a position where they can cultivate the necessary relationships. The relationships allow them to listen and appeal to their emotions and eventually get what they want even a top job. Furthermore, since women are more likely to achieve their goals as well as organizational goals they are hence trusted with influential positions. If a male leader changes his behavior to incorporate elements of relationship-oriented leadership techniques more common to the female leader, he will still be an authentic leader. The elements of relationship-oriented leadership will only strengthen an authentic leader and not water it down. Through the approach, they will be able to understand the needs of the workforce and appeal to them and hence ensure that the company achieves its goal. The leader would also still be authentic since although he would want to involve everyone the final decision will still be with him and can still leave a legacy. Furthermore, through the approach, the leader can easily assert his power since he knows his workforce quite well. It is the manager's responsibility to help their employees find pleasure, engagement, and meaning in their work to make them happy.

The organizational structure of an Alzheimer’s nursing home Essay Example for Free

The organizational structure of an Alzheimer’s nursing home Essay INTRODUCTION   Pathophysiology   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Alzheimer’s disease (AD), also known as dementia, is a chronic, progressive, degenerative disease that accounts for 60% of the dementias occurring in people older than 65 years of age. It may also be seen less commonly in people in their 40s and 50s, which is referred to as early dementia, Alzheimer’s type, or presenile dementia. It is characterized by loss of memory, judgment, and visuospatial perception and by a change in personality. Over time, the client becomes increasingly cognitive impaired; severe deterioration takes place and death occurs as a result of complication and immobility. Administration and organizational structure   Imagine being in a large room with 40 or so people who are wandering, talking to themselves or talking gibberish, yelling, crying, staring into space or sleeping. Some are looking for their parents; some ask how to get home; one person, who appears to be lost, is repeatedly hollering keeps trying to stand up and sets off a chair alarm. The television is on. Nursing staff is in and out of the dayroom, to ensure that everyone is safe, telling residents to sit down, and calm down taking some to the bathroom or comfort room, passing medication or just observing. An activities aide is trying to hold the attention of a few residents who can cut and paste decorations for the unit. Other residents are sitting at tables with unopened magazines in front of them. This is a typical dementia unit. Coping with restlessness and wandering.   The Alzheimer’s disease Association estimates that almost two thirds of clients will wander and become temporarily lost in the community.   The client should always wear an identification badge or bracelet when at home. The badge should include how to contact the primary caregiver.   In an inpatient setting, the client is checked frequently and placed in a room that can be monitored easily.   The room may need to be close to the nurses’ station ( if the noise level in the nurses’ station can be managed ) and away from exits and stairs.   Some health care agencies place large stop signs or red tape on the floor in front of exits.   Others have installed alarms systems to indicate when a client is opening the door. The Federal Nursing Home Reform Law (OBRA 87)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Federal Nursing Home Reform Law of 1987 (OBRA 87) requires that each nursing home â€Å"care for its residents in such a manner and in such an environment as will promote maintenance or enhancement of the quality of life of each resident.† This requirement emphasizes dignity, choice, and self-determination for residents. Every nursing home is also required by law to â€Å"provide services and activities to attain or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being of each resident in accordance with a written plan of care which†¦is initially prepared, with participation to the extent practicable, of the resident, the resident’s family, or legal representative.† This means that a resident should not decline in health or well-being as a result of the way a nursing home provides care. At its heart, culture change is about changing the culture of nursing homes so that they fully reflect these requirements. The culture change movement aims to de-institutionalize the environment of nursing homes.   It involves the transformation of nursing homes from the traditional model to a more resident-centered model. Culture change nursing home structure look like. Care is truly resident-centered: tailored to each resident to meet his/her needs as an individual, based on the individuals needs and preferences; Care is delivered by caregivers who have a meaningful and valued role in the residence; The environment is truly home-like, with residents having privacy of their own room and bathroom and the functioning of the nursing home such as nurse stations, resident lounges and dining rooms being small in scale and close in proximity to the residents room; Residents truly participate in life at the nursing home, making decisions for themselves regarding dressing, dining, bathing and partaking in activities, taking part in the functioning of the nursing home to the extent they wish to be involved, etc Conclusion:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When the client can no longer be cared for at home, referral to an assisted-living or long-term care facility may be needed. Early in the course of the disease, advise the family that placement might be needed in the late stage of the disease. This allows the family to begin the search process for an appropriate facility before a crisis develops and immediate placement is needed. A number of facilities specialize in the care of the clients with AD and other dementias. These units generally have a high staff- to-client ratio and architecturally design to meet the special needs and attention of this type of client. Reference: Cummings, J.L., (2002). Guidelines for managing Alzheimer’s disease, American Family Physician Nussbaum, R.L., (2003). Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. New England Journal of Medicine Rowe, M.A (2003). People with dementia who became lost, American Journal of Nursing http://www.princeton.edu/~ota/disk1/1992/9234/923407.PDF

Cambodia And Climate Change Environmental Sciences Essay

Cambodia And Climate Change Environmental Sciences Essay Our global environment has irregularly changed from year to year. There are many scientific evidences showing that climate change is caused by two factors including natural causes and human activities mainly affecting to the global atmosphere due to the emission of greenhouse gases, such as Carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Nitrous Oxide (NO2), and other industrial gases. The change of climate by human activities has caused negative impacts including global warming, sea level rise, increased natural disaster (cyclone, flood, and drought) and has impacted economic development. Obviously, Climate change is real and happening in Cambodia that it cannot avoid. Cambodia is considered to suffer much due to its high levels of poverty and poor infrastructure to cope with natural disasters and other longer-term effects of climate change. Hench, Cambodia is likely vulnerable to Climate Change and Global Warming and in the mean time the rest of the world is concerning that it comes to be dis cussed and debate. The term climate change is often associated with the term global warming. Climate change can be defined as the significant changes in the climate of the Earth, such as precipitation, temperature or wind, which lasts for long period of time, for decades or longer. Global warming can occur from a number of causes, both man-made and naturally occurring. Global warming is also commonly associated with the warming that occurs as a result of increased emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities. (What is Climate Change and the Difference between Climate Change and Global Warming) Global warming and climate change can impact agriculture and food production around the world due to: the effects of elevated CO2 in the atmosphere, higher temperatures, altered precipitation and transpiration regimes, increased frequency of extreme events, and modified weed, pest, and pathogen pressure. Cambodia is one of the developing countries which tends to give less impacts of climate change than in wealthy industrialized countries. Anyways, Cambodia is likely to suffer from the impacts of climate change and global warming that it need to adapt to those changes, especially in terms of droughts, floods, soil erosion and the loss of biodiversity. This in turn will affect land productivity and people will become poorer. In the mean time, Cambodia is an agricultural country that many hectares of land are growing rice. After rice, we keep the land idle, which means we dont grow year-round. As a matter of fact, rice production can contribute to climate change, through flooded fields and the use of chemical pesticides and nitrogenous fertilizers. Agricultural can also potentially help mitigate climate change through soil carbon sequestration by practicing sustainable agriculture practices. (Workshop, May 27-28,2010) More importantly, man-made have impacted most on climate change and global warming. Population growth has disturbed the balance between our ecosystems on our planet as the atmosphere and seas pollution, destruction of the rain forests, fire burning out of control, alteration of sensitive ecosystems, and destruction of the ozone layer. These activities have created an unprecedented Climate Change and Global Warming. Obviously, in Cambodia there is a big space between the rich and the poor as poverty remain the big problem that many poor people live in the disorder condition. Usually people who live next to the river, lakes or sea, mostly water quality is not good since water is polluted by wastes, rubbishes, poisonous chemical substances from pesticides of farmers and industrial wastes or accidents that lead to the endanger of people health. In addition to Cambodias disorder infrastructure which pollutes the clean air due to the smoke of those machines as well as many old vehicles rem ained in the cities produce too much harm on environment. Moreover, Cambodia had faced many wars that left many explosives on many hectares of land which is not only the greatest danger of humanity, but may also have a long-term cumulative effect on the earth climate. Developing countries like Cambodia have been severely affected by climate change and lack the resource to tackle on its own, Hun Sen said at the opening ceremony Monday at the countrys first National Forum on Climate Change. Even though there is a strict environmental policies adopted by developed and developing countries, in somehow the rule of law and economic development is still weak and Cambodia in some way was affected. For instance, there are reports that tons of toxic waste is deposited in Cambodia by other nations. In November 1998, a large quantity of mercury-laden waste from Taiwan was dumped in Sihanouk Ville, a famous tourist and port area in Cambodia. Due to health concerns, thousands of residents fled from the area, resulting in several accidents along a bumpy, narrow road with at least four dead and 13 injured. Surprisingly, a month later another case was found involving more than 650 tons of film scraps from Taiwan again. In addition, several months prior to this, th e Sihanouk Ville police found waste materials including x-rays, used cassette and videotapes from South Korea. (New York Times). Cambodia is a victim of climate change, and developed countries should shoulder more responsibility in reversing the effects of global warming, said Prime Minister Hun Sen (National  Forum  on  Climate  Change). For this reason the rich was blamed to be more responsible that they have more resources to settle this matter and huge countries should not blame less-developed countries.   Climate Change and Global Warming give direct and indirect impact on the country, community and individual level. On the country level, Cambodia which largely depends on agriculture is vulnerable to agricultural inactivity and losses due to natural disasters. Therefore it will experience slow economic growth due to the global recession and economic crisis which lead to poor and underdeveloped health infrastructure that aggravate health problems and further burden the government. Many livelihoods will be affected by natural disasters. Not only homes and properties, agricultural produce and health, but even community as a whole that result in facing the economic downturn, hence it will lead to more social crime. For instance, by the end of the century, higher sea levels in the Mekong Delta, where nearly half of Vietnams rice is grown, may inundate about half (~1.4 million ha) of the deltas agricultural lands. Compared to developed and other developing states, Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States have released relatively small amounts of fossil fuels and thus contribute little harm to climate change and global warming. Yet they seem to be suffered the most. Developing countries in Asia like Cambodia has the least capacity to adapt to Climate Change and Global warming and is therefore in need of whatever external support in order to cope with these issues. Low adaptive capacity has made Cambodia among the most vulnerable region despite it is relatively low suffered from Climate hazard. However, still other areas with high adaptive are vulnerable due to their high population densities and closed location to Climate hazard of sea level rise and floods namely Jakarta and Thailand (John E .Newby/WWF Canon, October 2009). It has been known for some time the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change due to changing weather patterns, particularly severe floods and droughts that lead to immense poverty, hunger and disease. The rising sea level, along with other climatic changes, threatens the very survival of many SIDS. Approximately 860 million people in LDCs and SIDS will be adversely affected by climate change, many of them becoming environmental refugees. (Hamilton, 2005). Many SIDS rely on one or few economic activities, especially tourism or fisheries, both of which are highly influenced due to natural disasters. Climate change is expected to impact aquatic ecosystems, and alter the distribution and production of fish. Fish migration routes, spawning and feeding grounds, and fishing seasons are all likely to change, and the impacts on fishing communities are uncertain. Rising seas, more severe storms, and saltwater intrusion in the deltas will damage the regions aquaculture industry, which is based on species with limited saline tolerance, such as catfish in the Mekong Delta. Cambodia and Vietnam are among the most vulnerable on recent climate change impacts on fishery in 130 countries that is heavy dependence on fisheries, high exposure to climate risks, and limited coping capacity (Mirza, 2003). Apart from that Asian is the places of interest for tourists, including wildlife areas and parks may be disrupted with less tourism due to Climate Change and it also has significantly impacted on agriculture and decreasing in the supply of water and soil moisture during the dry season, which put the stress on the available of water supplies and increasing the need for irrigation. Rice growing areas may also be affected which gives a bad effect on agricultural trade, economic growth and the development (McLeman, 2005). For instance, farmers who directly depend on agriculture are vulnerable to extreme events which can destroy their entire crop due to floods or droughts that occur unpredictably or at the wrong time of the cropping cycle (Warner et al. 2009). The participations from other NGOs and INGOs are really necessary in order to cope with Climate Change and Global Warming. For instance, UNDPs climate change work in Cambodia focuses on strengthening the capacity of government to respond to climate change, creating opportunities for knowledge sharing and building partnerships, as well as supporting research into the impacts of climate change on the countrys economic and human development. For the fulfillment on Climate Change in Cambodia, UNDP has supported the Ministry of Environment to produce various technical reports since 1999 with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The work of UNDP has not only helped the country fulfill its obligations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), but to strengthen governments capacity to respond to climate change, mainly through the Cambodia Climate Change Office (UNDP release ). Climate Change and Global Warming is the hot issue that it is not concern in the region Cambodia itself but as the globe issue; therefore it need to be involved from everyone and other institutions. As a poor country like Cambodia we need some fund in respond to Climate Change and Global Warming for we cannot cope with such a problem alone. According to the project by the Cambodia Climate Change Alliance, Cambodia is supported its capacity to develop and strengthening preparedness for climate change risk; for instance, to communities that are vulnerable to climate change and other natural hazards. To run this project, CCCA grants will be implemented that requires the support from the Government and civil society, as well as with technical support by external development partners. More than 80 per cent of Cambodians rely directly on agriculture for their livelihoods, but global warming is likely to affect rainfall patterns, possibly causing crop failures and food shortages. Moreover, the impact of climate change will be an unprecedented and increasing global threat to life, livelihoods and life-supporting systems. Actually, Cambodias contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is low which ranked number 109 by the World Resources Institute, with emissions of only 0.29 tons of carbon dioxide per head of population each year. Nonetheless, Cambodia is suffered from the effects of global warming due to excessive emissions in other parts of the world. Like other countries in Southeast Asia, Cambodia is expected to experience higher and more intense rainfall. The effects are likely to include more severe water scarcity and more frequent floods, resulting in crop failures and food shortages. A remarkable loss of biodiversity will cause a decline in ecosystem services. C oastal communities and eco-systems are likely to be affected by rises in sea levels as well. Hench, higher temperatures and humidity will create conditions for increased incidence of malaria and dengue fever. In respond the Cambodia Climate Change Alliance (CCCA) was announced at the forum by the EU and UNDP and formally launched in February 2010. Despite Cambodia is likely to be hardest hit by climate change, Cambodia was selected to be a pilot country which was funded in the form of pooled and non-targeted resources on the basis of contractual agreements between each donor and UNDP by development partners (UNDP/Arantxa). In regard to the environmental protection, includes sustainable management and sustainable use of natural resources in responses to Climate Change and Global Warming, both international level and national one are together trying to cope with it. In this spirit, Cambodia has been working hard to fulfill its own obligation as it fully supports the efforts to address climate change based on the key principles of the United Nations Framework of Convention on Climate Change, which require specific needs and special circumstances of developing country parties, especially those that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. Consequently, Cambodia have acceded the Kyoto Protocol on 04 Jul, 2002 (UNDP, 2004). Moreover Cambodia has completed National Adaptation Program of Action to Climate Change (NAPA) in late 2006 to address the urgent and immediate needs of the country adapt to climate change (Trisurat, 2009). Besides national concern, there are also concern form international actors and outsider states on this problem. In this regard, UNFCCC has created the High-level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing, chaired by Norways Prime Minister Stoltenberg. Moreover, the US has pledged US$5 million to catalyze efforts to mitigate emissions of Black Carbon, and other countries Norway, Canada, Sweden, Denmark and Finland have joined in this effort and may also pledge contributions (Otero, 2010). According to the concern from some head of states has risen that solutions to the problems of climate change should be reinforced and coordinate in an integrate manner within the framework of sustainable development (8th Asia-Europe Summit Brussels, 2010). At first Cambodia could not fulfill National Adaptation Program of Action to Climate to Climate Change (NAPA) only until in late 2006 that it succeed in the fulfillment to address the urgent and immediate needs of the country adapt to climate change. It is clear that least developed countries like Cambodia and others are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to their limited adaptive climate change capacities. It is clear that weather related change and complex man-mad disaster are increasing frequency and severely in one nation can affect to various part of the world. Their impact on the environment and on climate cannot be overlook. Therefore, broad commitments to address climate change should be agreed at a regional level to ensure that the actions of one country do not negatively affect or undermine the efforts of their neighbors. Though the results of environmental and natural depletion may not be visible now, it will be a heavy burden for Cambodias next generations, who will have difficulty in ecological system. It illustrates that Cambodia is facing the risk of unsustainable development for its next generation. Immediate action is required to tackle hence the government and all other stakeholders must come up with strong policies and fast action to combat climate change. In short, Climate change is closely linked to human activities not only in wealthy industrialized countries people and their livelihoods but also other less developing countries. In particular Climate Change will impact the social and economic in small islands, and also affecting key sectors such as tourism and agriculture, and resulting in risky infrastructure due to Climate variability, including extreme events such as storms, floods and sustained droughts. Therefore the negative impacts of climate change could create a new group of refugees, who may migrate into new settlements to seek new living. Indeed, LDCs and SIDS have neither the financial resources nor the technical capacities to meet their adaptation needs due to climate change and global warming. Consequently, the international community needs to provide stronger financial and technical support to the LDCs and SIDS through the special funds under international frameworks. . In respond special effort needs to be done. Obviously, Cambodia is likely to experience the impacts of climate change and therefore must be prepared to adapt to the changes on the environment, especially in terms of droughts, floods, soil erosion and the loss of biodiversity. Consequently, they will need to adopt sustainable practices on agriculture by reducing the vulnerability of soil based agricultural production systems through the management of soil fertility, management of the cycle of soil more efficiently in grasslands and cropping systems. (Canon, Oct,2009). Moreover, there should be the participating of NGO network members and the government in order to increase their understanding on the issue and what everyone can do is to save water, against pollution, forest protection, wildlife or animals and environmental reservation, recycle, reuse the energy recreation that is a part of daily life. Therefore, in respond to address Climate Change, we should improved energy efficien cy and better use of alternative and renewable energy. We must encourage investment in clean development mechanisms and therefore, green economy must be considered at the top priority of the development agenda. Hence, all countries need to consider setting their own Green House Gaze in the limited target and promote sustainable management of natural resources. Moreover, the regions governments and people need to identify a way to sustainably develop their economies, alleviate poverty, and conserve the regions extraordinary species and ecosystems. The region should improve environmental management capacity and more effective conservation in order to adapt to and reduce the unavoidable climate change impacts (Canon, Oct,2009).

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkein - Bilbos Noblest Moment :: essays research papers

Bilbo’s noblest moment in The Hobbit, a fantasy book by J. R. R. Tolkien, is when he gives up the Arkenstone, a precious jewel. He is commended by some for his graciousness of giving away such a treasure, for everyone was rushing to try to get it for themselves. Yet, Bilbo gave the stone to the Elvenking and went against of his friends to attempt to protect lives. This is especially noble since no one else could have achieved this action and been trusted. It revealed supreme generosity from Bilbo.Bilbo feels that it is essential to settle all the disputes which is why he concludes that giving up the Arkenstone would be the best alternative. A war was beginning because the elves and men wanted their fair share of the treasure since they killed Smaug, the dragon who stole the fortune from the dwarfs hundreds of years ago. Maybe, the elves and men could bargain with the Arkenstone which is the heart of Thorin. Thorin treasures it above anything else in the world, and all other riches do not even compare to the Arkenstone. Bilbo figures that this may be the only performance that could save lives, and he wants to achieve that objective. Even though the stone does not rightly belong to him, Bilbo gives away the stone away out of the goodness of his heart. Consequently, Bilbo has many justifications for presenting the Elvenking with the Arkenstone.Since Bilbo was so gracious for giving up the Arkenstone, no other character would have been able to do that achievement. One part that had an immense role is the Elvenking having trust in Bilbo. If a dwarf would have wanted to give the elves something, most likely, they would not have trusted the dwarf. This is because the dwarfs were the ones who were not giving them their share of the riches. Bilbo has and advantage for not being like the dwarfs. So, the elves had more faith in Bilbo for being a hobbit. Probably, the dwarfs would have been greedy and kept the Arkenstone for their own anyway. All they want is the riches, and they do not care about anyone but themselves. In fact, when they were in the tunnels with the goblins, the dwarfs did not even notice when Bilbo became lost, and they were about to go on without him. Also, they always relied on Bilbo to get them out of trouble.

Juliet: From Mouse To Woman :: essays research papers

In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare the two main characters are Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. Both teenagers matured and changed during the play, but Juliet’s changes stood out the most. Juliet transformed in less then a week, which says she did not change much, but there is a definite difference in her personality from before she met Romeo to after she married him. There are many events in the book that support that idea. Most of which interact with her mother. Many events towards the ending of the play suggest she is very obstinate, which is quite different from the begging of the play before Juliet even thought of marriage or defying her parents and family. In Juliet’s first scene she is talking to her Mother and the Nurse. Her Mother brought up the topic of marriage and Lord Paris. This is when we first see a young girl who has just begun to grow up. She replies with the fact that she hasn’t considered marriage yet. Most girls of her age would have been wives by now, so it was slightly uncommon that she hadn’t even thought of her marriage. Also in this scene we see in her willingness and obedience, when she does not object to her Mother’s thoughts of her marring Lord Paris soon. When her Mother asks her if she could love Paris she replies, â€Å"I’ll look to like, if looking liking move. But no more deep will I endart mine eye than your consent gives strength to make it fly.† (I, iv, 102-105) I interpreted her to mean she will try to love him, but she will not look deeper than her mother wishes. She reminds me of a mouse in a way, meek and a pushover. This scene is right before the ball. Later when Juliet is at the ball she meets Romeo, and falls in love at first sight. Later Romeo follows her to her balcony where she confesses her love for Romeo to herself. Overhearing her, Romeo shows himself and also confesses his love for her. Taken over by her first feelings of love and lust, she defies her parents just by speaking to him in that manner. Before this, which was only about five or six hours ago, she would not have spoken to him at all, let alone that time of night. Romeo soon proposes to Juliet and she says yes.

Fire and Water Imagery in Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre Essay -- Jane E

Fire and Water Imagery in Jane Eyre   Ã‚  Ã‚   In Jane Eyre, the use of water and fire imagery is very much related to the character and/or mood of the protagonists (i.e. Jane and Rochester, and to a certain extent St. John Rivers) -- and it also serves to show Jane in a sort of intermediate position between the two men. However, it should also be noted that the characteristics attributed to fire and water have alternately positive and negative implications -- to cite an example among many, near the beginning of the novel, reference is made to the devastating effects of water ("ceaseless rain sweeping away wildly", "death-white realm" [i.e. of snow]), and fire is represented by a "terrible red glare"; later, fire is represented as being comforting in Miss Temple's room, and it is water that saves Rochester from the first fire. These literal associations with fire and water become increasingly symbolic, however, as the novel progresses, where the fire / water / (ice) imagery becomes a representation of the emotional a nd moral dialectic of the characters, and it also becomes increasingly evident that the positive and negative potentialities of fire and water also show the positive and negative potentialities of the characters whom they represent. Rochester is very much associated with fire, with the "strange fire[s] in his look", and particularly with his "flaming and flashing eyes". By extension, so is everything associated with him (i.e. his first wife and Thornfield). Jane's first reaction to Thornfield itself, destined to fall victim to fire, is to be "dazzled" by the "double illumination of fire and candle", just as she is later to be "dazzled" by the fire of Rochester himself. On one level, this "fire" is the Romantic fir... ... Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1991 David Lodge, Fire and Eyre: Charlotte Brontà «'s War of Earthly Elements Gates, Barbara Timm, ed. Critical Essays on Charlotte Bronte. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1990.    Jane Eyre. Dir. Franco Zeffirelli. Perf. William Hurt, Charlotte Gainsborough, and Anna Paquin. 1996    Kadish, Doris. The Literature of Images: Narrative Landscape from Julie to Jane Eyre. New Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 1986.    Lodge, Scott. "Fire and Eyre: Charlotte Bronte's War of Earthly Elements." The Brontes: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Ian Gregor. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1970. 110-36.    McLaughlin, M.B. "Past or Future Mindscapes: Pictures in Jane Eyre." Victorian Newsletter 41 (1972): 22-24.    Solomon, Eric. "Jane Eyre: Fire and Water." College English 25 (1964): 215-217.   

Quiz: John Keats and Small Business Owners

Dashes Quiz (90%) 1. Hinduism–this is the major religion of India–developed over a period of many centuries. (B) 2. Ferrets can be delightful pets–when they want to be. (B) 3. â€Å"You have two choices,† he was told to fight and die or to live the life of a coward. (C) 4. Mayonnaise contains three things–egg yolks, vegetable oil, and vinegar. (A) 5. There were only two men who could match his strength and skill–Hercules and Achilles. (A) 6. Don't forget these ingredients in the wedding cake–one cup of patience, a spoonful of consideration, and a dash of forgiveness. A) 7. The baseball strike has caused all of us–especially the die-hard fans–to re-examine our priorities. (C) 8. From seashells, the natives made beautiful necklaces, bracelets, and earrings–even entire lines of jewelry. (B) 9. Jose's resume was impressive–he started work as a cashier in a computer store, advanced to manager, and eventually beca me a consultant for IBM. (C) 10. The Springfield orchestra ought to win the competition–their violin section is the best in the state. (C) 11. Ramona didn’t know–how could she? -that Alexis was already at the party. (B) 12. Grasping for an explanation, Sergei only managed to say, â€Å"I’m really sorry, but–. † (B) 13. Two years after being told by her boss that she did not have â€Å"what it takes,† Sonia had become a stockbroker–and a millionaire. (A) 14. City politicians–if not all politicians–should spend more time talking with small business owners. (C) 15. Many musicians who play the oboe also play–the English horn and oboe d’amore–double-reed instruments whose ranges are slightly lower. (A) 16.The dangers of the disease–its resistance to penicillin, its ability to avoid detection, and its transmissibility–should not be underestimated. (B) 17. The piano is an easy instrumen t to play–but a difficult one to play well. (C) 18. The computer has launched entire corporations–even empires–since its inception in the earlier part of the twentieth century. (B) 19. The hardships Ludwig van Beethoven had to overcome were considerable–several handicapped brothers and sisters, an abusive father, and the loss of his hearing at age twenty-nine. B) 20. Star Trek, The Twilight Zone, and The Outer Limits–he used to watch these shows into the early morning hours. (C) Quotation Marks (95%) 1. â€Å"Show me your friends,† my grandfather used to say, â€Å"and I'll tell you what I think of you. † (B) 2. On the first day of my Romantic Poetry class, the teacher stunned us by announcing, â€Å"I will now recite the most beautiful poem in the English language, ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn,’ by the English Romantic poet John Keats. † (B) 3.In her review of the film Mississippi Burning, Pauline Kael wrote, â€Å"Alan Parker likes to operate in a wildly dramatic universe of his own creation. † (C) 4. â€Å"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary† is the first line of Poe's poem â€Å"The Raven. † (B) 5. One of the most famous newspaper headlines is â€Å"38 Who Saw Murder Didn't Call the Police. † (C) 6. On the topic of effort, P. D. James wrote, â€Å"God gives every bird his worm, but He does not throw it into the nest. † (C) 7. In his inaugural address, John F.Kennedy said, â€Å"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. † (B) 8. Joan said, â€Å"I could swear it was Mary Queen of Scots who proclaimed, ‘In my end is my beginning. ‘† (A) 9. You may prefer the Beatles' song â€Å"Yesterday,† but â€Å"Let It Be† is my favorite. (C) 10. In his lecture on dreams and mythology, Joseph Campbell wrote, â€Å"Dream is the personalized myth, myth the depersonalized dre am. † (A) 11. â€Å"There is no taking trout with dry breeches,† said Miguel de Cervantes when defining effort. C) 12. â€Å"You can hear the physicist Stephen Hawking's voice on the Pink Floyd song ‘Keep Talking',† said Rebecca. (B) 13. For your essay on Meso-American cultures, please consider the article â€Å"City of the Gods. † (C) 14. George said, â€Å"I was so shocked to hear Mrs. Edwards say, ‘Let's tango beneath the moonlight' that I stepped on my prom date's foot. † (A) 15. My friend Tom Jansen nervously read the newspaper headline, â€Å"Floods Force Dutch to Flee as Battered Dikes Begin to Fail. † (C) 16.My English teacher said, â€Å"Yogi Berra was grammatically incorrect when he said, ‘It ain't over 'til it's over,' but he surely was right. † (A) 17. Perhaps the most famous of all Star Trek episodes is â€Å"The City on the Edge of Forever,† which starred Joan Collins as a visionary social worker. (B) 18. â€Å"Dan Quayle Was Right,† by Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, appeared in the magazine The Atlantic Monthly in 1993. (C) 19. The words â€Å"discrete† and â€Å"discreet† are homonyms: they sound the same but have different meanings. † (A) 20. Most Americans don’t

