Political Aspects of Lord of the Flies

The â€Å"Lord of the Flies† is an allegorical novel by Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding. It was Golding’s first novel, and was published in the year 1954. Even though it was not a grand success at the time selling fewer than 3,000 copies in the United States throughout 1955 prior to going out of print it went on to turn out to be a bestseller, and mandatory reading in various schools and colleges. It was adapted to film in 1963 by Peter Brook, and once more in 1990. The title is a reference to Beelzebub from the Hebrew name Baalzvuv ב× ¢Ã—Å" ×â€"בוב, and said to be a synonym for the Devil. Lord of the Flies explores the dark side of humankind, the savagery that lies beneath even the most civilized human beings (Faber School Editions, 1962). Golding planned this novel as a tragic parody of children’s adventure tales, demonstrating humankind’s intrinsic evil nature. The author presents the reader with a chronology of events leadi ng a group of young boys from anticipation to disaster as they try to survive their unsupervised, uncivilized, isolated environment until rescued.In the middle of a nuclear war, a group of British boys discover themselves stranded without adult supervision on a tropical island. The group is generally divided into the â€Å"littluns,† boys more or less the age of six, and the â€Å"biguns,† who are among the ages of ten and twelve. Primarily, the boys try to form a culture comparable to the one they left behind. They select a leader, Ralph, who, with the advice and support of Piggy considered as the intellectual of the group, made every effort to set up rules for housing and sanitation. Ralph furthermore makes a signal fire the group’s first priority, hopeful that a passing ship will see the smoke signal and save them. A chief challenge to Ralph’s leadership is Jack, who as well wants to lead. Jack orders a group of choirboys-turned-hunters who sacrifice t he responsibility of tending the fire so that they can partake in the hunts. Jack draws the other boys gradually away from Ralph’s influence for the reason of their natural attraction to and fondness toward the adventurous hunting activities indicating violence and evil.The conflict between Jack and Ralph, and the said forces of savagery and civilization that they correspond to is exacerbated by the boys’ literal horror of a mythical beast wandering the island (Traister, Rebecca 2005). One night, an aerial battle takes place above the island, and a casualty of the battle floats down with his opened parachute, eventually coming to rest on the mountaintop. Breezes occasionally inflate the parachute, making the body seem to sit up and then drop forward again. This sight alarms the boys as they mistake the dead body for the beast they fear. As a result to this panic, Jack forms a splinter group that is ultimately joined by all but a few of the boys. The boys who join Jack are tempted by the protection Jack’s ferocity appears to provide, as well as by the prospect of playing the part of savages: putting on camouflaging face paint, hunting, and presenting ritualistic tribal dances. Ultimately, Jack’s group in fact slaughters a sow and, as a present to the beast, puts the sow’s head on a stick.Of all the boys, only the mystic Simon has the guts to discover the real identity of the beast sighted on the mountain. Subsequent to witnessing the death of the sow and the gift made of her head to the beast, Simon starts to hallucinate, and the staked sow’s head turns out to be the Lord of the Flies, reporting to Simon what he has previously suspected: The beast is not an animal on the loose but is concealed in each boy’s psyche. Weakened by his dreadful vision, Simon loses consciousness. Recovering later that evening, he struggles to the mountaintop and discovers that the beast is merely a dead pilot/soldier. Trying to get the news to the other boys, he slips into the tribal frenzy of their dance. Perceiving him as the beast, the boys beat him to death.Soon just three of the older boys, including Piggy, are still in Ralph’s camp. Jack’s group takes Piggy’s glasses to begin its cooking fires, leaving Ralph incapable to sustain his signal fire. When Ralph and his small group approach Jack’s tribe to ask for the return of the glasses, one of Jack’s hunters releases a big boulder on Piggy, killing him. The tribe captures the other two biguns prisoners, leaving Ralph on his own.  The tribe undertakes a manhunt to look for and kill Ralph, and they begin a fire to smoke him out of one of his hiding places, generating an island-wide forest fire. A passing vessel sees the smoke from the fire, and a British naval officer appears on the beach just in time to save Ralph from definite death at the hands of the schoolboys turned savages.Golding uses many symbolisms in The Lord of t he Flies.   The whole book is symbolic of the nature of human and society generally as the island turns out to be a society metaphorical to society as a whole and the chase at the end of the book symbolic of the war.   A symbol Golding uses all through the book is the conch.   It symbolizes authority and order.   The person holding the conch had the supremacy, and it formed order and rules since when it was called, everybody had to listen.   One more symbol is Piggy’s glasses.   It represents knowledge and insight.   While Piggy had them, he was able to provide advice to the group, such as that of the signal fire.   It was the glasses that produced the fire.   On the other hand, after the glasses are broken, the group loses what insight they had.   The war paint is furthermore a symbol.   It represented the rejection of society.In a way, when they put on the disguise of war paint, they took off the mask of society and exposed their true inner selves whic h were savage. Human condition is depicted all the way through the key characters in the novel. Every one embodies a strong-minded social stereotype which will be later on profoundly explained. This existentialist dissatisfaction is an aspect which darkens human kind similar to other factors such as the type of fear which is dealt throughout the book, being this one of the key causes of chaos. Those parallelisms, being several of them adventured, are valid too revealing two questions which take far beyond this point: to what extent is brutality a mere consequence of circumstances or a genuine feature in mankind.Unfortunately anarchy conquers order. This is the outcome for the reason that Golding believed that government is an unproductive way to maintain people together. No matter how logical or reasonable, government will in the long run have to give in to the anarchical demands of the public. This book traces the faults in society to the faults in the human being (Baker, James R. 1970).   Golding says that every person has in evil inner nature inadequately covered by society.   If the society is taken away, then the inner nature comes out and disorder and lawlessness erupt. Every person has an evil nature and is able of committing heinous crimes.   In this book, practically each person fell to the level of Jack’s savagery with the exception of those that were able to notice that evil such as Ralph, Simon, and Piggy. The beast is human.   In the start of the book, a littlun told the others that he saw a beast in the jungle opening everyone’s fears.   On the other hand, it turns out that the beast is in fact a parachutist and human, symbolizing that what people should be scared of is not some evil creature, but their own selves and other humans.Baker, James R. â€Å"The Decline of Lord of the Flies.† In South Atlantic Quarterly, Vol. 69, Autumn, (1970).Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Capricorn Books, G.P. Putnamâ⠂¬â„¢s Sons, (1954).Lord of The Flies, William Golding. Faber School Editions, (1962).Traister, Rebecca, â€Å"Reading â€Å"Lord of the Flies†Ã¢â‚¬ , (2005).

Has the Prime Minister got too much power?

The power of the Prime Minister largely comes from the royal prerogative, where what the monarch said was law. The prime minster is said to be first among equals, which means to describe the Prime Ministers position is largely greater to other ministers of state. However over the last hundred years, this has been less accurate description of the role and influence of the Prime Minister. First among equals implies an equal status among the minsters and that he is simply the ‘first' and represents the ministers and therefore the government and the country. However, the Prime Minister in reality is far more powerful than what he looks to be. The Prime Minister can hire anyone that is a UK citizen to become part of the cabinet through appointing someone as a peer in the House of Lords. Although he picks solely from the House of Lords and Commons, he can appoint anyone who is a peer to then join the cabinet. There is one case, where a former MP, Peter Mandleson, recently joined the cabinet as Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform for a third time in 2008 despite not being an MP or a peer. This power certainly erodes the idea of ‘first among equals'. However, it must be noted that cabinet could have taken this decision as a whole, though it is unlikely. Further the Prime Minister decides the policy of the cabinet and thus the government, the party and the country. Such power, is argues, is too much for one person to comprehend and bear. The Prime Minister as the leader of his political party is subject to the parties support and his ability to whip his majority in the House of Commons to pass his policies and legislation into law. However, the Prime Minister's reliance on the strong party whip system can sometimes be more of a weakness than strength. If his largely loyal party and Members of Parliament vote with his 95% of the time, then they may vote differently on the most important issues that matter to them. If the Prime Minister is always creating a party political vote on legislation going through Parliament, then the occasions when he may need to whip on most may not necessarily be as secure as it would be otherwise, he may be forced to rely on opposition support, an embarrassing political situation that he would be in. One example is the rebellion of over 120 Labour MP's on the plan to partially privatise Royal Mail. However, the Prime Minister can in some cases overcome rebellions by giving concessions to the aggrieved parties i.e. those who rebelled. One example of this was the row over the ‘ten pence' tax rule, a commitment brought in after Labour's success in the 1997 General Election to help poorer wage earners pay taxes, which came to the fore after Prime Minister, Gordon Browns reversed this policy commitment despite it being outlined in Labour's manifesto. The ‘Strong Party Whip System' however, doesn't necessarily exist in the key decisive polices and legislatives proposals presented to Parliament. Indeed, many comments have been made of Tony Blair's proposals of 90-day detention without trial defeat, his first in the House of Commons as Prime Minister; saw a huge blow to his power and ability to rule as Prime Minister. Especially considering when Labour passed every policy and legislation it proposed into law. After the defeat of the 90 day detention without trial legislation in 2005, not only did policies start to become harder to pass into the law system, the actual position of Tony Blair as an actual Prime Minister was called into question. Thus, the Prime Minister is not as powerful as he first appeared – as it can be said that once a Prime Minister has overstepped his power, his ability to lead as Prime Minister becomes substantially limited. This would imply that the Prime Minister is restrained in what he can actu ally do, and therefore is not ‘too powerful' at all. On the other hand, many would argue that the point of ‘overstepping the line' of being powerful is a lot further than other political leaders, especially across the continent, such as the United States where the people are strongly opposed to any sort of detention without trial and the President is restrained by the Constitution. The fact that the point at which the Prime Minister oversteps the moral boundaries is harder to cross than other world leaders is why many want to fragment the power of the PM to institutions like the Cabinet, Parliament and the European Union. However, I would argue that this devolution of power should go to lower institutions such as Borough Councils and Parliament in every aspect except income tax, legislation national law and national security. A greater likelihood of having your views heard has been demonstrated to show an increase in participation, not just in politics, but decision making as a general. Thus, the Prime Minister is too powerful and he must have a fragmentation of his power. Arguably, however, this would be a threat to the leadership of a country. This implied in a modern day world, where the businesses in the UK are global, and interconnected, needed national coordination, and ruling. This on the other hand shows that the Prime Minister should not garment his power, as it is essential to the country to retain is competitive feature. However, like the President in US, there are examples which highlight the fact that a leader doesn't necessarily have to be overly powerful to ensure the prosperity of a nation. Therefore, the Prime Minister is indeed, too powerful.

Immigration reform and economic growth Research Paper

Immigration reform and economic growth - Research Paper Example nding immigration reform are also provided via an interview with Tamar Jacoby, the president and CEO of Immigration Works USA, and an immigration policy columnist for the LA Times. Essentially, this research paper hypothesizes and demonstrates that comprehensive immigration reform can both satisfy the American economy’s need for workers – especially in sectors like agriculture, construction, and the service industry – and at the same time establish a legal framework to regulate the inflow of migrants to the U.S. II. Background The importance of immigration reform to the U.S. is highlighted by Jacoby in a semi-structured interview with the researcher. In her capacity as an immigration policy columnist and the president and CEO of Immigration Works USA, Jacoby notes that immigration is a very important issue for the U.S., particularly in the campaigns leading up to recent 2012 presidential election. Moreover, other countries have been making significant progress in tegrating immigrants in a way that promotes multiculturalism and, in doing so, have integrated immigrants more acceptably into the national workforce with the results that immigrants in other countries are increasingly becoming productive members of the community. In this regard, according to Jacoby, the U.S. has a lot of room for improvement and growth in terms of immigration reform and its socio-economic improvement. Jacoby’s observation of the significance of immigration reform in the U.S., and the room for improvement, is supported by the background facts. With the 2012 presidential elections approaching, the focus on the dire state of the U.S. economy took center stage. Both sides were more fixated on short-term solutions such as tax reductions, improving infrastructure, reducing government... This paper offers a comprehensive review of current immigration policy of the United States, and adduces arguments in favor of the immigration reform. This paper demonstrates this need for economic reform by tracing the history and current developments in immigration policies and laws and their consequences for the U.S. economy and the lives of illegal immigrants. For the most part, illegal immigrants take on unskilled jobs, particularly in domestic and agricultural industries that Americans are unwilling to take. However, as a result of their illegal status, they are denied the protection that legal workers are guaranteed and thus are often exploited and underpaid. The current immigration policy and laws in the U.S. focus on border control and enforcement as opposed to taking an approach that would legalize immigrants and thus improve wages offered to low-skilled workers The U.S. has always premised its economic policies on the free movement of goods and capital. The free movement of services and people via immigration reform cannot be distinguished from the free movement of goods and capital. It is in economic interests of the U.S. to reform immigration policies in a way that focuses on opening paths to immigration, Reforms should accord amnesty to those immigrants who have been living in the U.S. for at least five years, provided they are not threatening national security. Those who have been living in the U.S. for at least three years would be subject to removal with an opportunity to re-enter the U.S. legally.

World War I Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

World War I - Essay Example The first allies included the United Kingdom, France and Russia; the central powers included Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary. During World War I, more than 70 million military officers took part in the war with about 60 million being of European origin. By the end of the conflict, nearly 9 million military officers had been killed. There were various causes of the war, which included both short term and long term. The imperialistic polices imposed by great powers such as German, Russian empire, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires caused conflicts between different powers plunging them into wars. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand in 1914 was also a possible cause of the World War I. After these triggers, different alliances that had been organized before were revived. Austro-Hungarian started the conflict by invading Serbia. This invasion triggered Germany into invading Belgium. Russia and France invaded Germany to counter its advancement into Belgium. The war spread across Eur ope and colonies of the different powers and the world war was on. Causes of World War I At the beginning of the nineteenth century, different powers across Europe started organizing themselves into alliances. These alliances resulted in the formation of complex military and political networks that included European powers. The Holly Alliance was the first alliance to be established and it included Persia, Russia, and Austria. In 1879, the Dual Alliance that included the German empire and Austria-hungry was established to suppress the earlier alliance between Russia and Persia. The formation of these alliances posed a major threat the Great Britain, which entered into an alliance with France and Russia. Although the formation of the dual alliance was intended to counter the Russian advancement into western territories s, the United Kingdom considered it as a major threat to its existence. The dual alliance was formed with the intention of countering Russian influence over the Ottoma n Empire and the Balkan. Each of these alliances was established under treaties that were meant protect the interests of countries in a particular league. The treaties were also aimed at preventing the entry of allied powers. The major treaties signed immediately before World War I included the Reinsurance treaty between the Germans and the Russians, the Franc-Russian alliance and Anglo-Russian alliance (Cross 121). Each of these treaties had the purpose of securing the interests of the concerned parties against the influence or invasion by allied powers. It is also evident that most of these treaties targeted Russia. Treaties were formed either to counter Russian advancement or to incorporate Russia in to a particular alliance. Russia was considered as a major power in Europe and, therefore most countries needed to protect their interest against Russia through formation of alliances. The World War I took place after European industrial and economic revolutions. These advancements m ay have triggered rivalry among different European powers. In the beginning of the nineteenth century, industrial advancement started to concentrate on the production of military equipment. Technology was applied to produce of warships and machine guns that have never been in any battlefield. Germany and Britain were the leading European countries in the production of military equipment. Industrial advancement in Germany and Britain made the two countries to enter into an arm race which later spread to the rest of Europe. By the end of 1910, most European countries had increased their military spending by over 50% of their GDP (Halpern 192). This allocation was used to produce military equipment, military training, and paying allowances to

News Corp's Buyout of BSkyB Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

News Corp's Buyout of BSkyB - Essay Example It will be pertinent to take a note of Rupert Murdoch's British operations, which started a way back in 1969 when the Mirror group wanted to relinquish from its mid-market daily newspaper The Sun. It is precisely at this time when Murdoch acquired it and made it thumping success with the passage of time by selling three million copies per day. Murdoch's control on the print media of UK became more prominent when he acquired The Times and The Sunday Times from Canadian publisher. During the time Murdoch's UK based satellite network Sky television was making huge losses which compelled him to agree for a merger with British Satellite Broadcasting in 1990. The merged company came to be known as BSkyB which is now considered to be the most dominating company in the British pay-TV market. When seen in the above perspective, the news of proposed buyout of BSkyB by Murdoch’s News Corp has far-reaching implications as it may facilitate a near monopolistic control to Murdoch on print a nd electronic media of UK. The point to be noted here is that BBC and other competing media groups have raised their opposition to the deal. It is not surprising that Business Secretary Vince Cable had to bow down on public uproar and ask Ofcom to investigate the matter on the media plurality issues that may arise after this proposed takeover by News Corp. European Union’s antitrust competition regulator also plunged into action to investigate the matter on the grounds of competition. It will be worthwhile to go through some of the important developments that have taken place in the last few months regarding this complete control and take over issue of News Corp. (Prodhan, Georgina et al 2010) The European Commission The European Commission gave its report in the third week of December, 2010 approving the proposed acquisition of BSkyB by News Corporation. The commission in its report concluded that the said transaction of complete control of BSkyB by News Corp is not going to hinder the competition in the European Economic Area (EEA). Its findings were only restricted to the competition aspects and has nothing to do with the proposed investigation carried out by UK regulatory body on media plurality aspect to protect legitimate interest of British nationals. It is pertinent to note here that media plurality assessment and competition assessment are two different areas of investigation. The Competition assessment mainly focuses on whether consumer would be facing any hike in the pricing structures or any forced featureless offerings. On the other hand, the issues related to the media plurality are concerned with the role played by media in relation to the democratic fabric of the various institutions and further their capacity to influence them in their own interests, which may be in the long run detrimental to the health of country. The European Union’s antitrust commission’s main findings are listed as per the following. 1. BSkyB and News Corp are in competition with each other to a limited extent as they are active in different markets in the UK and the Ireland. 2. The commission is of the view that the proposed transaction is not likely to improve substantially BSkyB's existing share of the market in the supply of basic pay-TV channels. 3. Both the parties have a small combined market share in TV advertising hence not going to affect the balancing act in competition concerns. 4. The Commission also investigated the possibility of offering mixed bundles of subscriptions for its print and online versions along with satellite pay channels. The commission is of the view that it will not be possible for the vast majority of newspapers' on line editions are currently free of charge and this equation is not likely

BEA System and CSR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

BEA System and CSR - Essay Example A more current understanding of the managerial concept implies the achieving of core organisational objectives through the activities of other people. In this definition, it is clearly reflected that the manager in an organisation is not required to conduct business activities by oneself. Rather such a person can manage business activities through supervising the acts of other people working under him. The above discussion henceforth holds management as a special skill or art which is practised by the managers to fulfil organisational objectives through the acts of others (Peel, 1994, p.1-4; Liebler and McConnell, 2004, p.51-53). Having discussed the emergence and development of the management concept the focus is now rendered on one of the approaches to the management science known as the model for Competing Values Framework. It is found by different management experts like Quinn that the different approaches to management that had emerged with the development of scientific management had some common traits which helped the concepts to merge with each other. This merging of the concepts gave birth to a composite model known as the Competing Values Framework which is considered the appropriate model for future managerial uses. This model is considered best for future managerial applications owing to the prevalence of different types of mindsets which are closely integrated to help business managers to compete effectively with the competing and dynamic current business environment.

Information and Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Information and Communications - Essay Example Given that language, music, and images constitute the major forms of symbolic expression, they assume special significance in the sphere of culture. Both processes, media globalization and cultural imperialism, are closely connected with cultural globalization which means expansion of cultural flows across the globe. At the beginning of the 21st century, global media interferes all parts of the world promoting and popularizing western life style and ideas. The exploding network of cultural interconnections and interdependencies in the last decades has led some commentators to suggest that cultural practices lie at the very heart of contemporary globalization (Lee 2002). Yet, cultural globalization did not start with the worldwide dissemination of rock 'n' roll, Coca-Cola, or football. Expansive civilizational exchanges are much older than modernity. Still, the volume and extent of cultural transmissions in the contemporary period have far exceeded those of earlier eras. Facilitated by the Internet and other new technologies, TV shows and mindless advertisements, these corporations increasingly shape people's identities and the structure of desires around the world (Tomlinson 88). During the last two decades, a small group of very large TNCs have come to dominate the global market for entertainme nt, news, television, and film. In 2000, only ten media conglomerates - AT&T, Sony, AOL/Time Warner, Bertelsmann, Liberty Media, Vivendi Universal, Viacom, General Electric, Disney, and News Corporation - accounted for more than two-thirds of the $250-275 billion in annual worldwide revenues generated by the communications industry (Tomlinson 54). In general, cultural imperialism means promotion and spreading of one culture into another. "Cultural imperialism has been conceptualized variously as a strategy on the part of dominant countries, a local policy on the part of receiving countries, and an effect on the people and practices in the latter. Dominant nations have clear strategies concerning the export of cultural products" (Crabtree and Malhotra 364). As recently as 15 years ago, not one of the giant corporations that dominate what Benjamin Barber has appropriately called the 'infotainment telesector' existed in its present form as a media company. In 2001, nearly all of these corporations ranked among the largest 300 non-financial firms in the world. Today, most media analysts concede that the emergence of a global commercial-media market amounts to the creation of a global oligopoly similar to that of the oil and automotive industries in the early part of the 20th century (Tomlinson 74). The crucial cultural innovators of earlier decades - small, independent record labels, radio stations, movie theatres, newspapers, and book publishers - have become virtually extinct as they found themselves incapable of competing with the media giants. The negative consequences of this shotgun marriage of finance and culture are obvious. TV programs turn into global 'gossip markets', presenting viewers and readers of all ages with the vacuous details of the private lives of American celebrities like Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Kobe Bryant. Evidence suggests that people all over the world - but especially

Pure Competition paper MICROECONOMY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pure Competition paper MICROECONOMY - Essay Example For this reason therefore the hotel market is pure competitive. One of the characteristics of pure competition is that there are many buyers and sellers in the market, this also includes the fact that the buyers are willing to buy products at a given price and that the producers are willing to supply products at a given produce. The hotel business has several suppliers or firms which include red roof inn, red carpet inn, Knight inn, Travelodge hotel, day inn and Econo lodge, it is also evident that their continued operation over the years means that buyers are willing to buy their at a given price. On prices in a competitive market the prices are determined by the level of demand and supply, when demand increases then prices also increase and when the supply declines then prices are expected to increase, also that in the long run the market is at equilibrium, for this reason therefore the hotel market is characterised by the determination of prices by market forces and therefore we conclude that is fulfils one of the conditions of a competitive market. In pure competition there are no barriers to entry, for our case the hotel market is characterised by free entry and exit by firms and this is evident from the large number of firms in the industry and the lack of regulations by government to restrict entry into the hotel

The Advertisement is by the Multinational Coca Cola Company Essay

The Advertisement is by the Multinational Coca Cola Company - Essay Example The advertisement initially ran in many channels in the United States of America, in Canada, where the last of the ads was shot and eventually the ad was shown in many channels throughout the world including in CNN, Fox, South Africa’s SABC, Britain’s sky television among many other national and international TV stations, and later modified to suit radio stations throughout the world. The advertisement was shot and different aspects and scenes added from the original one in 1995, to the year 2001, when the ad was stopped. This was due to the fact that Coca Cola was changing its advertisement strategy from using a single ad worldwide, approved by its Atlanta Georgia headquarters, to more localized advertisements by individual countries. Furthermore, the voice behind the ad, musician Melanie Thornton, had just passed on a few weeks before the Christmas of 2001, presenting Coca Cola with a dilemma. However, due to public demand, the advertisement was back on the air in most countries in 2007. Coca Cola announced that several customers and clients had complained of not seeing the ads on TV, yet the ad marked the beginning of the Christmas season for them, as well as having nostalgic and sentimental value to all those who loved it in its earlier years (Sandison, 2007). As said above, the advertisement by Coca Cola called ‘Holidays are Coming’ or the ‘Christmas long trucks’ holds a special place to people who saw it in the late nineties to the early years of the first decade of the 21st century. The advertisement is a very catchy one with a simple but enjoyable song to accompany it. Many people have come to associate the ad with the beginning of Christmas festivities, which sets them in the right mood for the holidays.

It's FAMILY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

It's FAMILY - Essay Example Among these authors, Nicolas Cage has tried to uphold the positive sides of a family in his film â€Å"Family Men†. In â€Å"Lottery†, Shirley Jackson talks about the cruelty and superstition of member family members. Whereas in the poem, â€Å"Daddy† Sylvia Plath disparages the conservative control of a father over a girl, Hayden appears to be confused about how to assess his father’s control as well as his care for the child. But in the story â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†, Flannery O’ Connor tells about the fakery of a family member, namely the Grandmother. But she considers all men and women as members of a common human family. After all, authors present both the good and bad sides of family life and family members. They, to a great extent, reflect Charlotte’s view of the negative consequences of family. Thesis: Though family is important for human life, the authors say that it has both the good and the bad sides and some author itative family members can be harmful for other members. Like Charlotte Gilman, Sylvia is preoccupied with the harmful dominance and control of family members such as a father or a husband on a girl or a woman. In the poem â€Å"Daddy† by Sylvia Plath deals with the negative consequences of a father influence on a child. In the poem, the poet compares her father with a number of imagery, such as daddy, shoe, devil, commander of Jewish extermination, etc to portray the unhappiness that her father caused to her. She compares her father with someone protective; but obviously for her protection, this protection is dark and choking. This is evident in her use of the imagery of black shoe. Shoe protects one’s feet but its blackness means that it is a dark protection (Plaths â€Å"Daddy†). Both Charlotte and Sylvia agree that conservative attitude of family members like father and husband harmful for a woman because they make her passive and choke

Sweeney and subsequent death Essay Example for Free

Sweeney and subsequent death Essay This makes the surprise at the end, that she is actually Todd’s wife, less astounding. We have seen so little of her that it really isn’t that important where as in the musical this surprise can elicit gasps. This woman is so changed that Sweeney Todd has interacted with her and not recognized his own wife! The two characters whose stories are closely presented as the musical are Senior Pirelli and Tobias. Pirelli’s barber competition with Sweeney and subsequent death by Sweeney is told in both the musical and movie. He is an important character as his past and killing set up the crucial plot point. Sweeney has killed one of his enemies for the first time and how to get ride of the body? Mrs. Lovett’s pie shop success and yearning for more success, which influences her concealment of Lucy, push forward the story. Tobias is present in both the musical and movie as an assistant to Pirelli and then Mrs. Lovett. Though his importance is not until the very end of the show. It is he who kills Sweeney Todd and ultimately he is blamed for the deaths of Lucy, Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney Todd. While he is present in almost all of the same scenes in the musical and movie is love for Mrs. Lovett is not as developed in the movie as it is in the musical. The musical present Toby as caring deeply for Mrs. Lovett and having a distrust of Sweeney Todd. Toby is seen in the movie but his presence is of little importance. He is there to eventually kill Todd and the majority of his time spent in the bake house was cut completely. These are the characters in the musical and movie of Sweeney Todd. The movie main plot line of both the film and musical is on Sweeney Todd’s story, with Mrs. Lovett being a significant contributor to his story. The musical displays the secondary characters with more story, songs and background. This exposure results in characters that truly influence Sweeny Todd and we care that Anthony and Joanna are the only ones to survive. The audience is reviled at the Judge and his desire to wed Joanna. The audience is not shocked at the beggar woman’s death until we realize she is Todd’s wife because she very insane. The movie is a convenient and less expense way to experience Sweeny Todd but the musical present all of the characters and a wonderful round story that ties up all the loose ends and stresses the importance of each character. References: BBC- Press Office, December 8, 2005, Man or Myth, the Making of Sweeney Todd, BBC. co. uk, accessed April 18, 2008,

Experiment on Changes in Serum Levels of Irisin

Experiment on Changes in Serum Levels of Irisin Khaled Abdelfattah Abdelhamid Abulfadle, MD   Serum irisin level changes after propylthiouracil treatment of L-thyroxine induced hyperthyroidism in rats ABSTRACT Background: Thyroid hormones play an essential role in lipid, protein and carbohydrate metabolism; and they regulate thermogenesis and basal metabolic rate. Irisin is a myokine that is secreted as a product of fibronectin type III domain containing 5 (FNDC5) was shown to be present in many tissues, including the thyroid tissue. Objective: To investigate the possible changes in serum levels of irisin that occurred in a rat model of hyperthyroidism and the effects of use of propylthiouracil (PTU) in its treatment. Design: 18 male albino rats were divided into 3 groups. Group I was the intact control. Rats of group II and III received daily 0.3 mg/kg subcutaneous injection of L-thyroxine (LT4) for 12 consecutive days. On the thirteenth day, animals of group III (Hyperthyroid PTU treated) received 5 ml/kg i.p. injection of propylthiouracil (PTU) along with an equivalent amount of LT4 as administered to group II animals for more 15 days. Animals of group II (Hyperthyroid control) continued to receive LT4. On the day of termination (28th day of starting LT4 treatment), overnight (12hrs) fasted animals were sacrificed by decapitation under ether anesthesia. Results: In the hyperthyroid control group, there was a significant decrease in serum level of TSH (P0.05) in serum levels of TSH, T4, T3 irisin, and, BMI in hyperthyroid PTU group in comparison to that in the intact control group. In the hyperthyroid control group, there was a significant increase in the serum level of both glucose (P0.05) in the hyperthyroid PTU treated group in comparison to that in the intact control group. In the hyperthyroid control group, there was a significant decrease in serum levels of both TC (P0.05) in serum levels of both TG and LDL-C in comparison to that in the intact control group. Conclusion: This study showed a significant increase in serum levels of irisin in L-thyroxine induced hyperthyroidism in rats. On using PTU, serum levels of irisin, thyroid hormones, metabolic parameters and BMI were significantly changed in comparison to the hyperthyroid control group. Keywords: Irisin, T3, T4, TSH, Propylthiouracil, Hyperthyroidism. Introduction: Irisin is a myokine that is secreted as a product of fibronectin type III domain containing 5 (FNDC5) in the skeletal muscle (Samy, Ismail et al. 2015, Jin Zhang 2017, Nathan C. Winn 2017). FNDC5, which is the precursor of irisin was shown to be present in many tissues, including the thyroid tissue (Huh, Panagiotou et al. 2012). It is secreted by a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ÃŽÂ ³ (PPARÃŽÂ ³) coactivator 1ÃŽÂ ± (PGC1-ÃŽÂ ±) after an exercise (Aydin 2014). Irisin was found to have an anti-obesity effect as it replaces the white fatty tissue with brown fatty tissue by the increase of uncoupling protein-1 (UCP1) resulting in oxygen consumption and stimulation of thermogenesis (Bostrà ¶m, Wu et al. 2012, Castillo-Quan 2012, Roca-Rivada, Castelao et al. 2013, Jin Zhang 2017, Nathan C. Winn 2017). Stengel, Hofmann et al. (2013) found that irisin level was identified to be high in obesity and to be low in anorexia nervosa. On the other hand, thyroid hormones pla y an essential role in lipid, protein and carbohydrate metabolism; and they regulate thermogenesis and basal metabolic rate (Hulbert 2000). Also, hyperfunction of thyroid gland is a common endocrine disorder which is accompanied by metabolic imbalance, oxidative stress and abnormal energy homeostasis (Erdamar, Demirci et al. 2008). There were some controversies in the results of studying the effect of thyroid hormone level changes on serum levels of irisin as Yalcin, Akturk et al. (2016) found an increase in serum irisin levels in hyperthyroidism and they suggested that it might contribute to altered energy metabolism. Also, Samy, Ismail et al. (2015) stated that hyperthyroidism was associated with up-regulation of serum irisin in male rats, probably as a response to myopathy and/or oxidative damage observed in both conditions. Moreover, Ruchala, Zybek et al. (2014) reported a borderline elevation of serum irisin in hyperthyroid versus hypothyroid patients. On the contrary, Panagiot ou, Pazaitou-Panayiotou et al. (2016) stated that changes in thyroid hormone levels did not affect circulating irisin levels in humans. Also, Stengel, Hofmann et al. (2013), Ellefsen, Vikmoen et al. (2014) and Gouni-Berthold, Berthold et al. (2013) reported lack of associations between levels of irisin, TSH and/or thyroid hormones. On the other hand, Zybek-Kocik, Sawicka-Gutaj et al. (2016) stated that irisin concentration was changed during prolonged thyroid function impairment. Also, AteÃ…Å ¸, Altay et al. (2016) found that, in hypothyroidism, there was a positive correlation between serum irisin levels and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) while a negative correlation was found between irisin levels and thyroxine (T4). Thus, this study was conducted to investigate the possible changes in serum levels of irisin that occurred in a rat model of hyperthyroidism and the effects of use of propylthiouracil (PTU) in its treatment. Materials and Methods: Animals preparations and experimental protocol: In the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, this experimental study was done from 6th of November 2016 to 28th of December 2016. 18 adult male albino rats, age and weight matched (170-195 gm), were purchased from the animal house of Zagazig University and were housed at 20-22 °C on a 12-h light-dark cycle and for 5 days, to achieve acclimatization, they were supplied with tap water and a standard chow diet. Rats were divided into 3 groups of 6 each. Group I animals served as the intact control, whereas those of group II and III received daily subcutaneous injection of L-thyroxine (LT4) (Sigma, MO, USA) at a dose of 0.3 mg/kg for 12 consecutive days (Panda and Kar 2007). On the thirteenth day, animals of group III received propylthiouracil (PTU) (Sigma, MO, USA) 10 mg/kg intraperitoneally (Panda and Kar 2007) along with an equivalent amount of LT4 as administered to group II animals. PTU was intraperitoneally (i.p.) injected, in a volume of 5 ml/kg, dis solved in saline (Kim, Kim et al. 2012). Experiment was continued for more 15 consecutive days (from 13th LT4 treatment). Animals of group II continued to receive LT4 and acted as hyperthyroid control. Intact control rats were injected with 5 ml/kg/day subcutaneously with saline. On the day of termination (28th day of starting LT4 treatment), overnight (12hrs) fasted animals were sacrificed by decapitation under ether anesthesia. Blood from each animal was collected and by its centrifugation at 3000 rpm for 15 minutes, serum was separated and stored -20oc till the time of assay of different biochemical parameters (Kumar, Kar et al. 2014). PTU was used to treat hyperthyroidism by decreasing the amount of thyroid hormone produced by the thyroid gland (Nakamura, Noh et al. 2007), and it also inhibited the enzyme 5-deiodinase, which converts thyroxine (T4) to the active form triiodothyronine (T3) (Bahn, Burch et al. 2009). Also, it inhibited LT4-induced hyperthyroidisms in rats (Panda a nd Kar 2007). Body mass index (BMI) changes: BMI in gm/cm2 was calculated in the different groups, just before rats were sacrificed (under ether anesthesia), by dividing Body weight (gm) on Length2 (cm2) (Novelli, Diniz et al. 2007). A graduated (in centimeters) metal ruler was used for measuring the rat length by putting the zero end at the rat anus and recorded the reading which reached by the nose. BMI was used as a measure for the change in body weight of rats (Novelli, Diniz et al. 2007). Figure-1: Experimental design. Rats were divided into 3 groups. Group I was the intact control. Rats of group II and III received daily subcutaneous injection of levothyroxine (LT4) for 12 consecutive days. On the thirteenth day, animals of group III (Hyperthyroid PTU treated) received i.p. injection of propylthiouracil (PTU) along with an equivalent amount of LT4 as administered to group II animals for more 15 days. Animals of group II (Hyperthyroid control) continued to receive LT4. On the day of termination (28th day of starting LT4 treatment), overnight (12hrs) fasted animals were sacrificed by decapitation under ether anesthesia. Measurement of serum parameters: Serum level of irisin was estimated (in ng/ml) using an irisin rat ELISA assay kit following the manufacturers instructions (Catalog# EK-067-52; Phoenix Pharmaceuticals Inc., Burlingame, California, USA) with a detection range of 0.1-1000 ng/ml. Quantitative immunoassaying of T3, T4 and TSH using commercially available kits as recommended by the manufacturer (cat#SE120091, SE120090, SE120135, ELISA Kits, Sigma-Aldrich). Both serum levels of total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TG) were estimated using enzymatic colorimetric methods. Serum high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) was assayed using NS Biotec HDL-precipitating reagent. Serum low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) was calculated using the Friedewald formula: LDL-C (mg/dl) = [(TC) (HDL-C) ( (Friedewald, Levy et al. 1972) Estimation of both serum glucose levels, using an automated analyzer (YSI 2300; YSI Life Sciences, Yellow Springs, OH), and serum insulin levels, using ELISA kits (RD Systems, Minneapolis, MN), were done. For assessing insulin resistance (IR), the homeostasis model assessment-IR (HOMA-IR) index was calculated by: HOMA-IR = (Nayak, Hillemane et al. 2014). There is a direct relation between insulin resistance and the value of HOMA-IR (Bonora, Targher et al. 2000). Statistical analysis: By the use of IBM SPSS Statistics for windows package version (24), data were analyzed and described as Mean ± SEM. For calculation of the statistical significance, One-way ANOVA and Tukey HSD post hoc test for multiple group comparison were used. P†°Ã‚ ¤0.05 indicated significance. Results: Table-1: Changes in serum levels of TSH, T4, T3 irisin, and, BMI among different groups Intact control Hyperthyroid control Hyperthyroid PTU treated TSH (à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ­IU/L) 2.82 ±0.12 0.81 ±0.05a 2.68 ±0.14bc T4 (à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ­g/dl) 5.33 ±0.14 16.2 ±0.2a 5.36 ±0.18bc T3 (ng/ml) 1.29 ±0.04 3.52 ±0.11a 1.36 ±0.04bc Irisin (ng/ml) 401.67 ±5.65 599.17 ±6.82a 409.5 ±6bc BMI (gm/cm2) 0.54 ±0.01 0.44 ±0.01a 0.51 ±0.01bc Data was expressed as Mean ±SEM. a P0.05 in comparison to the intact control group. c P Table-2: Changes in metabolic parameters among different groups Intact control Hyperthyroid control Hyperthyroid PTU treated Glucose (mg/dl) 91.5 ±0.92 113 ±2.33a 91.33 ±1.2bc Insulin (à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ­IU/ml) 2.95 ±0.12 4.86 ±0.16a 2.88 ±0.13bc HOMA-IR 0.67 ±0.02 1.36 ±0.05a 0.65 ±0.03bc TC (mg/dl) 106.5 ±2.51 89.83 ±2.52a 103.33 ±1.63bd TG (mg/dl) 55.17 ±1.22 52.33 ±0.67b 53.17 ±0.95be HDL-C (mg/dl) 54 ±1.15 43.33 ±0.88a 51.33 ±0.99bc LDL-C (mg/dl) 41.47 ±3.27 36.03 ±3.07b 41.37 ±1.92be Data was expressed as Mean ±SEM. a P0.05 in comparison to the intact control group. c P0.05 in comparison to the hyperthyroid control group. HOMA-IR, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index; TC, total cholesterol; TG, triglycerides; HDL-C, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol; LDL-C, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol. Figure-2: Correlations between serum irisin levels and: TSH, T4 T3 in, the intact control group (A), hyperthyroid control group (B) and hyperthyroid PTU treated group (C); glucose in the intact control group (D); insulin HOMA-IR in the intact control group (E); glucose in the hyperthyroid control group (F); insulin HOMA-IR in the hyperthyroid PTU treated group (G); TC HDL-C in the hyperthyroid control group (H). r is the correlation coefficient. Table-1 showed changes in serum levels of TSH, T4, T3 irisin, and, BMI among different groups. In the hyperthyroid control group, there was a significant decrease in serum level of TSH (0.81 ±0.05, P group (2.82 ±0.12), (0.54 ±0.01) (5.33 ±0.14), (1.29 ±0.04) and (401.67 ±5.65) respectively. On the other hand, there were insignificant changes (P>0.05) in serum levels of TSH, T4, T3 irisin, and, BMI in hyperthyroid PTU group in comparison to that in the intact control group. Also, there was a significant increase in both serum level of TSH (2.68 ±0.14, P0.05) in the hyperthyroid PTU treated group in comparison to that in the intact control group. Moreover, there was a significant decrease in the serum levels of both glucose (91.33 ±1.2, P0.05) in serum levels of both TG (52.33 ±0.67) and LDL-C (36.03 ±3.07) in comparison to that in the intact control group (106.5 ±2.51), (54 ±1.15), (55.17 ±1.22) and (41.47 ±3.27) respectively. In the hyperthyroid PTU treated group, there was a significant increase in serum levels of both TC (103.33 ±1.63, P0.05) in serum levels of both TG (53.17 ±0.95) and LDL-C (41.37 ±1.92) in comparison to that in the intact co ntrol group (89.83 ±2.52), (43.33 ±0.88), (52.33 ±0.67) and (36.03 ±3.07) respectively. Also, there were no significant changes (P>0.05) in serum levels of TC, TG, HDL-C and LDL-C in the hyperthyroid PTU treated group in comparison to that in the intact control group. Figure-2A showed a significant positive correlation between serum irisin levels and that of T4 (r=0.97, P Discussion: This study was done to declare changes in irisin serum levels in a rat model of hyperthyroidism and the effect of PTU therapy on it. Also, to identify the association between serum irisin level changes in such conditions and some metabolic parameters including insulin resistance and lipid profile. The results of this study showed a significant decrease in serum level of TSH and BMI, but, a significant increase in serum levels of T4, T3, and irisin in the hyperthyroid control group, in comparison to that in the intact control group. Also, there was a significant positive correlation between serum irisin levels and that of T4 T3 but a significant negative correlation with serum TSH in the hyperthyroid control group. These results were supported by Huh, Panagiotou et al. (2012) who stated that FNDC5, irisin precursor, was present in the thyroid tissue. Also, the present study results were supported by Irrcher, Adhihetty et al. (2003), Ruchala, Zybek et al. (2014), Sanchis-Gomar and Per ez-Quilis (2014), Samy, Ismail et al. (2015) and Yalcin, Akturk et al. (2016) who found an increase in serum irisin levels in hyperthyroidism and they suggested that it might contribute to altered energy metabolism. Moreover, Irrcher, Adhihetty et al. (2003) reported that T3 increased the irisin precursor, PGC-1ÃŽÂ ±, expression in muscle. Furthermore, Sanchis-Gomar and Perez-Quilis (2014) stated that serum irisin was increased in hyperthyroidism as a compensatory response to oxidative stress as it had an antioxidant effect. On the contrary, Gouni-Berthold, Berthold et al. (2013), Stengel, Hofmann et al. (2013) and Panagiotou, Pazaitou-Panayiotou et al. (2016) stated that changes in levels of thyroid hormones did not affect circulating irisin levels in humans. This discrepancy between their results and that of this study could be explained by species difference. Regarding the negative correlation between both irisin and TSH hormones which was present in this study, it was support ed by Ruchala, Zybek et al. (2014). On the contrary, Stengel, Hofmann et al. (2013) and Ellefsen, Vikmoen et al. (2014) reported lack of correlation between serum levels of irisin and that of TSH and thyroid hormones. Regarding body weight changes with hyperthyroidism, the result of this study was supported by Janson, Karlsson et al. (1995), Voldstedlund, Tranum-Jensen et al. (1995) and Loeb (1996) who found a decrease in body weight with hyperthyroidism. Also, this study results were supported by Bostrà ¶m, Wu et al. (2012), Castillo-Quan (2012) and Roca-Rivada, Castelao et al. (2013) who found that irisin had an anti-obesity effect as it replaced the white adipose tissue with brown adipose tissue and increased oxygen consumption and thermogenesis. On the contrary, Stengel, Hofmann et al. (2013) and Saleh, et al. (2014) found that irisin level was high in obesity and low in anorexia nervosa. This discrepancy between their results and that of this study can be explained by species difference. On the other hand, this study results showed insignificant changes in serum levels of TSH, T4, T3 irisin, and, BMI in hyperthyroid PTU group in comparison to that in the intact control group. This indicated the improvement that occurred with PTU therapy in cases of hyperthyroidism which was supported by Nakamura, Noh et al. (2007), Panda and Kar (2007) and Bahn, Burch et al. (2009). Also, the results of this study showed a significant increase in both serum level of TSH and BMI, but, a significant decrease in serum levels of T4, T3, and irisin in the hyperthyroid PTU treated group in comparison to that in the hyperthyroid control group. These results were supported by Park, Lee et al. (2016) who found that PTU administration ameliorated hyperthyroidism, reducing T4 and T3, and, increasing both TSH and BMI. Moreover, the results of this study showed a significant increase in the serum level of both glucose and insulin, and, the value of HOMA-IR in the hyperthyroid contro l group in comparison to that of the intact control group. Also, there was a significant positive correlation between serum irisin levels and that of glucose in the hyperthyroid control group. These results indicated occurrence of insulin resistance with hyperthyroidism which was supported by Loeb (1996). This was supported also by Saleh, et al. (2014) who stated that hyperglycemia gradually up regulated FNDC5/irisin expression in the skeletal muscles non-diabetic persons. Also, this study results were supported by Hee Park, Zaichenko et al. (2013), Liu, Wong et al. (2013) and Mehrabian, Taheri et al. (2016) who found a positive correlation between serum irisin and that of glucose. On the contrary, Mehrabian, Taheri et al. (2016) found that serum irisin was negatively correlated with serum glucose level. Opposite to the results of this study, Huh, Panagiotou et al. (2012), Choi, Kim et al. (2013) and Sanchis-Gomar and Perez-Quilis (2014) found that decreased blood irisin level was a ccompanied by insulin resistance development. Sanchis-Gomar and Perez-Quilis (2014) stated also, that irisin ameliorated insulin resistance by increasing betatrophin hormone expression which stimulated ÃŽÂ ²-cell regeneration. Furthermore, the results of this study showed no significant changes in the serum level of both glucose and insulin, and, the value of HOMA-IR in the hyperthyroid PTU treated group in comparison to that in the intact control group. Also, there was a significant decrease in the serum levels of both glucose and insulin, and, the value of HOMA-IR in the hyperthyroid PTU treated group in comparison to that of the hyperthyroid control group which means improvement of insulin resistance with PTU treatment. On the other hand, Huh, Panagiotou et al. (2012) found that exposure to high blood glucose for a long time was associated with a significant decrease in irisin serum level. The discrepancy between their results and the result of this study could be explained by the difference in species and duration of the study. In the hyperthyroid control group, there was a significant decrease in serum levels of both TC and HDL-C but, there were insignificant changes in serum levels of both TG and LDL-C in comparison to that in the intact control group. Also, there were significant negative correlations between serum irisin levels and that of both TC and HDL-C in the hyperthyroid control group. On the other hand, in the hyperthyroid PTU treated group, there was a significant increase in serum levels of both TC and HDL-C but, there were insignificant changes in serum levels of both TG and LDL-C in comparison to that in the intact control group. Also, there were no significant changes in serum levels of TC, TG, HDL-C and LDL-C in the hyperthyroid PTU treated group in comparison to that in the intact control group. The results of this study was partly supported by Mehrabian, Taheri et al. (2016) found a negative correlation between irisin and TC but, a po sitive correlation with HDL-C in normal weight obesity. On the other hand, Liu, Wong et al. (2013) found a positive correlation between serum irisin level and TC in non- obese, non- diabetic persons. Also, Sanchis-Gomar, Alis et al. (2014) reported insignificant correlation between irisin and TC. Conclusion   Ã‚   This study showed a significant increase in serum levels of irisin in L-thyroxine induced hyperthyroidism in rats and this could be related to changes in thyroid hormones, body weight and metabolic parameters. On using PTU, serum levels of irisin, thyroid hormones, metabolic parameters and BMI were significantly changed in comparison to the hyperthyroid control group and insignificantly changed in comparison to the intact control group which confirmed the improvement of the hyperthyroidism. Future studies are needed to confirm these results and to ensure the possible use of irisin as a biomarker for proper treatment of hyperthyroidism.

Mentoring Is Where A Mentor Engages His Mentees To Learn Nursing Essay

Mentoring Is Where A Mentor Engages His Mentees To Learn Nursing Essay Executive Summary Throughout the study, the practical importance of the subject has been bore in mind. Mentoring is where a mentor engages his mentees to learn and reach their development goals. The Mentoring program is also a framework where both parties in a relationship can be supported in clarifying their roles and their objectives. It also provides a framework for the mentee to develop and learn alongside an experienced peer. The ultimate objective of the mentoring sessions was to facilitate the mentees to achieve their development goals. The mentor has helped the mentees to do this by arranging different activities on a weekly basis. The aim of the activities was to challenge the mentees to finally use their own initiative and help them understand the steps they need to take when solving a difficult problem. The mentor made clear at the start of the mentoring session as to what he will do, to avoid any disappointments. This reflective essay reports the outcome of an eight week mentoring session carried out with first year engineering students. The aim for the mentor was to help their transition from secondary education to higher education. This essay outlines the process the mentor developed to understand his mentees and the action he put in place to facilitate and challenge their learning. The essay reflects on the positive and negative aspects of the sessions and evaluates if the mentoring sessions were a success or not. Acknowledgements I would like to express my appreciation of Dr Roger Clarke He maintained a continual interest in my work, providing advice when required. I have appreciated not only his advice but also his encouragement and confidence in me which has inevitably allowed me to peruse this work with a level of independence that I had not anticipated. I would also like to thank my mentees Umar and Sohail who enabled to gain experience as a mentor. Table of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Background Learning is essential in allowing individuals to be successful. This concerns both our personal and professional lives. The process of learning begins on the day we are born, and continues all the way through our entire life. Mentoring is observed to be one of the best methods to enhance individuals learning and development (Klasen 2007). The purpose of mentoring is to encourage and support the mentees to administer their own learning in a way that they can maximise their potential, improve their performance develop their skills and become able to accomplish their career aspirations. 1.2 The Need for Mentoring Whittaker and Cartwright, (2000) postulate that the use of mentoring and other development methods reflect a widespread recognition of the limitations of classroom-based teaching. Whittaker and Cartwright, (2000) suggest that the later can be ineffective in various ways, notably the transferral of knowledge and skills. The hypothesis by Whittaker and Cartwright, (2000) is also echoed by Ragins and Cotton, (2000) as from their own experience they believe that students can forget as much as thirty five percent of classroom-style learning before they leave the learning situation. Within a month, more than seventy percent of the learning can be forgotten and in the long term, little of the learning is either remembered, or transferred. In contrast to that, mentoring can be seen as an effective method of enhancing the development of individuals, precisely because it typically improves both learning retention as well as the transfer of the learned information to real life situations. 1.3 Objectives of the Mentoring Sessions The purpose of the mentoring sessions is to support and encourage the mentees to manage their own learning in order that they may maximise their potential, develop their skills, and improve their performance which consequently facilitates their transition from secondary education to higher education. In saying that, it cannot be overemphasised that the mentors task will be to merely assist the mentees in making these transitions, not to do the work for them! The mentor will enable his mentees to learn from their past successes and failures, and encourage them to engage in self-determined learning and to find their own solutions. Chapter 2 Mentoring Process 2.1 Three Stage Process The whole point of the mentoring process was to create a reflective environment in which the mentee can address issues of career and personal growth. The role of the programme is to support the mentoring process, and that in turn demands effective programme processes. The model adopted to facilitate the mentoring process is a three stage process applied to mentoring in Alred, Garvey and Smith (2010). The application of this process will give a shape to the mentoring sessions. The process is depicted in figure 1 below. Figure Three stage process model Alred et al (2010) The application of this process will enable the mentor to take a democratic approach rather than an autocratic. The reason for this approach is because the mentor does not want to dictate the agenda of the meeting, let alone the issues to be discussed. The main focus needs to be on his mentees: it is the mentees needs that ultimately determine the content and order of the meetings. The idea is that through appropriate exploration, new understanding is gained and then actions can be considered in relation to the understanding. The three stage process will also be viewed as a map of mentoring. A map that shows the mentor the way and facilitates the mentor of this report to plan a route. The process will become a valuable tool so that both the mentor and mentee understand what is happening. In short the process will allow the mentor to: Help the mentee to identify and raise their issues and other needs. Provide guidance so as to keep the meeting focused and productive. Enable them to become an independent, enthusiastic learner. 2.2 Exploration Understanding the mentees and their situation was vital because their problems can only be correctly identified, and a tailored personal development plan (PDP), detailing the mentees goals and objectives can be designed. As both the mentees were not clear about what aims they seek to achieve. Identifying these is of course, an ongoing process; however, the mentor through questioning prompted the mentees to evaluate their needs and objectives. What would you like to talk about in the mentoring session? What activities would you like to take place? What would you like to achieve in these session? What skills would you like to develop? What module in specific would you like extra help with? The answers to these questions which are depicted in figure 2, however, are not set in stone. To the contrary, the mentor realises that the relevance of the goals and objectives may change over time. This process was also supplemented through the use of one Myer-Briggs-Type indicator self-assessment questionnaires (See Appendix). It was imperative to allow the mentees the freedom to take responsibility for this process and put together their own PDP without the mentor pointing to needs and goals in an attempt to speed up the progress. This process was vital for the mentor as he wanted to send out consistent messages: after all, the learning relationship is supposed to centre on the mentees agenda, and from start to finish the mentee ought to be in control. PDP depicted in figure 2. 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According to Honey and Mumford, (1983), who have based their model on work by Kolb, (1984) there are four disparate types of learning styles: activist, reflector, theorist and pragmatist. For the mentor to be successful in developing his mentees, a learning styles questionnaire was completed by his mentees (See Appendix for LSQ). The results from the questionnaire facilitated the mentor in knowing his mentees learning styles and adjust their development efforts to these. Adapting to the mentees learning style will also allow the mentor to help his mentees to identify those learning opportunities from which they are likely to benefit from. This would be mainly such that they correspond to his mentees preferred style. For example, both the mentees were identified as pragmatists and should learn best in situations in which they can apply their learning to actual practice to see if they work. In respect to that the mentor encouraged the mentees to use the other learning styles, particularly the one least preferred; this is because according to Parsloe and Wray, (2000) the best learning occurs only when an individual passes through all four stages of the learning cycle. 2.4 Action Planning From the exploration stage of the mentoring process it became evident, as to what had attracted the mentees to the mentoring relationship. Their responses from the questionnaire and the identification of development needs listed in their PDP included the need to carry on informal mentoring in a formal manner and the desire to focus on the self and develop in a relationship with an experienced peer. The need to gain different perspectives, learning opportunities and the general enjoyment of mentoring were further noted. These comments reflect an Egocentric dimension of attraction to mentoring. For the mentor, he was attracted to mentoring in relation to the need and desire to pass on their experience (in and out of the academic environment) and to encourage and explore the potential of the mentee. Learning from their mentees were further reasons for relationship engagement. Both Egocentric and Altruistic comments reflected the mentors attraction to mentoring. In order to endeavour theses comments and the mentees individual PDPs the mentor came up with a list of activities. These were aligned with his mentees goals and will support their achievements. List of these activities planned by the mentor are catalogued in table 2. By creating different activities the mentor created a stepping-stone approach to achieving the mentees final goals; they were designed to move mentees gently forward, allowing them to make accomplishments as they go along. According to Kram, (1983) creating such short term successes is a good means by which to build the mentees self-confidence and motivation, inevitably facilitating their progress through the course and university life. WEEK ACTIVITY WEEK3 (1) Ice breaker (Jenga) (2) develop PDP (3) List activities that can fulfil PDP WEEK4 (1) Career workshop: Placement, CV, Gradcarcker, ICE and information how to contact Placement officer WEEK5 (1) Tutorial session: AutoCAD and engineering computation WEEK6 (1) Surveying exercise led by James Haigh WEEK7 (1) Presentation and report writing workshop WEEK8 (1) Talk with Mr J.Philby: has 30 years experience in industry. Both of his sons are engineers one working for MACE. Will give mentees chance to ask questions and gather information on the engineering industry WEEK9 (1) Fluids Laboratory tour: Will also show mentees different types of flow regimes i.e. Turbulent, laminar, transitional and hydraulic jump WEEK10 (1) Examination workshop: Provide technique on exam preparation Table 2 Week-by-week schedule of activities planned for the mentees 2.4.1 Mentoring Contract Once it was established what both parties intended to achieve from the mentoring sessions, an agreement on how best they can work together was established. A mentoring contract was created by the mentor to facilitate him in defining the ground rules for the relationship, and assist him in keeping the mentoring relationship on track; each party now clearly knows what their individual responsibilities and roles will be. The key purpose of the contract was to avoid any future disappointments and to gain commitment from the mentees and mentor. A further aim was to clearly communicate what was expected from each person within the relationship. Table 2.1 details characteristics of the mentoring contract by the two mentees and the mentor. Chapter 3 Outcomes of Mentoring 3.1 What has worked Week three, exploration and planning: Key benefits for the mentee included having the opportunity to review their development objectively in a supportive environment, addressing work-life balance issues, developing their own PDP and developing to the requirements of further higher education. In contrast, personal outcomes included developing a sense of perspective and gaining confidence. Week four, careers workshop: Highly successful and was valued by both mentees. Gaining insight into the Civil Engineering industry and recognising the main differences between a contracting engineer and a consulting engineer. The discussion also allowed the mentees to re-confirm that engineering is an excellent profession with endless opportunities. Week five, AutoCAD and engineering computation tutorial: Again both mentees worked very well both individually and as a group. They supported each other well and have been able to bring considerable knowledge to the sessions. They have retained their enthusiasm and are keen to carry on attending the mentoring sessions Mentors work: The mentor reports learning with his mentees, developing and expanding his management styles and developing mentoring skills, as important professional benefits resulting from the mentoring experience. Furthermore, understanding different approaches to learning, achieving high levels of self-development and developing awareness the mentees were additional benefits. Personal benefits included becoming friends, enjoying the exchange and developing a new awareness of academic issues and the way to resolve them. 3.2 What has not worked so well Week six surveying exercise: Both mentees showed little interest in the surveying exercise. The reason for this cannot be understood as it was an activity that they were looking forward to the previous week. There was no sense of awkwardness between the two mentees as they both supported each other in setting up the surveying equipment. Week seven-to-ten: There was no mentees to mentor, understandably as their workload increases they had to prioritise their time. However, for the mentor he reports frustration with the mentees development, time demands and mentees own poor priority structure. Furthermore the mentor reports being exasperated at the fact that after spending time creating a mentoring contract that both the mentor and his mentees can adhere to the mentees have not taken the initiative to respond to the mentors email and give him an explanation to the reason for their absence, knowing very well the mentor has arranged an activity that they agreed to. Mentees work: The main problems for the mentees included time and workload demands, low preparation time, the amount of effort required for constructive engagement, slow personal development and poor goal establishment. 3.3 Measurement Categories After week 6 the interest the mentees were showing seemed to have become obsolete. There was no attendance in the following weeks and there was no reason given through the various contact mediums we established. In terms of what to assess, the simple answer was to revisit the original proposal for mentoring and pull out the objectives for the programme to establish the reason the mentoring experience has not gone the way as was planned. 3.3.1 Mentoring organisation: To maximise the time and productivity of both parties, the meeting works best when it is organised. The mentor wanted this regimented style because chaos and a lack of focus can decrease the mentees desires to meet with the mentor and further decrease their abilities to effectively work with him. Having an organised flow for the meetings also gave the mentor the opportunity to be flexible. As on some occasions the mentees raised unexpected issues however, it was easier to adjust the conversation when everyone was following a track. Was this style to regimented, agreeing to a mentoring contract of what is expected by each mentee too disciplined? To be honest you will never know. According to Murray and Owen, (1991) mentoring is successful when the mentor has an organised plan which allows both the mentor and mentee to understand what is going to happen and when. This also removes the possibility of any disappointments from the mentoring sessions. 3.3.2 Learning Styles: Through the LSQ it was understood that the mentees preferred learning style was a pragmatic approach rather than an activist theorist or reflector. Knowing this the mentor arranged an activity like the surveying exercise in week 6. Could it now be argued that he is to blame for the absence and lack of interest shown by the mentees? Well the mentors answer to that is no. The mentor new very well the preferred learning style of his mentees however, he wanted his mentees to use the other three learning styles, particularly the one least preferred; this was because the best learning occurs only when an individual passes through all four stages of the learning cycle. So for example the surveying exercise would have suited an activist as the exercise created a situation in which they were simply confronted with a new task without preparation. 3.3.3 The relationship: As mentioned earlier chapter the purpose of the mentor was that the mentees take control of what they want to happen. This was vital for the mentor as he wanted to send out consistent messages: after all, the learning relationship is supposed to centre on the mentees agenda, and from start to finish the mentee ought to be in control. The way the mentor understood it was that the aspects of informal mentoring involve efforts to facilitate mentees do for themselves. The emphasis was on mentees being able to solve problems, make decisions, and set plans at their own levels of responsibility-versus being dependant on the mentor for the answers. The mentoring approach adopted followed the old adage Give a man a fish, and the man will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he will eat for a lifetime. So taking this approach the mentor made the mentees to put together their own PDP. This gave the mentees the freedom to take the responsibility for this process. So was this the wrong approach, should the mentor have taken responsibility and treated the mentees like children? Well my role was to facilitate their transition and guide them through their 1st year, not to do the work for them. The mentor was there as an experienced guide. Obviously he gave insight into his own experiences and went through the problems they were having but wanted his mentees to take the initiative and responsibility. 3.3.4 Mentor behaviour, Telling: Even if it was comfortable for the mentees to be told what to do without having to think and decide, personally too much direction defeats the aim of mentoring. For example the mentees required the mentor to help them solve mathematic tutorial questions. The mentor developed his own problem and solved it to show the mentees the technique they need to apply. If the mentor was too autocratic the mentees growth towards self-reliance is not supported. Furthermore, if the mentor pushed his own agenda and did not actually focus on the needs, of his mentees then this renders the mentoring process worthless. Was this again the correct procedure or should the mentor have solved the problem the mentees were having? Not sure here really. The mentor saw this as an opportunity to use his mentees learning style to solve the problem. Apply the problem to a different situation from which the mentees can see the technique, procedure and relevance. Were these the reasons as why the mentees disengaged from the mentoring sessions? Was the mentor to disciplined and strict? Was he following a mentoring process too much that he was not able to see he was alienating his mentees? Should he just have told them what to do and give them the answers to the problems they were having? To be totally honest the mentor does not know. The mentor was acting like a mentor and trying to guide his mentees to take responsibility, thats the aim of higher education, the mentoring was just a process that would facilitate and lighten up this transition. 3.4 The Re-appearance of the Mentees Wait a minute what have we here. In week 11 and 12 both mentees arranged more than 1 meeting time in the two weeks. In total the amount of hours spent with the mentees within the last two weeks was more than the entire 10 week schedule that we had planned. So what was the reason that both of them re-developed contact, even though the mentor sent weekly emails outlining the schedule of the session just to see no show and no interest in returning a quick email for apologies? The reason for the contact was that they both were struggling with coursework for engineering computation and visualisation. Both of which were very challenging compared to when the mentor had read them. The mentor had no problem in helping the mentees through this challenge. It was more interesting as there were things that the mentor got to learn in the process. Engineering computation: As the coursework is all based on Matlab the mentees were having difficulty in understanding how to programme Matlab to do various tasks. The mentor himself a novice outlined he would be of no help as he himself is new to the software. However, the sessions were interesting as both the mentor and mentees learnt how to programme the software by helping each other. The same with visualisation the introduction of digital mapping and civil 3D is totally different to what we have done. The mentor applied all the knowledge he had of the programmes to assist the mentees. Here the mentor forgot about the mentoring models and processes and just showed them how to go about doing it and at the same time learning himself. The sessions seemed more rewarding and both mentees were fully engaged in the process of learning and helping each other. 4.0 Final Conclusion So in the end was this mentoring?, the mentor agrees that the first three sessions were in the essence of mentoring however, in weeks eleven and twelve the mentor mentee relationship became very different. The mentor believed the point of mentoring was to develop a mentee to accomplish their goals and facilitate the mentee into developing skills that they outlined in their PDP. If general help when a person is stuck on tasks is mentoring then the mentor has been mentoring for years. Showing his fellow colleagues how to solve problems is that classified as mentoring or developing a colleague through like a graduate scheme where the mentor analyses the mentee in order to see their progress and enable them to progress higher in the company or to see if they are ready to take professional exams? I personally think it is the later. However, with that said the experience has been invaluable and will help the mentor in his future endeavours. 5.0 References Alred, G. and Garvey, B. (2010) Mentoring pocketbook. 3rd Edition, Management pocketbooks Ltd Honey, P. and Mumford, A. (1983). Using your learning styles. Peter Honey Publications Kolb, D. (1984). Experiential Learning. 1st Edition, Prentice Hall Kram, K. (1983). Phases of mentoring relationships. Acad. Man. J., 26 pp 608-25 Klasen, N. and Clutterbuck, D. (2007) Implementing mentoring schemes. 2nd Edition, Elsevier Ltd Murray, M and Owen, M. (1991) How to facilitate an effective mentoring programme. 1st Edition, Jossey Bass Ltd Parsloe, E and Wray, M. (2000). Coaching and mentoring-Practical methods to improve learning. Korgan Page 1st Edition Ragins, B. R. and Cotton, J. L. (2000) Marginal mentoring: the effects of type of mentor, quality of relationship, and program design on work and career attitudes. Acad. Man J., 43, pp 1177-94 Whittaker, M. and Cartwright, A. (2000) The mentoring manual, Gover Publishing Ltd

Tiny, Smiling Daddy Essay -- Literary Analysis, Gaitskill

Gaitskill’s â€Å"Tiny, Smiling Daddy† focuses on the father and his downward spiral of feeling further disconnected with his family, especially his lesbian daughter, whose article on father-daughter relationships stands as the catalyst for the father’s realization that he’d wronged his daughter and destroyed their relationship. Carver’s â€Å"What We Talk About When We Talk About Love† focuses on Mel and his attempt to define, compare, and contrast romantic love, while leaving him drunk and confused as he was before. While both of my stories explore how afflicted love traumatizes the psyche and seem to agree that love poses the greatest dilemma in life, and at the same time that it’s the most valued prospect of life, the two stories differ in that frustrated familial love causes Gaitskill's protagonist to become understandable and consequently evokes sympathy from the reader, but on the other hand frustrated romantic love does nothin g for Carver's Protagonist, except keep him disconnected from his wife and leaving him unchanged, remaining static as a character and overall unlikable. In comparing â€Å"Tiny, Smiling Daddy† and â€Å"What We Talk About When We Talk About Love†, together they suggest that familial love is more important than romantic love, which we relentlessly strive to achieve often forgetting that we’ll forever feel alone without familial love, arguably the origin of love itself. â€Å"Tiny, Smiling Daddy† opens with â€Å"one of those pure, beautiful dreams in which he was young again, and filled with realization that the friends who had died, or gone away, or decided that they didn’t like him anymore, had really been there all along, loving him† (Gaitskill 305), and through this nostalgic state the father’s reaveled as a character who ha... ...e, because she’s too busy running around on some-† (Gaitskill 317) and these words show us how utterly â€Å"shitty† (Gaitskill 317) he feels, be it warranted or not. He’s faced with the reality that his wife and daughter are ‘leaving’ him behind, doing whatever necessary to detach themselves from his wretched stubbornness and consequently he’s left miserable and alone to mull over the bitter past and even more difficult present. He begins as a likeable character, but gradually becomes a self-righteous and hateful idiot. But, by the end the reader is left feeling extremely sympathetic for him. Though he’s in fact the bad guy, he gets us to view him as the bad guy whose evil is almost justified, or at least that it’s an inevitable symptom of his difficult childhood, poor marriage, extreme anxiety over what others think of him, and disapproval of his daughters lifestyle.

An Interpretation of Emily Dickinsons Poem I Felt a Funeral in My Brain :: Dickinson I Felt a Funeral, in My Brain Essays

An Interpretation of Emily Dickinson's Poem I Felt a Funeral in My Brain Emily Dickinson was a reclusive individual that was rarely seen by anyone outside of her immediate family and few close friends. This solitude emerges in her poetry in the form of doom and gloom depictions. Dickinson seems to have a fascination with death as if death is a friendly character rather than a horrible image. It has been stated that Dickinson's obsession with death was a sign to others around her and her readers that she was struggling internally. In the poem "I Felt a Funeral in My Brain" Dickinson seems to be describing a delusion of a person that is contemplating what will happen to him/her when he/she dies. This poem also seems to be an affirmation of heaven and hell and a personal battle within the narrator to come to terms with his/her own mortal existence. In the first stanza Dickinson describes "feeling a funeral in her brain". This could be a metaphor for her own personal death and the reference to "sense breaking through" tells the reader that only through death can a person ever understand and/or value life. This could be viewed as a retrospection on the narrators life and a telling poem about where she was at in her existance around this period of time. If this interpretation is justified then in stanza two the funeral proceeds with the narrator hating to be there as she/he says: "And when they all were seated, A Service, like a Drum- Kept beating-beating-till I thought My Mind was going numb-" This stanza shows that the narrator is still bored with the living world even in death. The third stanza continues the theme of a struggle between heaven and hell in the last line when the narrator states, "Then space-began to toll". This reference to a bell tolling, or time running out seems to suggest the impending judgment for the narrator. Heaven is discussed in the forth stanza and compared to a bell: "As all the Heavens were a Bell And Being, but an Ear, And I, and Silence, some strange race

Plunkitt of Tammany Hall Essay -- Plunkitt Tammany Hall

Plunkitt of Tammany Hall 1. Honest Graft and Dishonest Graft- When Plunkitt was tipped off about something in the city or someone wanting to built a park or something, he sees the opportunity and he takes it. He buys up the land before they do. When they see that they are going to need the land, he sells it to them at a much higher price than what he paid for it, giving him a nice profit. That is honest graft. Several politicians are accused of stealing dollars from the state’s treasury, this is an example of dishonest graft. The condemnation commissioners came along and found piece after piece of land under the name George Plunkitt of the Fifteenth Assembly District, New York City. They wondered how he knew just what to buy. Plunkitt sees the opportunity and he takes it. 2. How to Become a Statesman- If you want to make a fame and fortune for yourself in politics, do not come at them with all of your book smarts and saying how smart you are. That is a big mistake. Get a person to follow you, even if it is only one person and say that you want to join the organization. Do not go at them with your book smarts because they will say that they have no use for you here. 3. The Curse of the Civil Service Reform- Men who have patriotism get it blasted away when they take the civil services examination. The civil service law is the biggest fraud of the age. There are ten thousand good offices, but we cannot get no more than a few hundred of them. When we cannot place these men who wanted to serve their country, they become an Anarchist. There is nothing in the game. 4. Reformers Only Morning’ Glories- Many reform movements were started during PLunkitt’s forty years in politics, but none have lasted more than a few years. Morning glories looked great in the beginning but folded in short time. These reformers have been going into things without much practice while the politicians, have been practicing all of their lives and know ever fine point of the game. 5. New York City Is Pie for the Hayseeds- New York farmers wanted their taxes lowered because they were too high. The Republican Legislature will make a rush for the farmer and tell him that if he does not see what he wants to ask for it. After they cut the farmers tax , they raise taxes on liquor and some other taxes in New York City. They take half of the proceeds from th... ...he Nation- New York City owes pretty much what it all is today to the bosses of Tammany Hall in the last 20 years. With bosses everything runs smoothly, like noiseless machinery. 21. Concerning Excise- Every time there is an increase of the fee in The Raines Liquor Law, there is an increase in the suicide record of the city. If it is a right to tax a saloonkeeper $1000, its right to put a heavy tax on dealers in other beverages- in milk, for instance- and make the dairymen pay up. If the Raines law gave the money extorted from the saloonkeepers to the city, there might be some excuse for the tax. 22. A Parting Word on the Future of the Democratic Party in America- One issue that would set this country on fire is the abolition of the civil service laws which are destroying patriotism and taking away good jobs from people that have earned them. 23. Strenuous Life of the Tammany District Leader- Plunkitt plays politics day in and day out with no rests. He helps feel the hungry and bury the dead. Plunkitt keeps watch on men, women, and children of his district. He knows their needs, likes and dislikes, troubles and hopes, and helps them to get what they want or need.

Discuss the nature and quality of make-belief play Essay

Discuss the nature and quality of make-belief play, and the particular ways in which it relates to drama.  Drama in education requires an atmosphere of ‘playfulness’. We must be prepared to play with ideas, our bodies, voice, self and others. Young children do this naturally, learning by thrilling experience of living. Children ‘make’ their world in ways not dissimilar from theatrical form. Children’s play and theatre can be seen as constituting two ends of a continuum. These are theatre games and theatre. Drama in education inhabits the area in between. It can move towards the play end, where very young children are engaging in drama that is close to their own form of free play. The difference, however, is that it takes place as a result of teacher intervention, in that the teacher locates the drama activity in a particular aspect of living. Older students may work very close to the ‘theatre’ end of the continuum, where performance skills and communicative intention are paramount. At any one time, the teacher of drama needs to know at what point on the continuum she/he is working. For young children, dramatic play provides a journey into the world of â€Å"let’s pretend,† where they can readily transform themselves into the role of any character they choose. A story can be created as a script, often with a theme, where expressive actions convey a sequence of events that construct the plot. Whether the style of drama appears connected to occupations such as being a fire-fighter, a community happening such as a big snowstorm, or a fictional representation of The Three Bears, children are actors, producers, directors and set designers. By engaging in meaningful dialogue, their language and non-verbal gestures gradually reveal what they know and what they want to express. Dramatic play benefits children in all developmental areas. As children engage in fantasy play, they re-live experiences by symbolically imitating what they observe around them. Through children’s interpersonal relationships within socio-dramatic play, opportunities arise for in-depth thinking such as imagining, recalling, reasoning and negotiating (Vygotsky). By exploring life’s situations from the community and home, a child can re-create an identity that fulfils personal emotional needs and desires. The compelling urge to become physically powerful and socially dominant is fulfilled when a child adopts the role of a superheroine such as Princess Xena .While a traumatic family event can be played out as therapeutic drama when a child transfers inner feelings of rejection or hostility towards dolls or soft toys. The need for reassurance can be provided in dramatic play when a child knows it is acceptable to take on the role of being a baby, so that any sense of displacement, caused by the arrival of a new sibling within the family, is eased. Children have the freedom to be active and spontaneous in dramatic play, because, as Eden says, â€Å"it can be undertaken without regard for external goals and sanctions.†

I’m the King of the Castle Essay

Qn: In her after word, the writer talks about â€Å"the evil – for I think I evil-of Hooper†. What do you think the novel says about the nature of evil in people? In my perspective, I do not believe that people are born evil. â€Å"Evil† is undisputedly an arbitrary term whereby different people have different scope of what evil is. Susan Hill’s definition of â€Å"evil† is that of Hooper -being sadistic and afflicting harm in others, as seen in Hooper. Yet, I feel that Hill’s definition of â€Å"evil† is rather cynical and biased. Hill should not even relate Hooper to â€Å"evil† in the first place, as the child is still growing up and does not know how to differentiate between good and bad, and the fact that he does not receive any love and care sort of make him an â€Å"emotionless† person. Thus purely describing him as evil is somewhat biased. I think better adjectives to describe him are probably contumacious and unfeeling. In my essay, I’ll first prove that Hooper’s cruelty is due to his lack of fundamental love and care and that it is due to some circumstances that drove him to be who he is. Secondly, I’ll prove that Hooper cannot be really blamed for his evilness, and lastly, I’ll counter opposing arguments put across and further reinforce on my motion. Firstly, the fact that Hooper is cruel cannot be denied. Yet, one must take into consideration that it is the environment and external influences that led him to be evil. Hooper is born into a dysfunctional family. His mother died when he was very young, and that deprived him of mother-love, which is often thought to be very important and influential during a child’s growing phase. In addition, Hooper’s situation is made worse due to lack of father’s care and understanding. Hooper is thus deprived of any love and care, which any other normal child would have gotten. Thus, he could only turn to being evil, probably to attract attention from his only kin, which is his father. Hooper’s hostile attitude towards Kingshaw indeed makes readers feel indignant. However, the crucial point here, which I feel, is why Hooper is so mean towards Kingshaw. It is a fact that all living beings need companionship. Hooper’s cruelty towards Kingshaw could be a way he shows affection. Well, we never know for sure how some people choose to show affection. And cruelty could be how Hooper chooses to show. Furthermore, Hooper has never ever experienced the true feeling of love and care. So most probably, he doesn’t know anything about love. So, that explains why he thinks cruelty is a form of affection. Taking for instance the case of ailing pets. Veterinarians and pet lovers, in a bid to stop their precious pets from suffering more pain, put them to sleep. This, irrefutable, is a cruel thing, but it is a way pet lover show their affection towards their pets. Now, are their actions really evil and inhumane? I, basically, think this action is not a cruel thing, but rather, something piteous as it helps to alleviate the pet’s pain. Basically, this sentence sums up that the fact that I do not believe that people are born evil, but rather it is â€Å"nurture†, rather â€Å"nature†, that turns people evil. In addition, Hooper’s actions, to me, can be justified as being selfish rather than evil. We all know that Hooper is possessive. He wants Warings to himself and does not waste any attempt drive away â€Å"redundant people† living in Warings. His actions are certainly more of Selfishness than Evilness. The fact that Hooper is merely a young child further accentuates and explains why he is so selfish. Afterall, young child are more self-centered and possessive. This can be illustrated by the fact that a young child only accepts their parents’ full, unscattered love and concern, and more often than ever, news of the arrival of another child, only make them fret about the amount on concern they would receive. Thus, Hooper’s selfishness is somehow understandable. On the other side of the coin, Kingshaw is undoubtedly kind. Critics have commented on Kingshaw as having â€Å"natural goodness†. Now, the question is, if people are born evil, then why is Kingshaw still so kind? Kingshaw has been inundated with taunts and torments from Hooper. Yet, there is still this tinge of kindness inside him that made him remain good right from the start, albeit he did harbour some ill intentions of harming Hooper initially (â€Å"had only to move his hand†¦so that he would topple through the well of the staircase†, chapter 2). So, if people were to born evil, then, why is Kingshaw still benevolent? Therefore, my motion, that people are not born evil, is further reinforced here. In conclusion, I’d like to state that it is nurture, not nature, that made Hooper evil, and that people are certainly not born evil. Perhaps one simple analogy one to reinforce my point is that when an adopted child commits a crime, the ones he would blame are definitely his foster parents and not his natural parents. Why? Because it’s nurture rather than nature, that makes one who he is. With this, I end my essay.