Cesar’s Mourning Essay

The book subject of this paper is the classical literary work of Oscar Hijuelos titled: â€Å"Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love†. The book revolves around the lives of two musically inclined brothers who migrated to America from Cuba. The brothers were Nestor and Cesar. As found in the book’s title the central theme was â€Å"love†. The book has expressed different forms of love for different kinds of relationships. It expressed unconditional love for a brother, like what Cesar and Nestor had for each other. It expressed love for the woman you married, like how Nestor felt for Dolores. It expressed love for a woman you know you can never have, like how Cesar felt for Dolores or how Nestor felt for Maria. These interplay of emotions provided for the central theme of the book which also made way for the resolution of the question why Cesar can’t mourn for Nestor. This paper will seek to answer such question through the use of a structured argument. In order to be able to support its contention that Cesar cannot truly mourn for Nestor for two reasons: because unconsciously or consciously he knew he was better of without Nestor and because Cesar was responsible for making Nestor unhappy (Thesis Statement). The line of thinking pursued by this paper may be dark and offensive to some. Still an open mind will find that when they look closer this contention is in fact meritorious. Cesar cannot truly mourn for Nestor. One cannot truly mourn for someone else if he knows that he is better off without him. This is easy to see. Imagine the life of Cesar if Nestor had died. The woman he loved, Dolores, will be his for the taking. He would no longer have to deal with pulling the weight of a younger brother who had no ambition but to open a bar and come back to his Maria. True that the book never expressed that Cesar felt like this. However, a careful look and examination of the story itself will show us that this line of argument is very much tenable. The loss of someone when beneficial to us denies us from the emotion of mourning. It is true that when one experiences joy when another one passes away is devious and callous. However not mourning for someone is not necessarily devious and callous. Let us presuppose that Cesar was sad that Nestor passed away. He may indeed be sad that the brother he loved so much passed away. But can he mourn for him? No, because consciously or unconsciously he knew that the death of Cesar would benefit him. This is a sadistic and cruel interpretation of the emotions of Cesar. Sadistic and cruel it may be but tenable and meritorious it still is. One of the statements in the book that professed this fact was: â€Å"The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important to be great the rare individual who satisfies this angle will hold people in the palm of his hand. So even the undertaker will regret his death† (Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, Hijuelos) The second reason why Cesar cannot truly mourn for Nestor is the fact that Cesar was the reason why Nestor ended up that way. Cesar was very ambitious and for everything he wanted to do he needed Nestor to be there. On the other hand Nestor was more laid back and simple. Nestor only dreamt of a simple life a small bar in Cuba would have been enough for him. However Cesar’s ambition was insatiable. Cesar’s insatiable ambition caused Nestor’s unhappiness. In the book to quote Cesar said: â€Å"There’s no dream, it’s our life† (Mambo Kings Plays Songs of Love, Hijuelos). This is one of the reasons why Cesar cannot truly mourn for Nestor. Cesar cannot truly mourn for Nestor because he knew that Nestor was not happy. Cesar knew that when Nestor died his life was empty and incomplete. Considering this fact is it possible for Cesar to feel mourning for Nestor? No, because the emotion that lingered with Cesar on Nestor’s death could not have been mourning. The emotion that lingered with Cesar is guilt and not mourning. He felt guilty for driving his brother to unhappiness. He felt guilty for leading his brother to a life his brother never wanted. Carrying these kinds of emotions will not allow us to mourn for anyone. If anything this kind of guilt will drive us to anger for ourselves. However these kinds of emotions will not elicit mourning. Mourning is a word we often carelessly use to describe someone’s feeling when someone important to them passes. However, as argued and contended by this paper just because someone we love dies does not necessarily imply that the emotion we feel is mourning. There are a lot of other emotions one may possess when someone passes away. More often the emotion that we feel is not mourning. This argument however does not devoid or considers that one does not feel mourning when someone close to them dies. On the contrary it submits that mourning is indeed an emotion felt by anyone of us for the loss of someone but does not necessarily apply for all cases. The story of Cesar and Nestor is one example where a brother cannot truly mourn for another because of envy and guilt. The clearest expression of guilt instead of mourning was when Cesar said: â€Å"I would trade places with him right now, if I could.. † (Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, Hijuelos) Works Cited Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, Oscar Hijuelos

Research Essay Argumentative Essay About Palestine and Israel

Researched Argument Essay — Written Assignment 6 Due: Sunday, December 2, 5:00 p. m. ineLearndropbox ***NO LATE SUBMISSIONS WITHOUT A WRITTEN EXCUSE*** For your next written assignment, I’m going to ask you to write aargument paper, using outside sources, on a topic of your choice. I encourage you to write about the same topic you chose for Written Assignment 5. Your textbook discusses argument in detail in Chapter Ten. General Instructions: 1. You should construct an argument that develops and supports an argumentative thesis; 2.Your thesis should 1. state your subject, 2. state your position or your central claim, and 3. name your three reasons; 3. Your essay should have FIVE (5) paragraphs – an introduction with your argumentative thesis, three body paragraphs (one for each reason), and a conclusion; 4. You should use and incorporate at least five (5)outside sources in your essay, and at least one source should not be an internet-only source (e. g. , website) and one source should be a book-length work; 5.You should document your sources within the text and also in a Reference Page according to APA (American Psychological Association) specifications; 5. Establish a clear thesis statement or main idea in your opening; 6. Develop your thesis/main idea by creating a logical organization of ideas, by using well-structured paragraphs and specific and relevant details,and by crafting clear sentences; 7. Use a consistent and appropriate point of view; and 8. Follow standard practices in spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

“I,too, sing America” by Langston Hughes Essay

During the 1960’s in America, many African Americans were suppressed and segregated due to their racial differences and the fact that they were descendants of slaves. Therefore, many blacks like Langston Hughes, recognized that although difference in race, all Americans should be treated equally and with dignity. Hence, they expressed their feelings of sufferings, helplessness, isolation and yearnings for hope through different artistic ways, like poetry, art, and music, which also marks the birth of their racial consciousness and self- conception, and help them learn to have racial pride in themselves. Now let us explore Hughe’s â€Å"I, too, Sing America† through his use of different literary devices, including imagery, symbols, tone, structure and rhythm. Imagery is an essential element adding to the poem’s effectiveness, and in this poem he uses a lot of domestic images, creating an account of the experiences of a black servant serving a wealthy white family. In the second line, Hughes created an image of a black man: â€Å"I am the darker brother†, which symbolizes all the blacks in America. Furthermore in the third line: â€Å"They send me to eat in the kitchen† creates an image of him being oppressed. The image of eating often symbolizes strength and being healthy, implying that black people in general are strong-willed and growing in power and equality. Moreover, the image of a kitchen represents repression, because most Kitchens are hidden much like the suffering of African Americans. Lastly in line nine, there is an image of a table: â€Å"I’ll be at the table†, representing equality with whites and being as superior as them, it also signifies pride and dignity in their black identity because the table is high above the floor. The poem’s use of diction is also significant to create a long lasting impression in the reader’s mind. First of all in line two he described the black servant as a â€Å"dark brother† instead of a â€Å"black servant†. His use of â€Å"dark† instead of â€Å"black† is more effective because â€Å"black† usually represent evil and death which undermines the race of Black Americans, and dark is healthier because it resembles a tan skin. Furthermore, â€Å"brother† symbolizes family and acceptances, meaning they are equal. Moreover, the use of â€Å"companion† in line four creates a contrast between the black servant and  the white people, emphasizing the fact that the blacks are lonely, isolated and helpless while the whites were strong and dominating. Lastly, the choice of â€Å"tomorrow† also symbolizes the future of the blacks, that they will be just as powerful and equal as the Whites. The poem’s irregular structure also helps to illustrate the theme of inequality. The number of lines in each stanza is different and the number of words in each line is different. This was done intentionally representing the discrimination and inequality of the Blacks. However, the first and last stanza both only have one line, and this is also symbolic to suggest that all humans were born equal, and in the future, the blacks and white will eventually reach equality. This helped the poem create a sense of unity and harmony between races. There are also no rhyme or musicality to the poem, because if the poem was smooth and musical it would create an atmosphere of relaxation and harmony, which does not fit the theme of the poem. An irregular rhythm gives the poem a solemn and troubled feeling, which mirrors the conflicting and unsteady relationship between the Blacks and Whites in America. The tone of the speaker changes throughout the poem. In line one, â€Å"I, too, sing America† indicates that blacks also love the country a lot, symbolizes unity throughout the nation and uses a patriotic, emotional tone. In the second stanza, the black servant was mistreated and was enraged, so the speaker uses an angry and furious tone. However in line four-six: â€Å"But I laugh, /and eat well, And grow strong.† he uses a optimistic and patient tone. Soon after in stanza three he warns the whites that their race will be powerful and equal, and here he uses a tone of caution, warning and pride. In the fourth stanza the speaker return to a calm tone and proudly say that one day â€Å"they’ll see how beautiful I am/ And be ashamed†. In the last line the speaker is once again patriotic, which recalls the first line and gives it a sense of unity. This poem â€Å"I, too, sing America† is about unjust and racial discrimination. Through the unequal actions that were put on the black servant, we could see  the true side of America during the 1960’s; separate and unequal. However, through the black servant’s bravery and hope for equality in the future, the first Black American President finally made it in 2008 – Barack Obama. Works Cited â€Å"I Too Sing, AMERICA: A Sociological Prospectus on Race, New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina.† All Academic Inc. (Abstract Management, Conference Management and Research Search Engine). Web. 07 Sept. 2009. . â€Å"I, Too, Sing America Analysis Langston Hughes : Summary Explanation Meaning Overview Essay Writing Critique Peer Review Literary Criticism Synopsis Online Education.† Writing Workshop, or something. Web. 07 Sept. 2009. .

Leaders and Potential Leaders Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leaders and Potential Leaders - Literature review Example Cultivation was aimed at using one's intellect in doing a job. Emotional and actual advantages were given as the corresponding result. Third, the leader must be prepared to present the plan, to inform the followers of the requirements and to allow the followers to take control of the situation. Examining the Author’s Methods It is contended that the author did not implicitly state the thesis of the article. The statement could actually be simplified. Also, the grammatical structure was incorrect. The sentence started with a second person point of view and then it ended with a third person point of view ( the use of the word you to them). Such kind of mistake could actually disappoint the reader. It has a tendency to take away the reader’s interest. As a result, one may stop reading the article upon noticing the wrong done. Nevertheless, if the one reading is a potential leader, then, there is a possibility that he or she will excuse such error. Moreover, the writer was not able to present adequate ideas to support the thesis. The suggested ways were too general. It could have been specifically enumerated. The writer’s personal experiences were not enough to substantiate the proposed steps of utilization. Nonetheless, the third paragraph provided a logical example.

To what extend the online shopping effected the UK economy and what Essay

To what extend the online shopping effected the UK economy and what does it mean for future businesses in the UK - Essay Example Useful statistics will be cited in the presentation to paint a proper picture of the UK online shopping industry. Started 20 years ago, online shopping has vigorously picked up in the UK with the latest research by UK retailer Shop Direct revealing that one in every four people in the UK prefers online shopping as opposed to making physical store visits. The research further revealed that 95% of British people now buy goods through internet retailers. So what are the reasons for this shift in 20 years on? According to Wallop (2013), the following come out as reasons why most Brits prefer online shopping: They have the ability to search and locate the specific good or service they want- From the comfort of their living rooms, buyers can get the specifics of what they want without having to walk into multiple stores. This makes it easier to make a decision and compare among the many available options which good or service suits a consumer. Online shopping is extremely convenient: With retailer websites available all day and night and the efficient delivery systems within the UK, customers enjoy the convenience of being able to shop from any location and at any time of the day or night. This flexibility has significantly contributed to the growth of this mode of buying goods and services. The elimination of crowds and queues: Online shoppers forego the trouble of vesting physical stores that have the disadvantage of being crowded especially during peak shopping seasons. This has made it the most preferred mode of purchase, something that justifies the high statistical findings of UK populace choosing the option. Ability to easily compare prices and see reviews: Before an online shopper settles on a product, they have the advantage of comparing at the click of a button, similar goods from competitor companies and looking at past customer experiences with the goods/service of interest. This helps in properly informing the buyer on the best among the

TWOS anaylsis for 2 companies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

TWOS anaylsis for 2 companies - Essay Example Organizations may face problems during its operations, and due to the competition in industries, TWOS analysis can identify a strategic position of the company in relation to its set objectives. Mannai Corporation in Qatar is a holding company principally engaged in trades and services across all private sectors in Qatar. The Oxford Business Group (2007) notes the company owns 14 subsidiaries offering sales and services of automobiles, information technology, engineering, and heavy equipment sales among others. The company also offers industrial products as well as office products including logistics, warehouses, and representatives of international organizations. This organization is a complex entity made up of different groups of people specialized with specific purposes in the set of rules, relationships, procedures, policies and culture. According to Rao et al. (2008), in TWOS analysis, threats are the external factors affecting any Corporation. Threats involve elements in the external environment that represent risk to the organization. Competition from outside companies remains the main threat in Mannai Corporation. Milaha is among the main competitors in this industry. The location of the company is strategic and therefore it attracts many interests, which are partly political. Lack of proper security in the area also poses a threat. According to Kamrava (2013), other threats include social threats such as resistance by the society to carry out training programs and lack of funds to facilitate the training of these programs. A strong establishment necessitates a strong political backing sustained funding and just remuneration for the staff. Financial resource is a challenge to the organization. The organization requires expanding and advancing in service delivery. It requires more equipment and staff to run the organization, but funds pouring in are limited. As a result, there are little or no training programs for

Macroeconomics of Botswana Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Macroeconomics of Botswana - Research Paper Example ional firm of diamond contracted a ten-year agreement with Botswana to shift Botswana’s sorting of rough stone and division of trading by 2013, from London to Gaborone. This transformation will help support the decline of industry of diamond in Botswana, (Norda?s, Gilbert and Gloria 52). The economic freedom of Botswana ranges to about 70.6, achieving the 30th position of the freest economy in the index of 2013. It has an average score of 1.0 point grater that 2012 mainly because of progressive improvements in liberty from economic corruption and government expenditure management. The country is the second in forty-six nations in the region of Sub-Saharan Africa and has average score greater than the global and regional averages. The economy of Botswana is expanding mainly due to foreign investment fueled by reduced taxes, stability in political structure and climate and an extensively educated labor force. Botswana is a better example in extensive natural resources endowments , (Phirinyane 23). Corruption level is low in Botswana and an independent judiciary enacts agreements efficiently and safeguards property rights. A relatively efficient regulatory environment and open trade policies have underpinned competitiveness, whereas exports of diamond have reinforced effective foreign exchange flows. The department of finance is effectively developed, with a reliable central bank as well as minimal interventions by the government. Even though, the public debts are still low, the administration has attempted consolidation of fiscal to lower increased deficits of the global meltdown. The outstanding external level of debts of Botswana remains low and sustainable based of surpluses of perennial budget and extensive external policies of debts, irrespective of its current... This paper explores the economy of Botswana with specific emphasis on market labor, economic growth, taxes, debts and key factors, that impact economic growth of the nation. Botswana has been among the top popular world’s economic rate of growth starting independence. Nevertheless, the growth of economy was slow in 2009, with thirty percent decline of industrial sector, after the worldwide crisis minimized the Botswana’s diamonds demand. Even though, the Botswana witnessed economic recovery in 2010, the growth of GDP has similarly reduced. Via fiscal discipline as well as proper management, the country regenerated itself from the slowest economically growing nation and attained a middle-income nation with about sixteen thousand and eight hundred dollar GDP per capita by 2012. The economic freedom of Botswana ranges to about 70.6, achieving the 30th position of the freest economy in the index of 2013. It has an average score of 1.0 point grater that 2012 mainly because of progressive improvements in liberty from economic corruption and government expenditure management. The country is the second in forty-six nations in the region of Sub-Saharan Africa and has average score greater than the global and regional averages. The economy of Botswana is expanding mainly due to foreign investment fueled by reduced taxes, stability in political structure and climate and extensively educated labor force. The labor market of Botswana experiences constraints like increased unemployment levels and mismatch among supply and demand of labor.

My understanding of counselling PCA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

My understanding of counselling PCA - Essay Example To answer the question in some detail, let us go back to the antecedents of counselling. Traditionally, people suffering from extreme abnormalities in thought and behaviour, unable to live ‘resourcefully’, were seen as mentally ill, and either isolated and/or were treated by psychiatrists using psychotropic medication. However, the vast majority of those identified as suffering from some type of mental disorder did not require hospitalisation, or drug treatment throughout their recovery phase. What they needed was psychotherapy, described as ‘talking cures’, where characteristically psychoanalysis held sway during the early part of the 20th century, until behavioural and cognitive therapies became more prevalent. Increasingly, psychoanalysis could not be justified not only on scientific grounds, but also on cost and length of treatment. It gave way to cognitive behavioural therapies modelled on learning theory based on Pavlovian classical conditioning and Sk innerian operant conditioning. Those who sought or needed such psychotherapeutic interventions were ‘patients’, and, conversely, those who treated them were drawn from the medical profession. In addition to psychiatrists, clinical psychologists in hospital settings also became providers in the care of these patients. Counselling evolved as an intervention outside the medical context offered by practitioners drawn from disciplines other than strictly within the medical establishment. An inability to cope with ordinary everyday life increasingly devoid of traditional supporting mechanisms of family, church (orthodox religion), and community, mostly in industrialised societies, left a growing populace vulnerable to psychological stress. Counselling therefore, happens to be a much broader concept than psychotherapy (or simply temed therapy) which evolved from more existential, philosophical and humanistic roots. Those who sought help from counsellors were not identified as patients. Not only were individuals seeking ‘greater well-being’ catered for, but those seeking help in specific contexts such as careers counselling and marriage guidance counselling meant that there was no longer a stigma attached to counselling. Indeed the origin of the very term counselling is ascribed to Frank Parsons (1909) at the beginning of the twentieth century who initiated help for young people with problems in finding suitable employment. Today, there is a continuum of helping interventions that range from intensive psychotherapy through counselling, to co-counselling, and to life coaching, where practitioners range from medical specialists to those drawn from varied walks of life, but with appropriate and recognised counsellor training. The relationship between the counsellor and the counselled is one of equality. The counsellor does not set him/herself up as an expert. The client is the expert on him/herself. The counsellor explores with the counselled, o ptions elicited during the counselling process. By meeting at regular intervals the counsellor helps the counselled to commit to agreed upon courses of action gently but firmly holding him/her responsible for the outcome. Counselling is a burgeoning profession and the recognition afforded its mainstream practitioners is a testament to its enduring value. It is necessary to look more closely at the theoretical underpinnings of the practice of counselling. A recent analysis of the

Concise scientific report on mobilisation and harvest of haemopoietic Research Paper

Concise scientific report on mobilisation and harvest of haemopoietic stem cells - Research Paper Example Transplantation of genetically identical marrow or the animals own stored marrow prevented death. These was applied by Thomas and his colleagues in 1959 in treatment of leukaemia in humans. Survival was also permitted by grafts from histo-compatible donors. In the early 1960s, allogeneic transplantation became feasible after the identification and typing of human leucocyte antigen (HLA). This work provided basis for the understanding hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Haematopoietic stem cells produce some daughter cells that retain stem cell properties. Primitive progenitors produce mature blood cells are continuously produced by less differentiated precursors which descend from the haematopoietic stem cells. In a lethally irradiated animal, a single stem cell can restore an entire lympho-hematopoietic system (Copelan, 2006). Since 2001, there has been an increase in the number of transplants occurring annually (Passweg, et al., 2014). However, when the histocompatibility antigens of the donor and the recipient are incompatible, there could be strong transplant reactions and the intensity increases with the multiple peptides generation from the degraded HLA molecules and in the presence of determinants on the HLA molecules that are recognisable on the cell surface of the cells presenting the antigen. When an immune response is stimulated, an injury referred to as graft-versus host disease (GVHD) occurs due to the preparative regimen used before transplantation causing injury (Copelan, 2006). Haematopoietic stem cell transplant is usually successful if there is a positive outcome. Many diseases are treated with either autologous or allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The type and stage of the disease, the age and functional level of the patient, the source of the stem cell to be transplanted and the degree of mismatch of HLA affect the outcome (Dainiak & Ricks, 2014). The autologous transplantation improves survival rather

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Strategic Management - Essay Example Apart from being the most successful retail stores globally, it has been a model among many top-level companies. Walmart has consolidated a significant part of the market share, and has a wide business that offers a significant extent of business to suppliers and manufacturers giving the company an edge over suppliers (Vance & Roy 1994). The retail store has overcome turbulent periods beating the competitive chain-store market since its inception by sticking to its mission, vision, objectives and goals (See Appendix: Figure 6). Nevertheless, its competitiveness is has been threatened by the emerging e-commerce resellers such as Amazon (Wohlsen 2013) On the other hand, Age UK operates in a conspicuously competitive market namely financial, retail markets and conventional fundraising. The current uncertain economic climate in the UK has affected the company’s financial position due to decreased funding from the government (See Appendix: Figure 6). This has prompted it to focus m ore on the high donations that is attributable to the increasingly high pressure on the aging population and the local partners (Bowman & Faulkner 1997). The paper concludes that even as Wal-Mart and Age UK are both enterprises with almost similar strategies, they are confronted by different challenges that have prompted them to diversify their strategies to maintain their market share, extend geographical frontier through acquisitions and organic growths (Age UK 2011). Faced by the imminent threat from online retail stores, Wal-Mart, which is unceasingly in pursuit of horizontal, vertical and geographical expansion by pushing for technology applications as an integral part of its strategy. The company has trampled on its competitors through its supremacy in inventory management and supply-chain logistics. Age UK on the other hand hopes to expand geographically through venturing further to cover disasters. Additionally, even as Age UK has launched a new radio station and increased f inancial services offerings to its customers, Wal-Mart anticipates its online strategy to contribute further to the bottom line (Wohlsen 2013). This paper recommends that if Wal-Mart has to keep up with the viciously competitive reselling industry, it must pay its workers well to avert the prevalent strikes to restore its public image, it should also leverage on its financial background to increase global presence. It should also branch out to new sectors including pharmacies, warehousing, automotive repair and grocery sale. Additionally, it should take an innovative approach in reselling and venture further into online retailing. Conversely, Age UK should invest in expanding its direct and financial services to support retain fundraising. It should also improve its information dissemination from its partners into their CRM system (Age UK 2011). Walmart’s Strategic Positioning Strategic positioning includes showing an organisation’s current positions in the marketplace . This helps understand the approaches both organisations have adopted (Hitt et al 2007). Walmart is the world’s largest retailer, one of the biggest corporations as well as the largest employer. The company has unique business models that are accustomed to the

The film enhance the original Script Essay Example for Free

The film enhance the original Script Essay All those who are inquired by the Inspector have a distinct dramatic pause, when asked a particularly gruelling question. The script does not direct the characters to wait before answering or attempting to answer the question, nor does it notify the reader of this. The introduction of the dramatic pause, is a welcome one by me, personally. The pause shows a hesitation within the characters and signifies how vulnerable they actually are. The pause symbolises time to allow the individual to think before he/she speaks, which was something that not one of the scripts characters did, other than Sheila who showed some real maturity. The maturity was also highlighted in the film, with the way she spoke and acted; her expressions were particularly impressive. The script makes out Sheila to be a naive person at the beginning, through the way she does what ever she is told, she starts off as a very gullible character but progresses to be the most intelligent out of the group. Sheila is the first and only person to realise how much the Inspector knows, and all he is doing is forcing the family to admit their errors. Priestly makes this known to the reader in the best possible way that is as sudden as he could possibly construct it. When Sheila did realise all that the Inspector was about, an outburst of music was played where the pitch was high, to signify a kind of brain wave. Another short section of high-pitched tones is played to begin the flashback for Sheila that I think is an ingenious idea. The music for the flashback is a brilliant addition to the film as it alerts the viewer that there is a change in time i. e. / backwards, a flashback. The zoom in technique is put to use yet again, which emphasises the slight grin on Evas little face, when young Sheila has a tantrum. The zoom in puts all focus on Evas smirk, which is a little, rude but made the situation even more offensive. The sharp music is attached to the scene making the situation seem worse than it already is, and with this music being played the camera which is still in the same position, (zoomed in on Eva) stays there whilst you see an unhappy Sheila storm out of the shop a distressed customer. This is a clever placement of props and filming instruments to capture this dramatic scene in the successful manner that it was shown in the film. The book description was adequate but no way near the quality of the film. The Inspector is shown purposely peeking at the time, both on his watch and the main clock on top of the mantelpiece. This constant keeping of time is important to the film because it highlights the significance of time. The Inspector has to make sure he has interrogated all of the members in the household and escaped before the real Inspector arrives, thus catching him out as a hoax. The script has not a possibility of outlining this importance of time within the text, as the only possible way is by printing in writing the Inspectors every movement, which would be very burdensome. Or the other way would be to write the script with the Inspector asking questions concerning the time, this proposition would not fit in with the current text and would seem very much out of place. Therefore the film has an obvious advantage with the Mise en scene and uses it to its full potential. The shot is mostly medium with an old fashioned sharp cut, this shows the films age but the editing is basic continuity editing. The basic continuity editing keeps the film flowing, but indicates how the film could be improved even more. The fading to and from flashbacks is a good introduction and clearly signifies when a flashback has occurred. The only other time the fading technique is used is when the film begins and ends. These two fades are extremely slow, to let the viewer take in what is happening. The first instance the fade in, the importance is on the table full of food, stressing the familys wealth and riches. The ending of the film allows the observer to reflect on the earlier goings on. The director includes great amounts of deep focus views and depse of field. This allows the viewer to observe a good selection of the Mise en scene on show. The Director of the film An Inspector Calls placed Sheila and Gerald together in the majority of the screen shots, most probably to symbolise how inseparable they were, but as the film moved on the two moved further from each other progressively. Priestley is successful in his method of showing the two peoples togetherness this was done in the style that he used, where Sheila and Gerald normally talk one after the other, owed to the fact they were regularly defending each other. This method gradually moved away as the script progressed too. The props are used to great effect in the film as I have already mentioned, they direct the viewer to many thoughts and dictate the play to a certain extent. The props give the film such an edge it is quite unbelievable. There are numerous props used the main ones being a decanter or drink (belonging to Eric) which indicates his horrific drinking problems, a clock on the mantelpiece which indicates time and a fireplace and dimmed lights to give the impression of a romantic scene. It is not only the props that give the film the more successful outlook though, the way that they are used is just as important. The most evident good use of a prop is where Mr. Birling fetches the Inspectors hat, then passes it to him in an attempt to push the annoying interrogator away. A prominent aspect that improves the script of An Inspector Calls is the head movement and more precisely the eye movement of the actors/actress. The Director made sure that whoever was in control always acted in control, the Inspector used two different styles, which indicated he was in control. One was staring into the eyes of his victim, pressurising them and the other was to look away whilst still talking giving the impression he was calm and collected, but still in complete command. All this clever directing enhances the script in a immense way. A good example of the head movement is when Mrs. Birling hears her own sons confession to drink abuse and she leans her head back rolls her eyes and looks towards the heaven for some escape or help. This expression of disappointment is so very effective, as is the scripts description to an extent but it can not rival the real life display. The camera is used in a variety of ways too, to demonstrate different emotions and atmospheres. The most potent of the batch is the look up/down technique, that can either make the person in conjunction with the camera appear gigantic, powerful looking, or tiny, weak and useless. A good example for each technique is; after Mrs. Birling had seen the photo of Eva/Daisy and felt rather foolish the camera then peered up at the Inspector therefore making him seem overpowering. The other example was at the other end of the spectrum when the camera peered gazingly downwards on Eva, when she was stood in front of Mrs. Birling and her help committee, making Eva seem helpless and weak which is true as her plea was unfairly overlooked and overruled. There are many aspects of the film version than enhance the script of An Inspector Calls. The bulk of the enhancements are made either throughout the film or at the latter stages in the film and only a minority towards the beginning. This leaves a good impression in the viewers mind. The fact that the Inspector is psychic adds mystery to the script, which is a good thing as mystery is the main genre of the script. The music and sound effects enhance the script without question throughout the film. The dramatic feel as sudden sharp extracts of tunes are blended in to the play is effective to say the least. The panning and movement of the camera, is extravagant and possibly a little overdone, other than the zooming in for facial expression. The expressions told the observer a lot where otherwise, it would be difficult to explain. The work by the Director that deserves to be applauded the most though is his use of props, the quantity was perfect as was the way in which they were used. The end result of the film is ver contrary to the beginning. A new mature partnership has formed in the name of Sheila and Eric, the new generation. The responsibility and maturity shines through the brother and sister and the new togetherness is made prominent by wide pan shots of the pair in every frame, nearing the end of the film. The penultimate shot of the two together focuses at the two characters heads, which I believe, is to show how the two have improved displaying how much they have grown up. The guard for the family was without doubt Sheila, hence why she was in the majority of the frames nearing the finish. The younger generation learnt a lot more from the concerning experience than the elder generation, with Gerald trapped in the middle of the two. There were a few differences between the script and the film, but the few that there were, were appropriate and only added to the brilliance of the play. The smallest and most insignificant difference was the name of the Inspector, in the script it was, Inspector Goole and in the film it was, Inspector Poole. All that the difference in the names could suggest is that the name Goole could be questioned and raise suspicion of the Inspector being a supernatural human therefor the Director ditched the G for a P. The most dramatic difference between the two sets of media is the ending. The script does not entail Birling verbally assaulting the Inspector whereas the film does. This verbal abuse given by Birling is more accurate to how someone, who had gone through that ordeal, would act. The scene also adds some suspense to the play which is lacked a little throughout, this being a big difference from the script, which is teeming with suspense. The film contains suspense at the very end, as the viewer awaits the inevitable entrance of the real Inspect where the nightmare will repeat itself, but the phone rings before hand and the suspense kicks in again as the viewer eagerly wants to know who is on the phone. The person who on the phone to Birling is from the infirmary, notifying the household of a suicide just being committed proving the Inspector to be psychic. The one complaint that I would have about the film of An Inspector Calls is the acting of Eric, in one scene he is his expected squiffy self, then in the next scene he has suddenly recovered and is sober. I am not sure whether this is a fault of the Director or the actor but either way I believe it was an error and not very effective. Probably the most important aspect to the film over the script was the introduction Sheila looking at herself in the mirror, early on. This is important to the play/film as the whole story is in regard to looking within yourself, and admiring and being disappointed with what you see, in this case it was being very disappointed. This incident occurred moments before her explanation on her error. Other than then few slight criticisms, I have no qualms of the script nor the film, and they were both a joy to read and watch respectively.

Argumentative Essay Essay Example for Free

Argumentative Essay Essay Ever since the war on terror our government continues the abuse of human rights by, always tracking individuals and labeling them, practicing lock downs of cities for when they really need it, and always adding to the list of freedoms there taking away from us. Most people don’t see it as that many people see it still as a war against people that terrorized America. Soon after 9-11 the United States best computers where hard at work beginning a process to find and label terrorist in America and by doing so they invaded everyone’s privacy by constantly scanning emails and texts, voice recognition software on all our phones, Facebook is primarily used to profile people and find more about their personal mind sets and likes. Our cell phones can trigger words that start voice recording software so anyone can listen in on our calls. Right after the Boston bombing the government exercised martial law by having everyone clear the streets and clearing house by house, no one could be outside without being considered a threat, that’s putting people on lockdown and testing out how well it works on big American city’s or towns and to see how well the people listened. One by one our freedoms are being taken away and no one can stop it, it’s part of the new technology and life we will have to grow and live into and our children. Ever since the terrorist act most of our freedoms where taken away right there, and as time goes on and we continue to let our government control us pretty soon we will have no freedoms what so ever and will be under full control as a people. Everyday new and better technology comes out that can help control America one way at a time. The war on terror has contributed to the growing abuse of human rights and no one will do anything to stop it. If we don’t come together as a hole to stop it people will soon be robots living under the control of one ruler or a group of people that decide everything about us.

Autistic Childs Failure False Belief Task

Autistic Childs Failure False Belief Task Autistic Childs Failure False Belief Task Is caused by an Executive Function Deficit Autism is a neurological disease which is occasionally called (Classical Autism) and belongs to a class of developmental disorders called the Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). It develops at an early age in life, before the age of 3 years and presents itself by through â€Å"impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual, repetitive, or severely limited activities and interests† (Autism Fact sheet, 2007). