Reducing Oil Consumption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reducing Oil Consumption - Essay Example While much effort has been directed towards this cause, it is imperative to note that the challenge is still eminent and this calls for even greater effort considering that the United States is the largest consumer of oil in the world (Butts, 58). Higher taxes One economically efficient way of reducing oil consumption across the United States is to increases the tax on oil products. Indeed, there are always many opportunities for oil conservation by the public such as reducing mileage. However, many people do not care to follow such strategies since they can easily afford the oil. This strategy will help in reducing industrial consumption of oil and forcing people to be more economical with oil. Higher taxes would translate into higher prices for the oil and people would therefore strive to limit their consumption of oil as much as possible. This would even call for the use of oil alternatives in situations where it is possible. Efficient Transportation Transportation is one sector t hat consumes a great amount of oil in the United States. Considering that many people drive their own cars, it is expected that oil consumption is indeed high. Unlike Europe, the public transportation system in the United States is not well developed. Many people own cars and this greatly increases gasoline consumption in the country. In this regard, the public transportation system should be redesigned effectively. High-speed trains are an effective ways of reducing the use of gasoline in the country. These trains are powered by electricity and travel and very fast speeds. In the same way, the development of hybrid cars should be fast-tracked. Cars that use electric propulsion should be developed and mass produced. In this case, much of the road and air transport would be substituted by high-speed rails. These trends can further be used in freight transportation and this would greatly reduce the consumption of oil in the country (Woodside, 98). Oil Alternatives There has been much ongoing research on the use of biofuels as an option to the crude oil. Indeed, biofuels have been successful in countries like Brazil which placed much focus on its production. Considering that the transportation sector is a very large consumer of oil, biofuels would come in handy as an option to oil. The major challenge in this respect is the fact that vehicles that use biofuels are still few in the country. It is estimated that a combined use of biofuels and electricity in internal combustion engines can reduce the importation of oil by more than half. In the same way, other forms of renewable energy like solar and wind have not fully been exploited in the United States. The installation of more windmills and solar panels would provide much power that would reduce the demand for oil. The focus of these programs is therefore to provide cheaper energy options and educate the people on the need to use these options as opposed to oil (Woodside, 78). Research on renewable energy source s should be the major concern for policy makers as they would facilitate the reduction of oil consumption. Recycling While it might not seem much obvious, recycling is an important way of reducing the consumption o

Language and Culture Essay Example for Free

Language and Culture Essay Language and culture reciprocate a fluid relationship. They both interact and shape the structure through which individuals can mediate their lives within a social context. Language and culture are immanent forces that help to define and open up the way we understand various dimensions of our lives, whether through the mass media and advertising, science and technology, slang, diverse vocabulary, changes of meanings. This essay will aim to break down the specific forums through which language is useful to culture and how culture forms the mechanisms and strategies through which we use language. I will begin with a discussion of the relationship between language and culture and then move on to the different paradigms that contain specific uses of language. To begin, it will be helpful to lay a framework upon which to build a working definition of language. According to the University of Princeton’s online dictionary, language is â€Å"a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols† (Language). This is straightforward enough for us to understand that language acts as a medium for communicating. The key terms to highlight here are systematic as well symbols because they stretch the function of the definition to include the power that institutions have over language as well as the way that language can shift and change through semiotics. As a system, language relies upon a specific and formal set of rules in order to function. Grammar, syntax, slang, and meaning are all elicited from the rules of language. The institution of a particular language also varies greatly depending on socio-economic factors as well as through educational strategies. For example, with the rise of information technology and the internet as well as through global capitalism, the English language has taken center stage as a pseudo-global language due to its far reaching capacity and its prevalence in scientific and technological innovations. It will be interesting to see how the role of English changes as the world becomes smaller through interconnectivity and the rise of other global languages such as Chinese. Different cultures, through different languages, create different modes of expression and understanding that give rise to cultural diversity. Cultural diversity relies upon the comparing and contrasting mechanisms through which meaning is ingrained. Semiotics is the realm of language that is concerned with signs and signification. Language is the tool through which we identify particular signs and accord them a meaning, or a signification. This is important because through the sign, or symbol, a culture places specific connotations beyond the traditional denotative structure of language. Language both identifies and distinguishes. This is where varying mediums play a significant role on the way cultures digest and create their lives through language. To illustrate how this works, I will next discuss the role that the mass media has on both the language of culture and the culture of language. The dominance of mass media and advertising over the realms of cross cultural communication cannot be underestimated. Through advertisements, newspapers, television, radio, and the internet, people across the world have instant access to a constant stream of information that shapes the way we live our lives. This can have both positive and negative impacts. On the positive side, mass media acts a vehicle for cross cultural dialogue. It provides people with a common language and a common set of terms through which to discuss the pressing issues of the day. The information presented is current and has a specific point of focus. Depending on a person’s cultural condition and through which avenue of mass media they travel on the information highway, the meaning of the information changes dramatically. In this way, two people from different cultures can watch the same news clip and come away from the experience with two completely different understandings from the same language and information. On the negative side of mass media we can point to what cultural theorists beginning with Antonio Gramsci have termed cultural hegemony. This names a dual process through which competing ideologies are struggled out on the stage of culture and through which subversive or outsider paradigms are brought into the dominant arena of culture in order to assimilate and therefore neutralize the conflict of interests (Chandler). This applies to our discussion of language and culture because it helps explain how the role of the media frames certain issues in order to parlay a particular point of view. For example, here in America hegemony can be witnessed through the way Fox News presents its conservative political agenda against the way that Comedy Central portrays its progressive politics through shows like the Daily Show. The language presented and used in media relies upon subtle ideological functioning in order to suggest at an agenda or viewpoint instead of simply communicating said purpose. As mentioned before, language both identifies and distinguishes. As in the previous example of news presentation, we can see how Fox News identifies its audience through its conservative ideology. By identifying as they do, they also distinguish themselves from the liberal-leaning Daily Show audience. It will be interesting to see how much, if any, influence Fox News can have during the Obama presidency and the rise of liberalism after relying so heavily upon Republican and conservative politics through the Bush administration. The shift in the power of balance in American politics will sway the tide of public opinion in the arena of culture that hegemony frames. We can also witness the way science and technologies rely upon specific uses of language in order to elucidate communication and meaning. Perhaps this arena of culture illustrates the example best. Science and technology create paradigms of knowledge. By this, we can see how biochemists almost literally speak another language than nuclear physicists in their professional lives. Again, this is not a positive or a negative situation; it is a cultural practice that plays itself out through particular frameworks of understanding the world. Another interesting example of how science and technology play out in the realm of language is to consider the macro level. As hinted at earlier, science and technology, with their innovations originating largely from the United States and Japan, have consisted and evolved through the language of not just professional jargon, but specifically and nearly exclusively through English. In his innovative essay, Translingual Travel: The Discourse Practice of Cultural Hegemony, Chinese cultural theorist Dai Xun writes of the impact this phenomenon has in China, â€Å"The primary premise in the rise of cultural hegemony is the advantages and control western countries enjoy over science, technology and information (Xun). This is another form of cultural hegemony that phases out periphery languages at the cost of integrating English into the global vocabulary as well as forming the unbalanced socio-economic relationships of our age. Language is utilized for specific purposes through systematic controls and symbolic gestures. That being said, language is not a monolithic and static entity. Although language relies on specific grammatical and syntactical rules, cultures have always innovated and bent the rules of grammar in an effort to assert their unique cultural conditions. The rise of slang is one of the most important and culturally reinforcing tactics that marginal groups use to coalesce and self-identify. Slang is a part of language, and it follows that it serves again to identify as well as to distinguish. One of the most striking examples of slang can be witnessed in hip-hop music. Hip-hop is rapidly becoming a global phenomena and it goes beyond just the music to include fashion, dancing, music making and lifestyle. In this way, the slang the hip-hop community uses separates them from other groups while also helping them to identify with like-minded people. Hegemony in the realm of hip-hop can help explain how power relations work themselves out through culture. In its infancy, hip-hop was a culture unique to African-Americans in inner-city America. With its popularity and rise through mass media, white, middle-class teenagers are adopting hip-hop into their lifestyles and trying to identify with the conditions that gave rise to it. This is how dominant culture integrates what was previously a subversive and politically threatening subculture into the mainstream. Now we see hip-hop artists in children’s cartoons, at suburban schools and in the malls. In conclusion, language and culture maintain mutually reinforcing relationship. Both dominant and subversive forms of communication are played out on the arena of cultural hegemony. This condition goes beyond the traditional positive/negative paradigm of culture. What is important to some cultures can have very little significance to others. Works Cited Chandler, Daniel. (2000). Gramsci and Hegemony. Marxist Media Theory. Retrieved December 22, 2008 from http://www. aber. ac. uk/media/Documents/marxism/marxism10. html Language. (2008). Wordnet. Princeton University. Retrieved December 22, 2008 from http://wordnetweb. princeton. edu/perl/webwn? s=language Xun, Dai. (2008). Translingual Travel: The Discourse Practice of Cultural Hegemony. Southwest Normal University. Retrieved December 22, 2008 from www. ln. edu. hk/eng/staff/eoyang/icla/Translingual%20Travel

Students Metacognitive Abilities Essay -- Education, Researchers and T

Literature Review Research on the Problem Researchers and theorists have sought the key behind getting students to learn for decades. For every theory placed on the table, there is another waiting to clear it off and replace it. This dichotomy can be challenging for teachers who are searching for the answers to help them reach their students especially when these students are asked to do mundane tasks like memorize. In addition, many teachers struggle to identify the root cause of their student’s struggles with material, and once pin pointed, they often find it difficult to address these causes. What are the exact challenges the students are struggling with? In her research, Nancy Joseph, believes the answer to this question lies in a lack of metacognitive ability in the students. â€Å"Your ability to plan, monitor, and evaluate your performance reveals sophisticated cognitive activity.† (Joseph, 2006) If the students are not capable of reaching this level of cognitive ability, they will not be able to grow with the difficulty of the class material. Each student learns best in his or her own way, and by understanding this â€Å"learners are able to use their academic strengths to develop additional skills and understanding, moving toward greater intellectual maturity.† (Joseph, 2006) Students cannot develop critical thinking skills as it relates to content if they do not possess the skill to think critically at all. The pathway to metacognitive ability begins with self-reflection. At the junior high level, students are unaware that the ability to be reflective is a skill that will carry them through life; not just in their current Language Arts Classroom (Joseph, 2006). Teachers are told almost daily about how important ... ...is difficult, and that they must be creative in finding ways to make easier for the students to understand. If they do not, then they will keep doing what they have always done, and continue getting the same results. I hope to examine parts of the studies that have already been conducted on these issues. I will be looking at the result of connecting games, social interaction, practice, direct instruction, indirect instruction, and to what extent a student’s metacognitive level has on their ability to memorize material such as prepositions. As Ellis noted, â€Å"the results of the research do not afford conclusions that can be readily applied to language pedagogy.† (Ellis, 2011) My attempts will be focused on a more general scope of application in the classroom, and I will try to bridge the gap between the research, theorists, and practical application.

On Dumpster Diving Essay

Quite by accident, I found the essay On Dumpster Diving by Lars Eighner on the pages of Seagull magazine. The first lines of it captured my interest considerably, for as I had never read about dumpster diving or scavenging before. On Dumpster Diving is a piece of large Eighner’s work called Travels with Lizbeth (1993), which was based on his own experience of homelessness. The author engages me by telling the origin and meaning of the term Dumpster Diver, presenting his survival guide with specified rules and regulations. Dumpster is a trademark of garbage loading onto trucks system. Dumpster diving involves persons voluntarily climbing into rubbish bins (dumpsters) to find valuables or simply useful items, including food and used clothing. Eighner writes that the life of a beggar traveling without any money opened his eyes to the fact that all those containers with waste are real â€Å"supermarkets† for the poor, and they are not only a source of survival, but also a d epositary of high-quality and diverse food. Anyhow, there is a risk in eating such findings. According to Eighner’s experience, taking food out of dumpsters should involve three simple principles: â€Å"using the senses and common sense to evaluate the condition of the found materials, knowing the Dumpsters of a given area and checking them regularly, and seeking always to answer the question, â€Å"Why was this discarded?† Narrator advises to avoid such foods as game, poultry, pork, and egg-based meals. Soft drinks testing should be based on their fizzing vigorously. Being a scavenger, one has to notice the least signs of visible contaminates. Notwithstanding the scavenger has no indemnity of self- intoxication. Later on Lars tells about â€Å"a predictable series of stages a person goes through in learning to scavenge,† in which disgust at the beginning gives way to indiscriminate acquiring of the things. The story also includes information about the â€Å"can-divers† and their way of diving featured as unethical and impudent. The plot of it is neither compound nor rich in events and characters. However, it is thought provoking. The author gives us detailed guidance how to survive being a dumpster diver. Reading the essay, I asked myself right along whether it was the only aim of Eighner to teach us those rules. As the story progressed, I picked up the writer’s conception gradually. His essay exemplifies the wasteful nature of American society and implies that it is the result of materialistic values but also ignorance and lack of understanding. People unreasonably throw out even food that is appropriate for using: â€Å"Students throw out many good things including food†¦the item was thrown out through carelessness, ignorance, or wastefulness.†(Eighner) The scavenger can acquire â€Å"boom boxes, candles, bedding, toilet paper, medicine, books, a typewriter, a virgin male love doll, change sometimes amounting to many dollars† in the dumpsters. I suppose the purpose of the article is also to show how immoral is to throw out good food and things, knowing that thousands are starving and suffering from poverty. However, exactly that garbage helps him to survive at difficult times. Eighner’s reasoning for why people are materialistic derives from the concept that they are lost and unsure of what they want. In a way, his short essay On Dumpster Diving, suggests to his readers that to achieve the state of satisfaction, they need to know what they want. He states, â€Å"Almost everything I have now has already been cast at least once, proving that what I own is valueless to someone.† The author himself collects only things that are of benefit to him and leaves the rest for the benefit of others. The article shows that the writer being homeless still keeps his intelligent, clever, and sentimental way of thinking. He emphasises the transience of material being and says, â€Å"Once I was the sort of person who invests material objects with sentimental value. Now I no longer have those things, but I have the sentiments yet.†(Eighner) I think, describing all the rules of dumpster diving Lars Eighner represents us the necessity of keeping the etiquette even in adversity. The breakers of that common law are the â€Å"can-divers.† They, as contrasted with the true scavengers, look only for the money there and mix the contents of the dumpster making it more difficult to find the truly good things, the author explains. The worst in can scroungers’ actions is their audacity to go through individual containers in front of peoples homes, something a true diver would never do. Doing that the can diver finds different prescriptions, diaries and things the owner throws out. It is clear that privacy disclosing would embarrass us. Eighner exclaims against private invasion, thus demonstrating his culture and humanism. The last paragraph where Lars compares himself to ultra-wealthy is the most interesting point of the essay, to my mind. The rich people can acquire anything they like and the money does not stand in the way of doing that. The dumpster diver gets the things from dumpsters free too. Author’s analysis is that the truly rich or the truly poor are those who do not want or need. In his comparison, Lars means that he and the super-rich do not need the items the rest of us do. He can just go out and find them. The narrator tries to show the positives of his profession, but does not overlook the negatives as well, following it with the words: â€Å"Dumpster diving has serious drawbacks as a way of life.† The main idea of Lars Eighner in his essay is to assure us that any hopeless situation has its way out. The life goes on even if you meet difficulties†¦ He calls us for keeping our cultural and ethical talents even when being in the lowest state of life. We may not forget that having materialistic values over moral ones destroys and vitiates us from inside. In the unique voice – dry, disciplined, poignant, comic- Eighner celebrates the triumph of the artistic spirit in the face of enormous adversity, thus, inspiring me for true respect.

Action Research On Milwaukee Flooding Environmental Sciences Essay

Floods are inevitable natural phenomena that cause terrible harm in footings of lives, natural resources, the economic system, and wellness. On the international degree, deluging histories for 40 per centum of catastrophes worldwide and causes 26 per centum of disaster-related mortalities ( Whiteman, 2004 ) . Aside from environmental impacts, the societal impacts of deluging in communities around the universe are common among several states such as economic impacts, impacts on physical wellness, psychological wellness, impacts related to emptying and impermanent resettlement, and community and vicinity alterations ( International Association for Impact Assessment [ IAIA ] , 2003 ; Genovese et al. , 2006 ) . The biggest challenge in countries considered as high-risk for implosion therapy is extenuation ( FEMA, 2010 ) . This action research intends to utilize the Milwaukee implosion therapy in July 2010 to show the themic jobs in catastrophe direction and extenuation attempts. This lit erature reappraisal will continue to demo that inundation extenuation requires a comprehensive, integrated, and multi-stakeholder attack toward inundation hazard direction. It will try to demo and show this thesis based on research and instance surveies in the United States and best pattern catastrophe extenuation attempts in other countries worldwide. In a study by The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction [ UN/ISDR ] ( 2008 ) , it was postulated that communities which create its ain thoughts and work programmes to turn to their demands and exposures have better opportunities of long-run solutions. Due to the increasing urbanisation, increasing demand for infinite, and climate alteration concerns practically everyplace in the universe, the demand to switch from conventional inundation direction attacks to an integrated attack has been recommended ( UNESCO, 2001 ; FEMA, 2010 ) . Integrated attack to deluge direction means that there are pre- and post-disaster steps planned and implemented in a vicinity which are linked to other communities, authorities bureaus, and organisations in order to turn to exposures which communities are unable to work out on their ain ( UN/ISDR, 2008 ) . Multi-sectoral attacks to deluge direction have been utilized by vicinities in order to extenuate flood harm. In a instance s urvey performed by the Tearfund International ( 2005 ) , two communities in Africa came up with a comprehensive and multi-sectoral program which required 1 ) a comprehensive hazard appraisal 2 ) protagonism and linkage with authorities, private sector, and the Districts concerned and acceptance of Torahs to deter agribusiness 20 metres from the watercourse 3 ) networking with other authorities bureaus to procure expertness and 4 ) community mobilisation. The same multi-sectoral attacks have been undertaken in other states as good ( Petrov et al. , 2005 ; Genovese et al. , 2006 ) . In the United States, communities work hand-in-hand with the federal authorities and the private sector in order to cut down hazard and harm caused by deluging ( FEMA, 2010 ) . Based on a survey by Petrov, et Al. ( 2005 ) , an incorporate theoretical account of flood direction is quantifiable in footings of sustainable development and inundation defence. The survey focused on two communities in Italy which used the incorporate mold attack to supplement structural steps with non-structural steps such as land direction and planning, land usage planning and development limitations. The determination that a comprehensive scheme using both structural and non-structural extenuation steps toward inundation direction is the most effectual scheme is consistent with other state studies ( Lin, De Guzman, & A ; Cuevas, 2007 ; Genovese, et al. , 2006 ; Zevenbergen et al. , 2008 ) . Furthermore, ‘best pattern ‘ surveies have besides pointed to the increasing importance of a multi-stakeholder attack in inundation hazard direction ( FEMA, 2008 ; Galloway, 2005 ) . This attack means that all the stakeholders in a community have functions to play from be aftering to the execution stage. When planning is done unsuitably and without a stakeholder analysis, any inundation hazard direction scheme may worsen the negative effects of utmost hydrological procedures ( Petrov, et al. , 2005 ) . Hence, concerns from assorted sectors must be heard and considered, and local cognition and resources should be evaluated with support from exterior ( Genoese, et al. , 2006 ) . These surveies point out that a co-ordinated attempt is necessary to protect everyone ‘s involvement in the event of implosion therapy. The dominant scheme in inundation direction every bit far as the U.S. is concerned has been structural in nature. Flood extenuation attempts in the state go around around the demand to cut down the cost of harm brought approximately by the devastation of belongings. However, due to increasing financial load caused by structural steps, urban contrivers and exigency direction experts look to the usage of non-structural steps to cut down the harm caused by deluging. Between 1960 and 1985, FEMA estimated that the federal authorities used $ 38 billion of taxpayers ‘ money on structural inundation direction steps ( FEMA, 2010 ) . A chief step used to cut down inundation hazard is the building of levees which were subsequently augmented by channel work to rush floodwaters to their ultimate finishs ( Lin, De Guzman, & A ; Cuevas, 2007 ) . Elsewhere, particularly in the underdeveloped universe, the most common structural step utilized in order to cut down implosion therapy is the buildi ng of dikes. Structures to pin down dust flows in canons upriver from alluvial fans include permeable dikes that stop bowlders but permit H2O to run out, that is, grid dikes dwelling of cross-linked steel pipes, horizontal beams, perpendicular steel pipes, or reinforced columns. Widely used in Canada and the US, they suddenly slow the advancement of dust flows by run outing the H2O ( Hyndman & A ; Hyndman, 2010 ) . The biggest challenge with such structural steps in the U.S. experience has been the financial load shouldered by the federal authorities. The addition in deposit along with the development brought approximately by urbanisation has required more investing in extra constructions. Elsewhere in the universe, in a survey commissioned by the World Commission on Dams ( WCD ) , 54 % of dikes constructed sustained cost overproductions ( Whiteman, 2004 ) . Structural inundation direction steps have besides come under onslaught for their alleged inauspicious impacts on the wellness and environment. In a study by the International Rivers Network, the building of dikes and constructions to slake implosion therapy has led to massive and nonvoluntary relocation, loss of support for those dependent on flood plains, and forced evictions ( Lin, De Guzman, & A ; Cuevas, 2007 ) . Another concern with dike is its part to climate alteration gases as they release over 104 million MT of methane yearly. Land usage planning and direction is another scheme used in order to cut down inundation amendss by curtailing development on inundation fields. The displacement from structural to set down usage planning was triggered by the monolithic harm sustained during the 1993 Mississippi River inundation. FEMA started to purchase floodplain land in order to deter other people from reconstructing on flood-prone land and being flooded out once more. Alternatively of lodging and development undertakings, land was used for agribusiness, Parkss, and other related utilizations. Some counties have resisted application for development undertakings by corporations in order to extenuate deluging but many instances have been petitioned by developers in tribunals ( Hyndman & A ; Hyndman, 2010 ) . A common place is that modulating edifice and building of inundation fields infringement upon single rights to belongings while FEMA maintains that in flood-prone countries, the right of persons to construct bel ongings infringed upon the rights of other persons. Furthermore, one million millions of public revenue enhancement dollars have been coursed out to supply alleviation from deluging and construct flood-management constructions. Buyout and resettlement strategies have worked in some counties. For case, in Iowa, over 46 resettlement undertakings and buyouts have been initiated by the province to extenuate flood harm. There have been more than 1,000 belongingss removed from flood-prone countries which have protected critical installations such as infirmaries. FEMA has invested $ 54 million for these resettlement and buyout undertakings and catastrophe alleviation financess were given merely More than 1,000 belongingss have been removed from flood-hazard countries in the province. Over 20 critical installations, such as infirmaries, have been protected. At least 66 undertakings have been funded, with a entire investing of $ 54 million in FEMA ( Earthquake Engineering Research Institute [ EERI ] , 2008 ) . Flood insurance is another non-structural inundation direction step that has been progressively used by authoritiess because of the financial loads of structural steps ( Genovese, 2006 ) . Flood case mitigates the cost of flood harm while and at the same clip influences behavior to further cut down future harm. The inundation insurance scheme is basically a cost-sharing agreement among belongings and concern proprietors, insurance and re-insurance industry, and authorities. Under the authorization of the National Flood Insurance Program ( NFIP ) , flood insurance is available to people populating in flood plains ( Hyndman & A ; Hyndman, 2010 ) . The federal authorities provides insurance while its purchase is delegated to private insurance companies. There are two chief advantages of inundation insurance. First, it eases financial load on authorities for inundation bar and alleviation. Second, it allows for drum sander and automated transportation of payments to individuals ( nonaffe cted or victims ) covered by a similar insurance plan ( Larson & A ; Plasencia, 2005 ) . Despite the purported benefits of inundation insurance, merely 20-30 % of those eligible participate in the insurance plan ( Galloway, 2005 ) . Before people can be eligible to claim insurance, FEMA requires the community, to finish the needed surveies to demarcate flood plain zones and enforce ordinances. To be eligible for inundation insurance, the community must finish the needed surveies to denominate flood plain zones and implement its ordinances ( FEMA, 2010 ) . A hurdle in inundation insurance is conflict over civil wrong claims. The NFIP can pre-empt civil wrong claims made by landholder utilizing province jurisprudence against independent contractors hired by FEMA under the obstruction preemption rule where â€Å" province jurisprudence stands as an obstruction to the achievement and executing of the full intents and aims of Congress † ( Freightliner Corp. v. Myrick, 514 U.S. 280 , 287, 1995 ) . Taken together, the reviewed instance surveies and studies indicate that experience in inundation direction support the usage of a comprehensive and incorporate attack to cut down economic harm brought approximately by deluging ( Simonovic, 2005 ; Global Water Partnership, 2006 ; Genovese, et al. , 2006 ) . This means that while structural steps have been found to ease the impact of floodwater and dust flows, the federal authorities has looked to non-structural steps because of the load its shoulders from building levees, dikes, and other flood-control constructions. Measures such as land usage planning and direction, buyouts, and inundation insurance have shown promise but brush opposition and challenges. Community engagement and multi-stakeholder attacks are necessary in explicating sustainable inundation direction programs to construct more resilient communities.

Lawrence of Arabia essays

Lawrence of Arabia essays The story opens with a large symphonic overture, which leads into the death of Thomas Edward Lawrence (Peter OToole) in a motorcycle crash. When a reporter asks questions at the memorial service at St. Paul's a flashback to the desert campaigns of the legendary figure begins. In 1916, Lawrence is a disgruntled young lieutenant with the British H.Q. staff in Cairo. Discontent with a desk job, he persuades Mr. Dryden (Claude Rains) of the Arab Bureau to let him seek out the Bedouin Chief, Prince Feisal (Alec Guiness), to check on the progress of the Arab Revolt. Lawrence suggests the possibility of helping Feisal unite the Arab tribes against their common enemy, the Turks, with whom the British are also at war. Having received permission to try, Lawrence journeys to the desert. There his first encounter with tribal rivalries occurs when Sherif Ali (Omar Sharif), who is later to become one of Lawrence's strongest allies, shoots Lawrence's guide for drinking from a water hole which belongs to Ali. With the help of Ali, Prince Feisal is convinced into allowing his own guerilla army to cooperate with the British. Lawrence soon becomes a charismatic Leader to the Arab hordes. Sustaining the independent spirit of the Arab revolt, Lawrence leads a miraculous crossing of the Nefud Desert, making it possible to capture the Turkish port of Aqaba. The Victorious Arab Warriors triumphantly proclaim him El Aurens. However, when Lawrence and Ali go on a scouting expedition into Deraa, which the Turks are holding, Lawrence is captured by the Turks, tortured and then released. This incident breaks the illusion of invincibility that Lawrence has of himself and which the hero-worship of the Arab tribes has created. Again he is tempted to resign his command, but once again General Allency (Jack Hawkins) sends him back to the desert. ...

There and back again essays

There and back again essays Shakespeare uses symbols to describe the setting as well as give insight into what is going on behind the scenes. Upon first sighting, Horatio dismisses the ghost as fantasy. The Kings ghost symbolizes betrayal and injustice, which Hamlet must rectify in order to put his father at peace. The Kings ghost symbolizes a form of Catholic purgatory and a Protestant daemon (1). Horatios companion Bernardo exclaims, Though art a scholar speak to it, Horatio. In the time of Shakespeare, it was customary for the educated to speak with the dead as well as make the dead reply. This symbolism gives the audience a greater understanding of the setting of time in which Shakespeare creates. The death of the King contains another symbol important when mentioning the setting. Normally when a king dies, his first-born son inherits the kingdom; Hamlet did not inherit his fathers kingdom. One reason why Shakespeare did not mention the details is that the Nobles, of whom the play was writ for, o f the Shakespearean period, knew the current political processes. The pre-Shakespearean period dictated if the King were to die the surviving first born would inherit the kingdom; the current practice in Denmark was to have the noble council vote who would take over the kingdom. Yet, another symbol was the Queenss hasty marriage to Claudius, the dead Kings brother, and Hamlets uncle. The mourning Queen, who has influence over the nobles, would undoubtedly have some say when the noble council would vote for the superceding King. Without the existence of a previous relationship between Claudius and the Queen, the audience would be led to believe that the Queen fell in love almost instantaneously following the Kings passing. Shakespeare exhibits many themes in Hamlet; love and hate the fear of death, and a play within a play. Hamlet is a man who detects corruption and tries to set h ...

Varying Assignments to Enhance Student Learning Styles

Varying Assignments to Enhance Student Learning Styles Methods for Varying Assignments Each student comes to your class with their own learning style strengths and weaknesses. Some will be stronger at auditory learning or learning through listening and sound. Others might find they learn better visually, gaining understanding through reading and writing.  Ã‚  Finally, many  students will be stronger kinesthetic learners, learning better through hands-on activities. Therefore, it is important that we present lessons to students through a variety of techniques that play to each of their strengths. While most teachers know this and try to vary presentation techniques as much as possible, it can be quite easy to forget about changing up assignments. In other words, if your student is an auditory learner, their understanding of the material will be reflected better through an auditory method. Traditionally, we have students present us with what  they have learned through written means: essays, multiple choice tests, and short answers. However, some students might do a better job reflecting their comprehension of what they have learned through either verbal or kinesthetic means.   Therefore, requiring students  to vary their responses can not only help more of them shine by working in their dominant learning style but it can also allow all students the chance to find new ways to learn.   Following are ideas for activities that you can have students complete in each of their dominant learning styles. Realize, however, that many of these actually play to the strengths of more than one category.   Visual Learners Typical Written Activities - These include assignments like essays and short answer questions.  Outlining - Students can outline a chapter in a book or other reading assignment.  Flash Cards - Students can create flashcards that they can not only submit as an assignment but also use for review.  SQ3R - This stands for  Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review and is quite an effective reading comprehension method.   Auditory Learners Cooperative Learning Activities - Activities that include auditory interaction between students can be quite powerful.Class Discussions - Students can discuss the lesson with teacher support.  Debates - Students can work in groups to debate an issue.  Recitations - Having students memorize and recite poetry or other readings also has the added benefit of helping improve their memory.  Musical Activities  - Students can use music in a number of ways. For example, in an American History class, students might find songs that represent the turmoil of the 1960s protests. You might also have students write their own lyrics to songs as a way to present the information that they have learned.   Kinesthetic Learners Dramatic Presentations - Having students present their information through a play or other dramatic presentation not only helps kinesthetic learners, but also auditory learners as well.  Speeches With Props   - Students can stand before the class and speak about a topic while using props.  Teacher  for the Day Activities - Give students parts of a lesson that they are to teach to the rest of the class. You can choose to have the students work individually or in small groups.  Simulations - Getting students moving around the classroom as they simulate an event like a presidential election can build  interest and excitement in learning.  Manipulatives - Students enjoy being able to use manipulatives in classes like mathematics and science.Incorporating Dance or Exercise - While this might not work in some  classes, allowing students the ability to choose to incorporate dance or exercise  as a method of lesson presentation can open up a whole new avenue of learning.  Outdoor Activities - Students  can be given assignments that require them to go outside and move around.    Obviously, your subject matter and classroom environment will impact which of these would be the best fit for your students. However, I challenge you to move outside your comfort zone and try to find a way to not only represent lessons while incorporating all three learning styles, but also giving students assignments and activities that allow them to use different learning modalities as well.

Create of arts Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Create of arts - Assignment Example In the movie, Jeff suspects one of his neighbors has murdered his wife and tries to investigate through his rear window. The manner in which events unfold raise the element of suspense. 3. The main theme is that of voyeurism. The main actor is put in a position which is usually left for the viewers, that of watching without being seen. The viewer watches the main actor watching his neighbors. It shows what goes on in the lives of different problems and what they go through. Furthermore, the lengths people go through to solve problems is highlighted. 4. Movies can be approached from a feministic or masculine approach. They can also be analyzed based on the theme, the target audience or focusing on a character among others. The movie ‘Rear Window’ is usually analyzed from a feminist perspective because of the role played by the female. Most characters in the movie are female. The lonely woman who entertains inexistent gentlemen callers, the woman with an active social life, the wife who was murdered, the photographer’s girlfriend and the nurse are some of the main women in film. They play a key role on plot development. 5. Despite the age of the film, it is still very relevant. The concept of murder is very real and so is the fact that one cannot really know their neighbors. The movie can still instill fear and suspense in the viewer. The fact that one of your neighbors could be secretly watching you is also frightening. The film can be made even more frightening with modern technology and special effects. 6. Sigmund Freud was a psychoanalyst credited with many studies about the mind and mental state. Alfred Hitchcock’s movie incorporate several aspects of the Freud’s studies in terms of the lengths people go to and what makes them

Politics of Crime Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Politics of Crime - Research Paper Example Of course, there is a general societal consensus that certain things are wrong and should be discouraged or criminalized, but for proponents of the Nanny State, the government should seize control of actions and issues where there is no consensus and unilaterally impose its view of morality on these issues. Why is this happening more and more these days? Many experts believe that in an increasingly complex world people are more willing to turn over power to the government in order to make their own lives easier. There is a sense the world can be and should be completely ordered and that government is the right body to do this. This is an unfortunate state of affairs as it tips the important balance between liberty and order far to the side of order. There are so many examples of this way of thinking that it is hard to know where to begin. One of the most shocking examples from recent years is the following headline: â€Å"Chicago Prohibits Foie Gras.† In 2006, Chicago city council voted to ban the delicious appetizer foie gras from the city’s restaurants. Proponents of the ban said the production of foie gras was inhumane. Opponents had a different view. "Government shouldnt be dictating what we eat," said the chef at one French restaurant. The Mayor too was unhappy. "We have children getting killed by gang leaders and dope dealers," he said. "We have real issues here in this city. And were dealing with foie gras? Lets get some priorities."1 These opponents are right. In an era where people expect to be coddled and protected from everything that could possibly harm, they are allowing things as personal as menu choice to be dictated by the government. If an individual does not like to eat foie gras no one will forc e them to eat it; but the Chicago city council went a step further by eliminating this choice completely and limiting the rights of those who do like foie gras. The Nanny State continues to expand, rolling

QUANTITATIVE DECISION MAKING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

QUANTITATIVE DECISION MAKING - Essay Example The catastrophe had halted its domestic production and suspended its manufacturing operation because two of its refinery and assembly plants near the epicenter of the earthquake had been burned (â€Å"Japan Earthquake†). Due to this event, Toyota had experienced a decline in their monthly sales and reported the biggest lost in the company’s history. Forecasting underlying demand for steel in Japan is made to be difficult, â€Å"since substantial part of Japanese domestic steel consumption depends on exports of products containing steel, such as the automobile and consumer durables sectors† (Old et al., 92). In addition, the event is difficult to forecast for it is critical for the company to evaluate the impact of the natural disaster to worldsteel demand. However, the worldsteel Economics Committee forecasted that â€Å"apparent steel use will increase by 5.9% to 1,359 mmt for 2011, following 13.2% growth in 2010. In 2012, it is forecast that world steel demand will grow further by 6.0% to reach a new record of 1,441 mmt† (â€Å"Worldsteel†). But the forecast is said to be biased for it is prepared before the occurrence of the natural disaster. It is illustrated in figure 1, the historical relationship of global GDP and steel industry from 2009 to 2010.

How Have the Yoruba People Contributed to Modern Mathematics Essay

How Have the Yoruba People Contributed to Modern Mathematics - Essay Example Although people normally think of mathematics as coming from a European tradition, there is also a strong African tradition of mathematics.   This tradition goes all the way back to ancient Egypt when early mathematicians devised the formulas necessary to build the Great Pyramids.   It is the basic assumption of the current report that two important additions to mathematics made by Africa include innovations from Egypt and from the Yoruba tradition, and that these additions have direct relationships to the modern world today, in terms of connecting mainstream mathematics with African traditions. First of all, there is the Egyptian tradition, as mentioned in Lumpkin’s in-depth research on mathematics.   As noted, Egypt had a rich tradition of mathematics and geometry in very ancient times.   Ancient times can be connected to modern times, as this author notes because today they feel â€Å"fortunate to have been alerted to a reference to "an Egyptian zero" while discussing AE mathematics with Egyptologist Frank Yurco in Chicago. This reference was based not on a mathematical papyrus, but on balance sheets in papyrus Bulaq 18† (Lumpkin, 2009).   This Bulaq was a bookkeeping record kept by the ancient Egyptians thousands of years ago, showing that although these years have passed, we have something in common with the ancient world.   The idea of true zero is a very mathematically advanced one that has been discovered by many cultures.   It is not just Europe but also places like Africa and China, where the ancient meets the modern in mathematical theory.à ‚   People in bookkeeping today are still using true zero to do such tasks as making absolute transfers.   â€Å"There was also a zero reference level marked on construction lines used as early as 2700 BCE. These lines, still visible at Old Kingdom  pyramids and tombs, show the beginning of metricizing space† (Lumpkin, 2009).   The ancient Egyptian Africans used these advanced mathematical concepts to build their monumental architecture, just like architects today.

(CHILDREN'S RIGHT ) My Course is Iin EDUCATION Essay

(CHILDREN'S RIGHT ) My Course is Iin EDUCATION - Essay Example However, different International Conventions and Ugandan government have taken severe steps to prevent the unlawful induction of children in any kind of work either hazardous or un-hazardous that may have its adverse affects on their physical, mental and academic progress. These Conventions have tried their level best to create awareness among the different communities present in Uganda that child labor is a crime and people should refrain sending their children for any sort of economical activity. However, it is expected that with the passage of time and by creating awareness in the minds of Ugandan people, the government and the international agencies will overcome the problem of Child labor in Uganda for their own prosperity and development of the society which is highly important for them. ‘Child labor and poverty are inevitably bound together and if you continue to use the labor of children as the treatment for the social disease of poverty, you will have both poverty and child labor to the end of time.’- Grace Abbott Uganda is faced with severe poverty along with a low literacy rate. Poverty is the main cause of defragmenting the socioeconomic structure of any country. As a result, people in Uganda compel their children to earn and contribute with their families in order to sustain their living standards. Due to this reason, we can clearly observe a high percentage of children working under hazardous conditions to meet their basic needs (http://childvoice.jinja.eu/en/child-labor-in-uganda.). Child labor is an unlawful and immoral induction of young children which deprives them of better living conditions, right of education and the right of being known as the ‘most fragile humans’ in the world. Child can be defined as a human who falls between the ages of birth and youth. In legal terms a child is defined as a minor who is dependent on his caretakers for living and

The Role of Social Institutions in Society Essay - 1

The Role of Social Institutions in Society - Essay Example The infrastructure of education uses a model of standardized testing and curriculum to ensure that students across the country share the same ideological framework. The education system is invasive because it controls the methodology through which individuals perceive history and the function of other institutions that make up the social nexus (Berger, 1966). For example, the dissemination of information regarding the history of mankind focuses on the history of nation states (Berger, 1966). This creates a society where individuals believe that the existence of a government is inevitable and are therefore not capable of perceiving a reality that extends beyond it. The deepest values of society are taught within this institution, from political organizations to capitalism. Regardless of the political party that individuals align with or the method through which they accumulate capital, they still value participation within these systems (Berger, 1966). Social values are shared by indi viduals who make up community. Such values help define the parameters of a culture and characterize the individuals within it. The educational system is an effective social institution that helps embed such values in growing citizens. As a social institution, the educational system is the most pervasive as well as the most effective at ingraining social values in individuals. Works Cited Berger, P. L. and T.

(CHILDREN'S RIGHT ) My Course is Iin EDUCATION Essay

(CHILDREN'S RIGHT ) My Course is Iin EDUCATION - Essay Example However, different International Conventions and Ugandan government have taken severe steps to prevent the unlawful induction of children in any kind of work either hazardous or un-hazardous that may have its adverse affects on their physical, mental and academic progress. These Conventions have tried their level best to create awareness among the different communities present in Uganda that child labor is a crime and people should refrain sending their children for any sort of economical activity. However, it is expected that with the passage of time and by creating awareness in the minds of Ugandan people, the government and the international agencies will overcome the problem of Child labor in Uganda for their own prosperity and development of the society which is highly important for them. ‘Child labor and poverty are inevitably bound together and if you continue to use the labor of children as the treatment for the social disease of poverty, you will have both poverty and child labor to the end of time.’- Grace Abbott Uganda is faced with severe poverty along with a low literacy rate. Poverty is the main cause of defragmenting the socioeconomic structure of any country. As a result, people in Uganda compel their children to earn and contribute with their families in order to sustain their living standards. Due to this reason, we can clearly observe a high percentage of children working under hazardous conditions to meet their basic needs (http://childvoice.jinja.eu/en/child-labor-in-uganda.). Child labor is an unlawful and immoral induction of young children which deprives them of better living conditions, right of education and the right of being known as the ‘most fragile humans’ in the world. Child can be defined as a human who falls between the ages of birth and youth. In legal terms a child is defined as a minor who is dependent on his caretakers for living and

Construction law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Construction law - Essay Example Construction projects could clearly be said to be the result of co-ordinated efforts between promoters, project managers, consultants, architects, planners and workforce (own and/or contracted) who actually carry out the construction work at the site. Thus, when considering the construction industry in its entirety, the need for demand creation is vested with groups of individuals who could create more value for organisations than individuals working in isolation. â€Å"But by freely indulging in exchange, that is with no coercion, each member would be better off or at least no worse off than by being in isolation. The group as a whole would be better off; value is created.† (Sen n.d). However, construction activities also envisage time and cost factors. Unjustified delays may cause budgetary constraints which could be avoided if planning and organization of joint projects were carried out meticulously and diligently. â€Å"It was concluded that this approach offers a number of benefits for the client, the main contractor, partnering subcontractors and professional consultants, such as, lower costs, improved team approach and less confrontation.†(Humphreys, Matthews & Kumaraswamy 2003, pp.166-178). non-actions. However, much would depend upon the ensuing covenant and the terms and conditions of employment. Just as there are legal differentiations between contractors and employees, so also there are surrounding differences between the rights, liabilities and privileges of contractors, sub contractors and others along the line. Though much about contracting is gained from the UK Contract Act and ancillary laws, local laws and practices are also of major import, especially in the event of disputes. Often the demarcation of where the responsibilities of the main contractor ends and that of the sub contractors begin could be

Caravaggio’s David with the Head of Goliath Essay Example for Free

Caravaggio’s David with the Head of Goliath Essay Caravaggio’s David with the Head of Goliath is a truly important picture expressing arts underlying paradigm, every painter paints himself, in a clear and unmistakeable way. It was reported in the mid-seventeenth century that both heads, Goliaths and Davids, are self-portraits at different stages of life though David is described as â€Å"il suo Caravaggino†, or in English â€Å"his little Caravaggio.†1 This clearly refers to how Caravaggio painted himself when young because although his real name was Michelangelo Merisi he was known in Rome as Caravaggio. 2 Remarkably, despite this, few art historians have noted Caravaggio’s self-identification in both figures. One thought it was partly sub-conscious, a psychic echo of the artists violent past.3 Michael Fried, on the other hand, a scholar who often recognizes the act of creation depicted in art thought otherwise. He recently described Davids gesture as a disguised mirror representation of the act of applying paint to canvas, though there is also an important sense in which the head of Goliath may be taken as standing for the painting itself.4 God bless Fried! Other scholars unable to explain why Caravaggio would kill himself, even in a painting, suggest the phrase refers to someone else, â€Å"a boy from the town, Caravaggio† though they cannot say who.5 It is an escape clause. In the world of literal art scholars, artists do not kill themselves in a painting so they imagine something else or ignore the problem. Few early masterpieces so clearly express that every painter paints himself but scholars, convinced that artists tell logical stories that even a patron can understand, have long tried to deny the obvious: both heads represent the artist. This painting, like so many others over the centuries, depicts its own creation in the artist’s mind. Goliath, too, is not a symbol of evil, as conventionally claimed, but of chaos, the chaos so central to creative thinking. Art is first imagined in a mind full of chaotic and random thoughts. As two or more combine spontaneously, the artist begins to impose order on the chaos to create the work. Goliaths death, his head tamed by being depicted forever in mid-scream, is a metaphoric description of that process. Yet while David with the artists frown looks inward to depict the inner process of creation, Goliath also with an artists frown looks outward. He is the painting.

A Marxist Criticism on The Importance of Being Earnest :: essays research papers

A Marxist Criticism on "The Importance of Being Earnest"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "Excuse me Geoffrey, could you get me some more water. I'm terribly thirsty, and the weather out here isn't doing any good for my complexion." declares the man as he sighs in exhaustion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "Right away sir, anything else?" proclaims the servant.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "No that will be all." says the man as he waves off the servant.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So is this the scene of yesteryear's society or one of today's, well in actuality it can be either. In today's world the rich still rely on butlers and maids. It seems to be a practice that will always exist in this world, but the question largely is not on their jobs, but if they are deemed of a different class, and sadly to say yes. In today's world it seems that class is still a huge part of the world order, and moreover it seems that there will always be the rich and poor, the owner and the worker. This is even demonstrated by the literature of our time and that of other era's, such as the play "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde. In this play Wilde display's the class structure with a different and interesting twist. He makes a reflection on the society with his own sense of humor, but however it still leaves a very good opportunity to make a Marxist critique about the way the class structure influences the play. He leaves room for these critiques when he writes about the servants, the nobles, and the middle class. His view on society and class is very evident on the way the servants are portrayed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "‘I don't know that I am much interested in your family life, Lane'"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "‘No sir; it's not a very interesting subject. I never think of it myself.'"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this passage from the play it is very clear that Wilde likes to give his characters some life, but however it seemed that he was giving the servants a bit too much, but nevertheless it does establish very well the position of those servants. In the society Wilde is presenting it seems that the place of the servant was not only for manual labor, but also to provide conversation, and to compliment the employer's personalities. In the story the idea of class was demonstrated by the interaction between Lane and Algernon even though Lane was witty he did know his place as a servant and throughout the play the servants were an excellent reminder that class structure did exist. Wilde's idea of a witty servant has even spawned off into today's society with television sitcoms

Comparing Choice and Responsibility in Death of a Salesman, Young Goodm

Choice and Responsibility in Death of a Salesman, Young Goodman Brown, and   No Exit  Ã‚   Sartre and his existentialist philosophy have been subjects of curiosity for me for years. Only recently, after taking a philosophy class, have I begun to grasp some of the major principals of existentialism. Though I'm unsure about some of the peripheral arguments and implications of existentialism, the core of the system appeals strongly to me: Human beings are themselves the basis of values and meaning, and in this sense values are real--evolving, developing, and real. Existentialism places the individual at the center of things, gives him a sense of empowerment and responsibility, and erects a bridge on which Man can find his way out of many of the traps and snares he constructs for himself. Sartre's character in the play "No Exit," Orestes, finds such freedom and, in a humanist sense, is one of the most enviable characters I encountered in this course. How can this be? Orestes commits two murders and is exiled from his rightful kingdom, barely escaping with his life. What is enviabl... Comparing Choice and Responsibility in Death of a Salesman, Young Goodm Choice and Responsibility in Death of a Salesman, Young Goodman Brown, and   No Exit  Ã‚   Sartre and his existentialist philosophy have been subjects of curiosity for me for years. Only recently, after taking a philosophy class, have I begun to grasp some of the major principals of existentialism. Though I'm unsure about some of the peripheral arguments and implications of existentialism, the core of the system appeals strongly to me: Human beings are themselves the basis of values and meaning, and in this sense values are real--evolving, developing, and real. Existentialism places the individual at the center of things, gives him a sense of empowerment and responsibility, and erects a bridge on which Man can find his way out of many of the traps and snares he constructs for himself. Sartre's character in the play "No Exit," Orestes, finds such freedom and, in a humanist sense, is one of the most enviable characters I encountered in this course. How can this be? Orestes commits two murders and is exiled from his rightful kingdom, barely escaping with his life. What is enviabl...

Dance With Wolf

There is a saying that the history Is written by the winner. The second one was, somewhat more personal thought. I was relating myself to John Dunbar, and the Sioux. I was too, a foreigner In foreign country. Alien from their culture and customs, I too had to adjust into their society, and become one of them. And that was not easy. Still today, many people from different background live together, but at the same time form their own community. Difference In culture, language, and customs creates confusion In one's realization of identity.Before moving on to the first question, I would like to discuss about â€Å"White Man's Burden†. White men thought they had a mission to converge all the â€Å"savages† to Christian beliefs, and to â€Å"civilize† them. As mentioned In another film we watched during the class, Pocahontas, that movie raises question on â€Å"who is savage? â€Å". A point would like to focus on before I begin my thoughts on the movie, I would lik e to view different points of views. The question of â€Å"virtuous† comes from what point you look at. Looking at different side, my enemy can become an angel to another person.The first question, which side is virtuous? Once, a famous comedian, George Carline said in his stand-up comedy show, â€Å"we are praying to the god to defeat our enemies, and they are praying to the god to defeat their enemies, so somebody's goanna get bucked, mint it? â€Å". Most people when they see this movie will think how cruel white men are. They ravaged lands that Indians lived in, butchered their buffalos, and killed Indians without questioning their human nature, or what kind of person they are. In the other hand, Indians, to the white man, are Just obstacles In the way to their plan.People usually call people in their way to the goal, enemies. The question of â€Å"who is righteous? † can be vague according to which side of point of view you look from. What was impressive of the movie was the scene of the childhood of Rise with Fist. She was born white, and their parents Just wanted to protect her. However, the Native Americans killed their parents, without questioning, In a brutal manner. Who is evil then? Her parents who failed in the task of protecting her family by threatening 1 OFF perhaps what the director wanted to show was the brutality of human being itself.I see form of art as â€Å"expression of human being†. Human being itself is so complex, that there are so many different types of people, characteristics, culture, and modes of behavior. I think what the director wanted to show was, how people think other people are identical to them. If they do not find similarity between them, they turn into hostile behaviors. Sioux did, at the first time with John Dunbar. So as John Dunbar, did not trust in them when they kept on trying to steal his horse. To Sioux, both white man and Pawned tribe are the same.They are both hazardous people who want t hem dead. To white Americans at the end of the movie, both Pawned, Sioux, are all the same. They are Just an obstacle to their moving frontier. When taken into more personal name, it makes us realize, disregarding what tribe we are from, we are all same. We laugh when it's fun; we cry to the death of close one, we feel friendship and comradeship when fighting shoulder to shoulder against creeping death. However, we can never deny what we come from. Perhaps this is why the resonating echo of Wind in his Hair sounded so sad.Dances With Wolves, I am Wind in His Hair. Do you see that I am your friend? Can you see that you will always be my friend? † Without answering to his roar, Dance With Wolves, or John Dunbar rides away to the piled snowy mountain. What this implies, no matter where we come from, we can be friends, but at the same time, it is so hard to stray apart from what you really are. The second point which I found interesting relates more to my personal experiences. I m oved abroad when I was 10 years old. It is an age hard to tell who really I am.I was arced into different culture when I was at school, and I was forced to Korean culture when I came home, back from the school. It is hard to deny what we are used to. The concept is so different, starting from living, eating, greeting, to the way of funeral. John Dunbar, when he was caught by his fellow soldiers towards the end of the movie, denied himself of being John Dunbar, declaring himself as â€Å"l am Dance With Wolves†. He totally seemed to become part of Sioux tribe. However, what was ironic was that the reason he went back to the camp at the first place was to find his urinal.Was Journal so important? Especially thinking about Indian culture where they don't have the concept of individual ownership? Furthermore, if John Dunbar decided to live with their tribe for the rest of his life, what importance of meaning that Journal could possibly hold? I think this part of irony shows how h ard it is to forget your own culture. This also relates to the conclusion of the first point of this essay. I spent most of my adolescent overseas. When I had about 17 to 18 years, I too was confused who I was. Am I Korean? Or am I biologically Korean with American Houghton?I still today, don't think myself as I am one-hundred percent Korean. John Dunbar probably had the same kind of confusion. After his attempt of killing himself, decision of Journey to find himself. He thought he had become part of the Sioux. He learned their language, became friend with them. He hated how white people acted in the war, and he was tired of it. That's why he decided to head west. However, indeed, he never became a true Indian, and he did not wanted to be a regular white man neither; the clash of his two identities must have been very hard on him.It was very interesting in the film how his agony of two clashing identity had effect on John Dunbar. I looked at the film on two different but similar top ics: nature of human being and individual's thought of his identity. I think, every human is same, but different. We all dream, and we all have different identity. Identity can be a key factor what describes oneself. John Dunbar identity is John Dunbar, Lieutenant of The United States' Union Army. He is an officer and the officer in charge of Fort Sedgwick. His identity is Dance With Wolves.He is a husband of Rise With Fist, and a part of Sioux member. He fought against Pawned to defend his tribe. He is an excellent marksman. He used his gun to save a Sioux girl's life from buffalo. He has a Sioux wife. Her name is Rise With Fist, blessed with a name Christine on her birth. Despite the fact that they were brought up in different culture, and different background, they became friends, enemies, husbands and wives. However, they did not truly become one. Which is I thought of as ironic message of the film. The United States is known to be a culture of â€Å"Melting Pot†.However, Native Americans are not part of this melting pot. The United States is also sarcastically said to be a â€Å"salad bowl of different ethnicities†. In the melting pot, all ingredients melt into one singular identity. However in a salad bowl, even though they are mixed together, each ingredient remains their identity. This might be the message what the director of the film Dances With Wolves wanted to say. Not sad, not frightening, nor ugly, Just a self-portrait of the world we live in, a world where we are so close but so far away from each other.

Multiculturalism in Early Childhood Education Essay

Introduction In recent times, early childhood education is becoming more diverse. Early childhood providers are required to attempt many challenging tasks. One of the most difficult of these is providing our children with diverse, multicultural experiences. (Ogletree & Larke, 2010) Since the beginning of times, young children have been raised by their families, extended families, clans and communities. Even today, most childcare homes and many early childhood programs tend to be fairly consistent and quite similar to the child’s home background. Parents tend to choose childcare and early childhood programs based on whether the programs match their own views of education and discipline. (Tarman & Tarman, 2011) Programs nowadays are expected to provide the children with experiences outside of their groups, offering opportunities to teach them to be tolerant, respectful and accepting of differences. (Derman-Sparks, 1989) Bennet (1995) described multicultural education â€Å"as an approach to teaching and learning that is based upon democratic beliefs and seeks to foster cultural pluralism within culturally diverse societies and an interdependent world.† In Singapore, where we have a culturally diverse population, it is essential to be sensitive towards each other’s cultural practices, beliefs and views. Thus, the reason to include multicultural education into the early childhood education system deems as important. The logical reason being that brain research has proved that the â€Å"prime time† for emotional and social development in children is from birth to twelve years of age. (Abdullah, 2009) Issues in Including Multicultural Education in Early Childhood Education There are several issues that do not allow multicultural education to permeate the early childhood programs in Singapore. Curriculum The curriculum of a center shows the process in which learning outcomes will be achieved. Therefore, including the goals and objectives of multicultural education into the center’s curriculum is essential. It has to be infused throughout the curriculum. Good early childhood pedagogy reflects and empowers the diverse cultural backgrounds of the children and families with whom they work. (Robinson & Jones, 2006) Including children’s identity into the daily programming and planning of the early childhood curriculum is considered necessary for developing their self-esteem as well as cultivating  their appreciation for diversity that exists more widely in our society. (Abdullah, 2009) In Singapore, multicultural education is not a mainstream issue. With Singaporeans being more aware of issues and events through globalization and internet, it is truly essential that multicultural education is included in schools. Quah (as cited in Berthelsen & Karuppiah, 2011) has discussed the expanded ethnic and religious awareness strain among Singapore in recent years. Recent cases such as the wearing of the Muslim head-dress in government schools drummed up a buzz around the diverse ethnic groups in Singapore and resuscitated ethnic strains. These cases show that government policies need to be re-evaluated painstakingly so as to safeguard cultural harmony and maintain respect for cultural diversity. Thus, gaining support from the Government to deal with this issue indepth is significant. Language Development Usually the educational system in most countries applies the national language as the medium of instruction. However, multiculturalism and the distinguishment of the important role of language in studying makes it compulsory for differing qualities of dialect, abilities and correspondence styles to be recognized, esteemed and utilized within all early childhood services. The procurement for children to study the majority language whilst maintaining their first language ought to be underpinned and energized. This obviously is to propose bilingualism or in any event underpin for the home dialect as a strategy even at the unanticipated youth level. (Abdullah, 2009) Research has demonstrated that there can just be favourable circumstances to the child other than ensuring and regarding home dialect. (Hakuta, 1986) This primary issue and challenge for the procurement of bilingual training is one of human assets. Relatively few countries will have the personnel who themselves are bilingual or multilingual. Consequently, children with languages other than the national language to look, maintain and to develop  and broaden their language and concept development within early childhood services.(Vuckovic, 2008) All children have the chance to listen to, utilise and study the majority language in a steady environment where assets, materials and individuals are utilized to scaffold their learning in a majority language. Early Childhood Education Staff Staff working in childcare centers and early childhood education programs has the ability to create an impact on the children’s developing attitudes towards cultural diversity more than any other person in the child’s life. This is an undeniable fact. It is crucial that staff go through appropriate training or staff advancement programs, which include the essential knowledge, skills and attitudes for such an avocation. Teacher must take the steps necessary to better themselves as teachers in multicultural education settings. With the changing face of today’s classrooms, there is a growing need to address multiculturalism an diversity awareness. (Riskowski & Olbricht, 2010) Training courses for early childhood educators might as well have components in both content and conveyance that address diversity of cultures. (Verma, 2003) Pre-service preparation in the form of actual scenarios where teachers are set in multicultural or classrooms made up of cultures different from their own are particularly adequate in getting them to re-look at their existing convictions and biases.(Jacobson, 2003) This type of learning emphatically influences teachers’ manners towards teaching in diverse settings. Pre-service learning has the potential of enabling teacher candidates to stand up to challenging issues of social inequities and to start the deconstruction of lifelong attitudes and the development of socially just educators. (Baldwin, Buchanan & Rudisill, 2007) Issues Affecting Child as a Learner Children need an education, which allows them to take their place in this multicultural society. A child as young as two and three years are familiar with human distinctions and this mindfulness is connected with the improvement of specific disposition. An essential socialization as well as  preferences and habit pattern in the early years of life leaves a preserving impact on the individual. .(Jacobson, 2003) These findings feature the importance of bringing social values and attitudes to children’s attention during this critical developmental period. Using this evidence, it becomes clear that early childhood community needs to address the needs of multicultural children and their unique families. These children include biological, multiracial and multi-ethnic children in blended homes, foster homes, adoptive homes and a variety of biological homes. In the early years, the child’s family assumes the leading role in socialising the child to the conduct, beliefs, convictions and plans held inside their culture. (Garbarino, 1992) With the rise in the amount of working parents and children partaking in group programs from an early age, preschools have likewise turned into compelling socialisation force. (Berthelsen & Karuppiah, 2011) Young children who live in a multicultural community experience social differences firsthand; it is part of their world. Then again, other children who live in a monocultural group frequently have challenges comprehending and tolerating an environment that is not the same as theirs. Knowing increasingly about the noteworthiness of children’s voyages between home and school and the impacts of these adventures, teachers can help these children unite the universes of home and school and all different worlds that they might experience in theirdaily lives. (Vuckovic, 2008) Pressures from mass media likewise push an impact on children to fit in with a uniform set of necessitites, dialect, method of articulation inshort, a whole way of life. They are exposed to a ‘counter culture’, which declines and demoralizes articulation from expressing their culture of origin. Regularly, this brings about immense pressures for the children, with parents demanding adherence to the old customs, with traditions practised in the home and frequently in activities outside the home. The consequence is that by and large, parents get estranged from their children who are attempting to comprehend and adapt to their transitory sub-culture, yet endeavouring to make a successful modification into another society, which  secretively and frequently unintentionally denies them this right.( Lin & Bates, 2010) Misconceptions in Teachers The most common issue is misconceptions in multiculturalism. Educators are unsure of their own ability to define what their role is in teaching culture. Teachers need the knowledge, skills and positive attitudes to know what to teach and how to teach. (Berthelsen, & Karuppiah, 2011) Teachers need to teach in a way that will meet the needs of all of their students. It may not be easy and may require more attention, time and effort. An issue teachers face is that pre-service teachers are leaving their courses unassuming to educate in today’s diverse classrooms. The dominant parts of them are leaving courses after just having one or two essential modules on educating in a multicultural setting. They are not ready for interacting with different cultures than the shielded ones that a large portion of them live in. (Lin & Bates, 2010) They are not ready for the distinctive needs controlled by today’s multicultural student population. They end up being not as qualified in this area as they should be. One reason for this could be that teachers express that students oppose multicultural education. (Atwater, Freeman, Bulter & Morris, 2010) Why is this the case? Everyone holds his or her beliefs about things. The zone of multicultural instruction is no distinctive. One of the first things that a teacher must do is to analyse herself. She ought to perceive how the conclusions, convictions and viewpoints that she holds influence the curriculum that she is planning to teach. Whether purposeful or not, a teacher’s comtemplations, recognitions, inclinations and sentiments can likely be depicted to her students. (Nichols & Dong, 2011) A â€Å"tourist approch† towards multiculturalism where cultures are only taught through celebrations, food and traditional clothing is a very common sighting in Singapore. (Berthelsen & Karrupiah, 2011) It is both disparaging and trivializing and does not give a genuine comprehension of different societies.(Derman-Sparks, 1989) Teacher need to comprehend their own particular convictions about cultures and differing qualities so as to  execute multicultural education programs viably with young children. Teachers should take the steps important to better themselves as instructors in multicultural settings. This is no feat that can be accomplished overnight. Multicultural Education in Singapore Singapore is a multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi-religious society. Our population comprises mainly Chinese, Malays, Indians and others. Multicultural education is not a mainstream issue in Singapore. While the government has been capable to keep up peace and congruity through its political, social and financial strategies and unique days, it does not manage the issue in profundity. As Singaporeans are presently for the most part more mindful of issues and occasions around the world through globalization and the web, it has become progressively critical for Singapore to think about multicultural education in schools. In the meantime as empowering differences through conservation of the social personality of the racial and ethnic aggregations in the nation, the government has likewise attempted to work towards building social union around diverse assemblies, which offered ascent to the trademark ‘unity in diversity’. (Berthelsen & Karuppiah, 2011) For multicultural ed ucation to be viable, it must be taught in the early years of education and strengthened in the later stages. Since children’s attitudes to their and other social assemblies start to structure in the early years, early childhood educators can impact the improvement of uplifting demeanor towards others, as well as consolidating an educational program concentrate on tolerance wand cross-cultural understandings of others. Early childhood educators, however, cannot adopt a â€Å"tourist approach† to multiculturalism which generalizes other societies and transforms the multicultural educational module into a â€Å"tourist curriculum†. ‘Tourist curriculum† which educates about cultures through festivals and antiquities of society, for example, food and traditional clothing, is both disparaging and trivializing and does not give a genuine comprehension of other cultures. Teachers need to understand their own beliefs about culture and diversity in order to implement multicultural education programs effectively with young children. (Berthelsen & Karuupiah, 2011) A survey was done by Berthelsen & Karuppiah(2011) to find out their understandings of multicultural education and their perceptions of its  importance in early childhood education. This was conducted in Singapore among a variety of teachers workingin private and public kindergartens and childcare centers. The participants came from different ethnic groups in Singapore. Perceptions about multiculturalism and children’s learning In this case study, they found that most teachers had restricted comprehension of multiculturalism. They saw multiculturalism as just regarding race and in the connection of Singapore.  About 60% of the participants expressed that multicultural education implied having information of one;s culture and additionally other cultures. They believed that this learning is sufficient and would immediately carry individuals out of diverse societies together. Another 40% showed that children learn prejudices, dispositions, convictions and qualities from the adults around them, parents and teachers. They communicated convictions that schools assume a paramount part in educating children about diverse cultures. Beliefs about teaching for multiculturalism The same group of teachers were asked their beliefs about teaching for multiculturalism. Twenty of them thought directing a multicultural program implied examining distinctive cultures regarding their food, clothing, celebrations, traditions and so forth. This brings it back to the â€Å"tourist approach† that Derman-Sparks(1989) implied when educating about multiculturalism. They did not go past a tourist point of view in advancing an ‘anti-bias’ approach to educating and researching the distinctive cultures. Thirteen others said preschool centers should treat kids of diverse cultures similarly and decently. Sixteen teachers thought individuals might as well put stock in multicultural education and be supportive of it. The greater part of teachers who had constructive encounters in multicultural situations or with multicultural individuals were likewise more agreeable than others without such encounters in examining multicultural issues. A few teachers had reservations about talking over  Ã¢â‚¬Å"delicate† issues, for example race or religion. Professional learning needs about multiculturalism Based on the survey done by Berthelsen & Karuppiah(2011), the teachers comprehended that they needed to understand more about multicultural education. They agreed that teachers needed knowledge, skills and positive attitudes to know what to teach and how to teach. However, the teachers did not explicitly discuss the vitality of individual reflection to comprehend their own particular prejudices, demeanor, convictions and qualities, and how these could influence their educating and learning. There were no critical or elaborated ideas on the challenges and opportunities to implement multicultural education programs. Recommendations James A. Banks, a specialist in multicultural education, has developed the five dimensions of multicultural education. He realised that in his work, numerous teachers considered multicultural education as simply content integration, meaning utilizing samples, information and data from diverse cultures. (Ogltree & larke, 2010) The five dimensions are content integration, knowledge constructions, equity pedagogy, prejudice reduction and empowering school culture and social structure. He desired for teachers to have the skills and knowledge and racial attitudes needed to work with people from diverse groups and to use a wide variety of strategies that cater to a wider range of students. (Banks, 2002) Content Integration Teachers should use several different approaches to integrate content about racial, ethnic and cultural groups into the curriculum. One of the most popular is the Contributions Approach. When this approach is used, teachers insert isolated facts about ethnic and cultural group heroes and heroines into the curriculum without changing the structure of their lesson plans and units. Knowledge Construction It helps students to understand how knowledge is constructed and how it reflects the experiences, values, and perspectives of its creators. In this approach, the structure, assumptions, and perspectives of the curriculum are  changed so that the concepts, events, and issues taught are viewed from the perspectives and experiences of a range of racial, ethnic, and cultural groups. The center of the curriculum no longer focuses on mainstream and dominant groups, but on an event, issue, or concept that is viewed from many different perspectives and points of view. This is done while at the same time helping students to understand the nation’s common heritage and traditions. Teachers should help students to understand that while they live in a diverse nation, all citizens of a nation-state share many cultural traditions, values, and political ideals that cement the nation. Multicultural education seeks to actualize the idea of e pluribus unum, i.e. to create a society that recogn izes and respects the cultures of its diverse peoples united within a framework of democratic values that are shared by all. (Banks, 2002) Prejudice Reduction According to Banks, this dimension is important in creating a â€Å"more positive racial and ethnic attitudes.† Basically, this dimension is the aspect of education where the teacher helps to lessen the amount of prejudice within students. Equity Pedagogy Teachers change their methods to enable kids from diverse racial groups and both genders to achieve. Empowering School Culture and Social Structure James Banks talks about looking not just at individual classrooms, but at the total school culture to see how to make it more equitable and using the other four dimensions to create a safe and healthy educational environment for all. James Banks’ five dimensions support that a child’s racial attitudes can change but education must start early and that early childhood programs are the perfect place to start multicultural education. (Vuckovic, 2008) Teachers As such, how can we make this a better transition for both teachers and the children? Sheets(as cited in Nichols & Dong, 2011) said, â€Å"all teachers can begin and most evolve into culturally competent educators; however, it is  important to become conscious that the ardous journey from novice to expert requires hard work, relentless commitment, and a high investment of time and energy†. Two evident approaches for joining multicultural education with teacher education programs are infusion versus segregation, and culture-specific versus culture-general. (Melnick & Zeichner, 1997) Ladson-Billings (as cited in Berthelsen & Karuppiah,2011), proposed a basic structure for breaking down teacher preparation programs. She argued that, paying little mind to prospective teachers; race, ethnicity or backgrounds; the educational module should include a target on comprehending the way of pre-service teacher relationships and the cultural bases of the educational program, educating and society. The education of teachers should boost self-reflection on values and beliefs about cultural difference and advocate the studying approaches, which allow for teacher inclusion that is dymanic, significant and ethno-linguistically appropriate. The plans of Melnick and Zeichner (1997) and Ladson-Billings (as cited in Berthelsen & Karuppiah, 2011) could be connected to teacher education programs for early childhood education in Singapore. Such programs might investigate how preschool educators characterize and conceptualize multicultural education; fuse investigations of the history of race relationships; and use careful investigations and field encounters to provide teachers with chances to gain greater knowledge, skills and understandings of their own culture as well as of other cultural and language groups in their society. In particular, they should learn how to advance suitable programs for young children that consolidate encounters to permit children to comprehend cultural differences and encourage relationships between children of distinctive cultural backgrounds. Environment There is a need for physical environment where children are well versed to reflect the cultures represented by the children working within it. For example, pictures, books, art, music, activities, cooking and recognition of certain significant days important to each culture can reflect this orientation. (Jacobson, 2003) There is a need to advocate in children, knowledge of the similarities and contrasts in cultures, underscoring the  likeness while encouraging an inspirational demeanor towards and delight in the differences. This could be attained through celebrating various holidays, enjoying reading material, folklore, music, art, games and introducing foods of various cultures. There is a need for a social or racial match between some educating staff and children in schools to be accomplished. This shows how the administration and teachers work together to decrease racial stereotypes and prejudices in the school and increase democratic attitudes, values and behaviours. The support from management is definitely essential. (Banks, 2002) Conclusion Multiculturalism is worthwhile undertaking in early childhood education based on our country’s population. It prepares children for the challenges of the globalized world. To attain the above, early childhood settings need to plan an environment, which puts forth diversity positively through resources, and materials that do not sustain stereotypes. It is also essential that a multicultural education, from pre-school onwards permeates the whole curriculum. It is inadequate to commit a component regularly reputed to be ‘ethnic studies’ to a corner of the syllabus or to a half hour period for every week. Most desirable is that interpersonal relations ought to be passed on by long-term and rational modeling and that knowledge gained ought to be by first-hand experience. Important implications need to be addressed before infusing it into the early childhood curriculum and equal collaboration between children, teachers, parents, administrators, employers and the wider community is essential. (Vuckovic, 2008) References Abdullah, A. C. (2009) Multicultural education in early childhood: Issues and challenges. Journal of International Coopeation in Education, 12(1) Atwater, M., Freeman, T., Butler, M., Morris, J. (2010). A case study of science teacher candidates’ understandings and actions related to the culturally responsive teaching of â€Å"other† students. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education. 5. 287-318. Baldwin. S. C., Buchanan, A. M., & Rudisill, M. e. (2007). What teacher candidates learned about diversity, social justice, and themselves from service-learning experiences. Journal of Teacher Education, 58(4), 315-327. Bennett, C. (2003). Comprehensive multicultural education: Theory and practice. (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn Bacon. Berthelsen, D., & Karuppiah, N. (2011). Multiculturaleducation: The understandings of preschool teachers in Singapore. Australian Journal of Early Childhood Education. 36(4). Derman-Sparks, L. (1989). Anti-bias curriculum: Tools for empowering young children. Washington, D.C: National Association for the Education of Young Children. Garbarino, J. (1992). Children and families in the social environment (2nd ed.). New York: Aldine de Gruyter. Hakuta, K. (1986). Mirror of language: The debate on bilingualism. New York: Basic Books. Jacobson, T. (2003). Confronting our discomfort: Clearing the way for anti-bias in early childhood. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Lin, M., & Bates, A. B. (2010). Home visits: How do they affect teachers’ beliefs about teaching and diversity? Early Childhood Education Journal, 38, 179-185. Melnick, S., & Zeichner, K. (1997). Teacher education for cultural diversity. Enhancing the capacity of teacher education for institutions to address diversity issues. In J. King, E. Hollins, & W. Hayman (Eds.), Meeting the challenge of diversity in teacher preparation (pp. 23-39). New York: Teachers College Press. Nichols, M. E., & Dong, E. (2011). Meeting the needs for today’s multicultural classroom: A review of literature. The Journal of Multiculturalism in Education, 7(1). Ogletree, Q., & Larke, P. J. (2010). Implementing multicultural practices in early childhood Education. National Forum of Multicultural Issues Journal, 7(1). Quah, J. S. T. (2000). Government policies and nation-building & searching for Singapore’s national values. Singapore: South East Printing. Riskowski, J. & Olbricht, G. (2010). Student views of diversity: A multicultural mathematics activity. Viewing transformation during the middle school years. Multicultural Education. 2-12. Sheets, R. (2009). What is diversity pedagogy?. Multicultural Education. 11-17. Tarman, I., & Tarman, B. (2011). Developing effective multicultural practices: A case study of exploring a teacher’s understanding and practices. The Journal of International Social Research, 4(17). Verma, G. K. (2003). Ethnic diversity and multicultural education: Cross-cutting issues and concepts. Proceedings of The International Conference on Globalization and Multicultural Perspectives in Education, Penang, Malaysia, 3-4 Dec. 2003. Vuckovic, A. (2008). Making the multicultural learning environment flourish: The importance of the child-teacher relationship in educating young children about diversity. Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 33(1).

Norman Mailer’s Stabbing of his Second Wife, Adele Morales

Mr. Mailer was an eminent individual of America, he was known as a writer, film producer and director. He completed his Bachelors of Science in aeronautics from Harvard University in 1939. He became a very famous personality after writing many prominent novels. He married six times throughout his life. He had nine children, out of which eight were biological, and one was adopted. Norman Mailer was considered   Ã‚  a very gifted and assiduous person. In the year 1960, at a party held at his home, Mailer got drunk and stabbed his second wife, Adele Morale, practically killing her. Adele Morale was hurt in the abdomen and back of the body. Most people believed that Mailer was observed as the victim. Mailer had been motivated to do this by compulsion and mental illness, as there was no other reason which could be concluded for this sinful act. While few people criticize him and believe that Mailer did not have any admiration for women, he affirmed on a converse demonstrate, â€Å"Women ought to be kept in confine.†   In a Harper's Magazine dissertation titled â€Å"The Prisoner of Sex†, he wrote, â€Å"The major accountability of a woman is to be on ground long enough to find the best mate for herself and envisage children who will perk up the species.† So in this research study we have covered all the facts which may be involved in Norman’s stabbing of his second wife, and have described the circumstances which provoked him to perform this violence. Life History ; Achievements of Norman Mailer Norman Mailer was an outstanding personality of the United States of America. He was an author, film producer and director. Normal Mailer was born in New Jersey in 1923. In 1939, Mailer completed his Bachelors of Science in aeronautics from the Harvard University. After completion of his edification, he initiated inscription of novels. In the year 1944, he was driven to the army, where he worked communally as a clerk and rifleman. In the year 1948, he started writing for the novel, â€Å"The Naked and The Death†. In this novel, he elucidated everything which he had perceived in World War II. This novel achieved more accomplishment than it was expected to. It was in 1960 when he wrote many dissertations and became a lead writer. In 1969, Mailer ran for mayor, this time on the â€Å"Secessionist† ticket, which included proposals that New York City become the fifty-first state and that disputes among young criminals be settled by jousting tournaments in Central Park. Mailer's theatrical journalistic approach is presumed to be of highest esteem in the outstanding Armies of the Night. Mailer triumphed six percent of the ballot in a five man competition to turn out to be the Mayor of New York. He recognized the 1968 Republican and Democratic conference in Miami and the Siege of Chicago, and became the first man to corridor the Moon. During his life time, Mailer married six dissimilar women and had nine children from them, eight of which were his biological children and one was adopted. After spending a troublesome life, Mr. Mailer died at the age of 84 in New York, at Mount Sinai Hospital, due to renal failure. [Norm, Rich]. Marriages of Norman Mailer Norman Mailer married six times, his first marriage took place in the year 1943, and last in 1980. His first wife was Beatrice Silverman, they got married in 1943, and he divorced her in the year 1952. Adele Morales was his second wife, they got married on April 19, 1954 at City Hall, but after a few years, he attempted to kill her with a pen knife, and they were divorced after this ghastly incident. Lady Jeanne Campbell was the third wife of Mailer. They married in the year 1962 and were divorced in 1963. He then decided to marry Beverly Bentley in the year 1963. His fifth wife was Carol Steven whom he married in the year 1980; they were separated after one day of their marriage. He committed himself to Norris Church in the year 1980. [Norm, Sherry, Strifto]. The stabbing incident At a revelry in which Mr. Mailer was to announce his Mayoral candidature on the Secessionist ticket, he was heavily drunk and he stabbed his second wife Adele Morale, practically killing her. She was hit in the abdomen and back of the body, and was taken to the hospital at 8 am sharp. She was admitted to the hospital with an abrasion in close proximity to her heart. Shortly after, detectives went to question her about the incident, but they were told that she was in a very critical situation, and she could not answer their questions. The following day, the police was allowed to visit her as she was feeling better than before. She then informed them that her husband stabbed her on Sunday morning at 5 a.m. without any reason. He unexpectedly walked towards her, looked at her and stabbed her with a penknife. Adele refused to press accusation, so Mailer escaped this indignation within a fortnight at a psychiatric unit of Bellevue. This incident became one of the most terrible events of Mailer’s life. It has been a focal point for feminist critics of Mailer, who point to the subject of sexual aggression in his work.   This confrontation made him separate with his beloved wife. Furthermore, they divorced in the year 1962. This incident also blemished his career and the image he had made among fans. He was no more considered as a celebrity after stabbing his wife. Mailer also felt guilty for his act while appearing in a T.V. documentary.   He himself said, â€Å"The stabbing changed everything in my life. It is the one act I can look back on and regret for the rest of my life.† On the other hand, Adele Morales tells news reporters that Norman Mailer was never guilty for his act because if he was, it would show, additionally; he can never accept that he has any weakness in his character. Carl Rollyson unwrapped the biography of Mailer with narrations of John Maloney, an acquaintance of Mailer. It was in 1954, when Maloney stabbed his mistress and escaped. After a few years he was sent to jail but was released when the convict was taken back from his wife. At that moment, Mailer alleged to him, â€Å"God, I wish I had the courage to stab a woman like that. That was a real gutsy act.† That tells one all one needs to know about Norman Mailer’s idea of â€Å"courage.† In some instances, it conveys very modest disapproval surrounded by upscale intellectuals [Norm & Kimball, 2007; Bart, 2007]. Circumstances and Causes of this Incident When the populace attempted to conclude on the subject of Mailer’s stabbing of his second wife, they were frequently bewildered. This was due to the fact that Mailer had a tremendous individuality and overwhelming intelligence, and had written many esteemed articles. While on other hand, he stabbed his wife so it is not very easy to conclude Mailer’s personality and circumstances which drove him to this act. However, we can have a spectacle on what a researcher considered about Norman Mailer, to make a conclusion about the cause of his violent act. Irving Howe believes that Mailer was observed as the victim. He also believes that Mailer had been motivated by compulsivity and mental illness as there was no other reason which can be concluded for this sin. Anyone who reads Mailer’s story would consider him as a victim and they would question themselves additionally, as to what the circumstances were, which forced him to do so. If Mailer’s attempt to assassinate his companion convened with little displeasure, the ‘American Dream’ would not run away so effortlessly. It had its admirer, and on the other hand critic Stanley Edgar Hyman, in an overwhelming review called Norman Mailer’s Luscious Rump, beam a lot, when it was called an appalling novel. Substantially added flamboyance than antagonism, it is a book whose dreadfulness is in actual fact begging description. It can be said that Mailer performed this violent act because he would be mentally depressed at times, as he had a troubling life. However, some people believe that Mailer was thought of as a celebrity who was a drinker and brawler, womanizer, biased campaigner, communal critic, talk-show guest, self-promoter, and symbol of male sexism. The stabbing incident became the evidence of Mailer’s reputation as a boisterous person too [Norm & Kimball]. The above discussion clearly concludes that the causes of this incident may be   some mental illness, or it was his cruel nature towards women which made him   perform this horrible act. References Bart Barnes, November 11, 2007, A blustery force in life and letter retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2007/11/11/ST2007111101767.html. About.com, quotes about Norman Mailer previous marriages retrieved from http://marriage.about.com/od/thearts/a/normanmailer_3.htm Richard Avedo, Norman Mailer autobiography retrieved from   http://www.notablebiographies.com/Lo-Ma/Mailer-Norman.html. Mailer a dissenting view, Roger Kimball http://pajamasmedia.com/xpress/rogerkimball/2007/11/10/norman_mailer_a_dissenting_vie.php.