Clientelism, Tribalism, and Ethnic Conflict in Africa

In this essay I will firstly examine and break down the components of the question. I will separate and clarify the meaning of Clientelism, Tribalism and Ethnic Conflict and deal with each of these as separate enterties. Although I will argue each of them on a separate basis. I aim also to show the complex interlinked relationships between the three themes, and argue that because of this the central argument of the question is not easily agreed or disagreed with. My main argument however, will be to disagree with the central question and advocate that Clientelism was a part of Africa's tradition long before any notion of modernity and colonial influence was present in the continent. I will provide empirical evidence, which supports the inherent presence of Clientelism, and also show how it has strong links with Tribalism, in both its history and modern perpetuation. Tribalism however is a different matter and I agree with the central statement and advocate that modern African tribalism and notions of ethnicity were mainly a direct result of colonial imposed modernity restructuring. For the final part of my answer I will provide an argument that African ethnic conflict lies somewhere between the two extremes, that it was present in African society before colonial modernity and it was further exacerbated by the restructuring that colonialism brought about. In my conclusion I will further justify my arguments and advocate a thesis for future development in Africa on tribalism, ethnic conflict and clientelism. Whether clientelism, tribalism and ethnic conflict were a product not of tradition but of modernity in Africa and a type of development is a difficult and complex question in many respects, but one to which I have a strong argument. To study this it would be practical to firstly define what I shall mean by modernity and â€Å"the type of development† in relation to the main statement, as it will form the crux of my argument. By modernity and type of development in Africa I will be focusing on colonialism and justifying whether clientelism, tribalism and ethnic conflict were present before the arrival of colonialization or whether they emerged from the new society that restructuring colonial development brought with it. I believe through looking at African society in its modern context and studying empirical data that it is evident to determine whether the three main themes of this essay where present before or a after product. What is not so clear however is the complex linkages between and the contexts they operate in. I advocate for instance that it is impossible to separate out clientelism from tribalism, and that ethnic conflict is closely related to both of these. Due to this in order to justify and construct my argument I must separate out clientelism, tribalism and ethnic conflict and study them individually. Clientelism To determine from what circumstances Clientelism in African emanated it is important to define the term itself and what it means in African society. Clientelism is also known as patron-client relations/politics, and in its modern form is highly evident in African society. This clientelism is an exchange between actors who have unequal balance of power, one being weaker, and the other being stronger. It is the patron who is the more powerful and the client who is normally the weaker of the two. The exchange between client and patron is formed when the more powerful patron offers something, be it scarce resources or protection to the weaker client. This weaker client offers something back in return, perhaps support or other services to the patron who is in a more dominant position. † bound up with important ties of reprocity linking those who are related within networks of vertical relationships. Clientelism can be viewed on both micro and macro levels as a phenomenon of African society (although it is evident elsewhere),and to assess from where this Clientelism originated from it is necessary to see where it is present in modern society. In modern day Africa these patron -client relationships are most visible in the political arena. I argue that clientelism although it is pervasive in African politics did not emerge as a direct result of colonisation, which most people would view as the birthplace of modern African politics and political institutions as a result of the restructuring of African society. Instead I advocate that Clientelism, although present in modern day politics was in place well before the colonial era and was present in tradition and the era before any notion of modernity was in Africa. I believe clientelism was evident in the traditional African way of life. Pre-Colonial African society was in terms stateless. There was no formal state. African society was based around a system of patron-client relationships, which were the fundamental core of society. Where there was no state there was no other system, in a vast continent holding various competing tribes and peoples in order for there to be a ‘society' arbitrating, protecting and trade were all centred around these unequal deals between various networks. â€Å"The power relations of pre-colonial Africa were typically of patrons and clients. ‘Big Men' presided over intricate networks of clientage involving reciprocal but unequal relations with ‘small boys', as well as power over women and children and those held in the diverse forms and degrees of servitude of pawnship and slavery. 2 Patron-client networks as evident today I argue are based around extended family (and later as I will discuss) tribal loyalties evident from traditional African life. â€Å"African communities were pervaded by relations of domination and dependence, based on patriarchal power exercised across differences of genders and generations, lineages and clans, languages and cultures. â€Å"3 The arrival of Colonialism and modernity had utilised these already existing patron-client relationships and used them for their own ends. The colonial administrators sought chief headmen and perpetuated clientelism by supplementing their meagre salaries and earnings they gained from their official positions with monies gained from trade and other bonuses. (Berman) â€Å"Chiefs and headmen were the essential linkage between the colonial state and African societies. This relationship typically took on a patron-client form, and had several important and contradictory consequences. â€Å"4 So I argue rather than colonialism creating these patron client linkages it merely utilised them. I believe that clientelism at it is today stemmed from the traditional African societies. So to reiterate African society pre-colonial era although traditional was not so natural and traditionally uncorrupted to be devoid of the practice of clientelism that we so readily see as corruption today. That is was present and a working framework for society. â€Å"The other runs the risk, in reaction, of idealising the virtues of a pre-colonial era supposedly devoid of corruption, the growth of which is supposed to have been caused by the perversion of the social order induced by the arrival of the colonialist Europeans. â€Å"5 I argue that modernity and the formation of formal political institutions and frameworks of power merely perpetuated Clientelism and provided new avenues for the patron-client relationships based on new networks of power. What had always gone on before merely was allowed to operate in a new arena. African politics became â€Å"politics of the belly†, where individuals used public office for private gain. The scarcity of resources in Africa being as it is, if one person holds an office where he/she controls resources or power politics becomes a way of utilising patron-client networks to distribute these resources and gain support and power. made patron/client relations not only the fundamental mode of access to the state and its resources, but also, as in pre-colonial society, the fundamental relationship between ordinary people and those with wealth or power. † As before in pre-colonial society clientelism formed the basis of a persons power through the number of people he had domination and arrangements over, now in politics a persons political power is based on how many people pledge support through reciprocal client-patron networks in return for favours. Clientelism hasn't been formed it has merely morphed into a new generation of deals. â€Å"Where land was plentiful and populations small, wealth and power were measured in control of people, in having a large following of family and non-kin dependants. â€Å"7 In politics this clientelism has become diverse, not created by modernity but adapted for its use in formal political positions. Peter Ekeh (1975) described this as being the formation in African society of two publics, where Clientelism has been and always is the norm. That the same political actors act in both systems of a Civic public and the Primordial public. The citizen in the Civic public works in the beaurocratic institutions of the state, in a supposedly amoral system. The citizen takes from his position and gives nothing in return. This is through clientelism and a network of contacts where state resources and power can be distributed in this way. However the same person in his Primordial public, largely associated with ethnic tribalism and belonging to an extended family/ community, gives out and gets nothing in return. Due to the kinship of this the actor is expected to do good for his own community, by using his political position. The key idea in Ekeh's case then is that the ‘good man channels part of the largesse of the civic public to the primordial public. ‘ This shows the complex links between the old clientelism networks and what I will argue as the more modern artificial tribal relationships in African society. Tribalism Tribalism in its present form in Africa however is not a traditional aspect of African culture I argue as Clientelism had been, but a product of the development imposed on the region by Colonialism. Colonialism and the social and economic changes it brought with it ‘created' the sense of tribalism and strong ethnic identities that are present in modern Africa. That tribes were not traditionally based but created in a means to gain power, resources and recognition in the process of colonial modernising. â€Å"The accumulating weight of evidence shows that African ethnicity and its relationship to politics is new not old: a response to capitalist modernity shaped by similar forces to those related to the development of ethnic nationalism in Europe since the late nineteenth century. † This is not to say there were not tribes in the pre-colonial era, but I believe what tribes existed there were, not so ethnically divided. That the tribes were various groups of mixed race and language peoples who were in a constant state of flux, without the fixed ethnic boundaries one finds today. â€Å"Pre-colonial political and socio-cultural boundaries were marked by fuzziness and flexibility; and Africans existed within a reality of multiple, overlapping and alternative collective identities. â€Å"9 What created these tribal identities therefore if they were not present in traditional African society was the arrival of colonialism. Europeans were of the assumption that African tribes were the basis of society. That the tribes had neat compact boundaries and consisted of culturally identical peoples. This assumption I argue was the basis for tribal creation, as the missionaries especially and other state institutions sought to formalise and categorise these tribal units. The recording of culture and the teaching to a whole area of a ‘supposedly' local language, which in many cases was merely a local dialect, began to bring differing peoples together. This wiped out some cultural differences and creating false collectives of tribal peoples often not historically related, but brought together by colonial boundaries. â€Å"The ideology and culture of colonialism, especially in the imagining of African societies by colonial officials and European missionaries, provided the dominant cognitive context moulding the invention of tribes and their customs by Africans themselves. â€Å"10 If the colonial rulers and administration could claim links with these tribes then, through working with the ‘traditional' ruling groups in Africa they gained legitimacy in their operations and ruling of the area. By working with these fixed tribes, the colonial rulers could fragment and control the local populace by breaking it down into smaller loyal groups. In reality the creation of tribes made it easier for the colonial beaurocracy to rule. â€Å"Each administrative unit ideally contained a single culturally and linguistically homogenous ‘tribe' in which people continued to live within the indigenous institutions and were subject to ‘tribal discipline' through local structures of authority. â€Å"11 Although this was a key issue in the creation of Africa tribalism however, I believe that the stronger reason for the formation of tribes was for political gain and recognition. Due to this European notion of African tribalism, in order to hold power with the colonial administration actors must be part of a clearly fixed ethnic group. This created political tribalism, which was the creation of ethnicities by elite groups in African society to gain access to resources and to seek the foundations for a conservative modernisation. In short it was the manipulation of tribal ethnic identities by Africans themselves for political and economic gains in the face of colonial changes. † Ethnic collective action', according to Mozaffar, ‘is predominantly a process of strategic political interaction between self-interested actors with divergent interests'. 12 Ethnic Conflict Ethnic Conflict has both strong links with tribalism and clientelism in Africa. I believe its origin is not so easy to pinpoint as it has been for tribalism and patron-client relations but that ethnic conflict is merely a product of the two. It was evident in pre-colonial society and was heightened and exacerbated by the modern formation of tribes in the colonial era as I have previously described. Ethnic Conflict was present in traditional African society. African society had never been egalitarian in nature, and a society in which there are unequal power relations is ultimately to have conflict in its midst. † Pre-colonial societies were thus full of conflict and competition, instability and change. † What I believe was created by the form of colonial development placed on Africa was the increase in ethnic tensions as new tribes and identities were created. Resources in Africa are still scarce and the modern beaurocratic frame work and political distribution of power has led to ethnic conflict becoming more fierce and modern in its use of warfare and state apparatus. The tribal divisions between the Hutus and Tutsis and the ensuing Rwandan war and genocide are examples of this. As the colonial era ‘created' false country borders this conflict now often seeps out between neighbouring countries, comprising of different tribal identities over land and resources. I believe the colonial era did not create tribal conflict but merely change the scale that it is played out upon and provided it with state apparatus, militia, armies that now take conflict into a modern era, on a wider and more devastating scale. Conclusion It is clear to see then that tribalism, ethnic conflict and clientelism, although intricately related all have different origins. I advocate however that they were all evident in some way or form before any type of modernity was present in Africa. Although I believe Clientelism and ethnic conflict were not created by the development in the colonial era they were not solved or prevented by colonial restructuring. They still persist today. Ethic conflict I argue was present before the arrival of the Europeans in Africa on a localised scale as fighting between the complex and varied tribes on the continent. With the arrival of colonialism I believe it was merely aggravated by the adaptation of formal tribes and the struggle in politics for scarce resources, power and recognition. I argue that it has merely adapted and become a more serious problem as the apparatus of state have been used to fight wars etc. The conflict now envelops far larger groups of people and even countries constructed by the colonial boundaries of ethnicity and country. Clientelism is pervasive throughout African politics. It is our normative viewing of clientelism today, as corruption in Africa that I believe has led to some believing it was is not in existence in pre-colonial society but a product of the introduction of formal politics and modernity in Africa. of idealising the virtues of a pre-colonial era supposedly devoid of corruption, the growth of which is supposed to have been caused by the perversion of the social order induced by the arrival of colonialist Europeans. † What I believe we must consider however that we are applying the principles of the old African order rather to a new context of modern development and democratic politics, etc where impartiality is presupposed. This is what makes us view clientelism as a modern phenomenon rather than its rightful place as a traditional form of dealings in African society. This is the opposite with tribalism, where many suppose it as a traditional part of African society. It was this European view of tribalism that thought of it as such, however closer examination reveals it to be a politically dynamic and deliberately constructed phenomenon. It was not a traditional aspect of society that was carried over into colonial modernity but a means by which if African created a concrete identity they could gain power and resources in a system which colonialism brought about.

Essay on Edgar Allen Poe’s Fall of House of Usher

Bipolar disorder affects many people today as well as in the time of Edgar Allen Poe when it was then called melancholia. Poe was diagnosed with this disorder and it plays an integral role in his story, â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† (1839). This story is heavily influenced by this disorder or its presently associated symptoms and also describes one way that bipolar disorder can genetically affect an entire family. To fully understand a story involving this disorder, it is cardinal to know the exact definition of bipolar disorder, as well as its symptoms and previous aliases.The Oxford English Dictionary defines bipolar disorder as: â€Å"a form of mental illness characterized by one or more episodes of mania typically accompanied by one or more episodes of major depression† (Cite? ). Some terms used for what is now considered bipolar disorder include melancholia and manic depression. Melancholia is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as: â€Å"A pathologic al state of despondency; severe depression; severe endogenous depression, with loss of interest and pleasure in normal activities, disturbance of sleep and appetite, feelings of worthlessness and guilt, and thoughts of death or suicide. (Cite? ). The first person to associate melancholia and madness as two parts of the same disease was Araeteus from Cappadocia (30-90 AD) (Skeppar 8). Manic Depression is actually included as an equivalent term to bipolar disorder in the Oxford English Dictionary. (Cite? ) There are four main stages of bipolar disorder: hypomania, mania, depressed, and mixed. Hypomania and mania share similar symptoms such as racing thoughts, increased physical activity, lack of sleep and hunger, and heightened sensitivity. Hypomania also has a distinct symptom labeled as an increase in goal directed activity.The depression stage includes symptoms such as constant depression, insomnia or hypersomnia, psychomotor agitation, energy loss, trouble thinking, and indecisive ness. As expected the mixed stage has some common symptoms as the other stages and also more severe such as thoughts of death and suicidal ideations. These symptoms previously mentioned play an immense role in diagnosing the character of Roderick Usher. It is common knowledge that bipolar disorder has symptoms of mood swings both high and low which is why it is justly named.Not commonly known, however, is the link between artistry and this disorder (Jamison). The wise Aristotle is quoted as saying, â€Å"Why is it that all men who are outstanding in philosophy, poetry or the arts are melancholic? † (Jamison 51). A side note to this is evident when Jamison states: â€Å"The manic drive in its controlled form and phase is of value only if joined to ability† (Jamison 55). The artistic tendencies frequently common with bipolar syndrome help the reader to diagnose Roderick Usher in the story â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher†.It is overwhelmingly clear that throug hout Poe’s story, Roderick Usher suffers from bipolar disorder. It is clear from early on in the story that Usher is suffering not only from depression, but also from an illness in his mind as shown in his letter to the narrator: â€Å"The writer spoke of acute bodily illness — of a mental disorder which oppressed him — and of an earnest desire to see me, as his best, and indeed his only personal friend, with a view of attempting, by the cheerfulness of my society, some alleviation of his malady. † (Poe).The narrator also notices his mood swings evidenced by the different ways in which he would talk displayed by this passage: â€Å"His voice varied rapidly from a tremulous indecision (when the animal spirits seemed utterly in abeyance) to that species of energetic concision — that abrupt, weighty, unhurried, and hollow-sounding enunciation — that leaden, self-balanced and perfectly modulated guttural utterance, which may be observed in the lost drunkard, or the irreclaimable eater of opium, during the periods of his most intense excitement. † (Poe). Another way that Usher displays signs of bipolar disorder is through his artistic expression.Not only does he paint, but he also reads heavily and plays musical instruments which shown a sign of increased goal related activity. Also, Usher â€Å"suffered much from a morbid acuteness of the senses; the most insipid food was alone endurable; he could wear only garments of certain texture; the odors of all flowers were oppressive; his eyes were tortured by even a faint light; and there were but peculiar sounds, and these from stringed instruments, which did not inspire him with horror. † (Poe). This heightened sensitivity is evidence of the mania stage associated with bipolar syndrome.Also, a possible episode of mania would be the scene involving Usher’s sister coming from the dead. This could surely be seen as an hallucination and sign of a manic episode. To recap, Usher has symptoms from the hypomania, mania, and depressed stages meaning the ailment that he suffers from is not melancholia, but instead a modern case of bipolar or manic depression disorder. One reason for a character in a story having a particular disorder would be that the author has real life experience with it. Such is the case with Edgar Allen Poe and â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher†.Poe most definitely suffered from what would now be considered a form of manic-depression disorder. During his final year on Earth, he showed signs of mania, constantly relocating to various cities (Meyers 244). Also during this year, he is reported as saying to a friend named Frederic Thomas: â€Å"You will be pleased to hear that I am in better health than I ever knew myself to be- full of energy and bent on success. † (Meyers 245). This evidence of a prolonged state of mania or even hypomania as he reports having an increase in energy, goal related activated, an d seems to be experiencing delusions of grandeur.He also experienced stages of depression including binges of drinking and even hallucinations (Meyers 252). Poe also had a recorded attempt of suicide in November 1848 (Meyers 252). According to Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison, â€Å"Poe was scarcely alone in suffering from both manic-depressive illness and alcohol and drug abuse† (Jamison 37). Jamison seems to have diagnosed Poe with manic-depression or bipolar disorder. From other places in Jamison’s book, Touched with Fire: Manic Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament, it’s reasonable to believe that Poe’s artistry most likely stems from his disorder allowing him to be even more creative.Perhaps Poe’s own psychological problems influenced his portrayal of Usher in this short story. As aforementioned, both Poe and his fictitious character Roderick Usher suffer from bipolar disorder. This was not by coincidence. It seems clear that Poe’s re asoning for this is to give the public a way to see inside Poe’s on diseased mind and better understand not only his works, but also himself. An author’s best ways to display his own problems are to weave them into a story as is done in â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher. † One can better understand his mind through a story than with descriptions of his symptoms alone.Bipolar disorder is a hereditary disease. According to Dr. Francis J. McMahon of the National Institute of Mental Health in regards to the genetic inheritance of this disorder, â€Å"about two-thirds of the risk for bipolar disorder can be explained by genes† (â€Å"NIH†). This information is known due to twin studies: if one identicle twin has manic depression then it is a 60 to 80% likelihood that the other twin has it (â€Å"NIH’). The genetic inheritance of this disorder amongst sufferers is around 79 to 93% (Backlund 501). This means that most manic-depressive people ac quired the trait from family members instead of from environmental factors alone.The exact genes that cause bipolar disorder are not yet known but different genes have been isolated (Jamison 16). One of these possible genes could be the P2RX7 gene (Backlund 501). This gene affects the way in which dopamine is unleashed in the brain which brings about its association with the manic episodes of manic-depression (Backlund 501). The heredity of bipolar disorder plays an interesting role in â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher†. Roderick Usher inherited his manic-depressive disorder in a modernly bizarre way: through inbreeding.Usher belong to a wealthy prominent family as shown by his massive, gothic style house. Many of these wealthy families practiced inbreeding in order to keep bloodlines strong and to prevent the spreading of wealth. This is shown when the narrator says â€Å"I had learned, too, the very remarkable fact, that the stem of the Usher race, all time-honored as i t was, had put forth, at no period, any enduring branch; in other words, that the entire family lay in the direct line of descent, and had always, with very trifling and very temporary variation, so lain† (Poe).This quote visibly projects an image of inbreeding as it says the family tree was essentially bare of branches. Due to the influence that genetics plays on bipolar disorder, if one person in his family had it then he is also likely to have it. A lack of genetic diversity means that many other people in his family most likely suffered from the same disorder as him. It seems likely that his sister also suffered due to the constant presence of a doctor in the house.Early on in the story, the narrator says that the family for generations had been interested in music and the sciences (Poe). When looking at this through a bipolar perspective, these interests could be a derivative of an entire family suffering from the same disorder. Another note is that the narrator says that â€Å"’House of Usher’ — an appellation which seemed to include, in the minds of the peasantry who used it, both the family and the family mansion† (Poe) Therefore, when the House of Usher crumbles at the end of the story; perhaps it is in reality the crumbling of Usher’s mind.The correlation between inbreeding in this story and bipolar disorder is strong. By knowing the way in which inbreeding affects bipolar sufferers, one can better understand the story. Also, the knowledge of Poe’s melancholia can also explain why this story may have been written: to portray this disorder in a way in which people can better understand it. A better understanding of these disorder not only helps people understand the mysterious mind of Poe, but also people they may encounter in real life.

Reflective writing †personal view Essay

There are many learning theories, each of them emphasizing various aspects of the teaching and learning process. I support the claim that adult learning should be looked at as a distinct style of learning and is unique to that of child and adolescence learning. Adults bring their life experiences into the classroom. They bring past knowledge as well as past biases and beliefs. Adult students want to be acknowledged as adults. They need to be actively involved in determining how and what they will learn, and they need active rather than passive learning experiences. Many adults are stressed from their daily lives responsibilities when they arrive for class and need a style of teaching that is creative, alive and humorous to hold their attention. Adult educators must produce learning environments in which all learners can feel they are accomplishing something or benefiting some how. The types of benefits and interpretation of accomplishment can vary depending on a person’s socio-economic background, culture, and situation in life, age or a variety of other variables. Whether or not a learning experience is successful will depend on the adult educator’s ability to understand the differences in people. Equally important is the personal experiences the educator has with a variety of participants and their characteristics. No one theory will fit every learning situation. There is an exception to every rule. There are, however, two theories that I feel closely supports my line of reasoning. First is Knowles’ theory of andragogy. Andragogy makes the following assumptions about the design of learning: (1) Adults need to know why they need to learn something (2) Adults need to learn experientially, (3) Adults approach learning as problem-solving, and (4) Adults learn best when the topic is of immediate value (Knowles, 1984). Knowles endeavored to develop a theory that was specific to adult learning. Knowles emphasizes that adults are self-directed and expect to take responsibility for decisions. Staff development programs must embrace this essential viewpoint (Knowles, 1984). Therefore, in following the theory of andragogy a successful staff development program would focus on the way the information was being taught and less on the information’s content. The program would concentrate on creativity, hands-on coursework, role-playing and individualized needs (Knowles, 1984). Second is Characteristics of Adult Learners (CAL) by P. Cross As found in this weeks reading material the CAL model joins together other adult learning theories such as andragogy, experimental learning and lifespan psychology. CAL consists of two classes of variables: personal characteristics and situational characteristics. Personal characteristics include: aging, life phases, and developmental stages. The three dimensions take on different roles depending on the point a person is in their life. Situational characteristics consist of the circumstances encompassing the students learning experience. These circumstances could be whether or not the person is going to school full-time or part-time, and perhaps the arrangement of their schedule. Despite their situation an adult learner will augment their effort when motivated by a need, a benefit, or a desire to learn. The experiences in which the learner will participate must be significant and meaningful to him or her in order to build incentive. Adult learners learn at different rates and in various ways. Their abilities can vary depending on their educational level, intellectual ability, personality and learning styles. In concluding I want to reiterate that I maintain adult learning should be looked at as a distinct style of learning. It is unique and should be studied separate to that of child and adolescence learning. Children learners are as a blank slate. Adult learners are entering the classroom with a mountain of issues surrounding their need or desire to learn. These situations must be addressed if we are to achieve success in holding the  interest of the adult learner. Adult learners need to be involved in active learning. The reason the adult learner has entered the classroom also needs to be addressed. The typical adult learner seeks out an education for a reason. The reason can be self-improvement, job enhancement, or quest for more income. It may be self-fulfillment, maintaining culture status, society status or a whole slew of other reasons. My point is, adults who pursue further education have a mission to fulfill. The need may be personal or secular. Knowles,M. (1984). The Adult Learner: A Neglected Species (3rd Ed.). Houston, TX: Gulf Publishing.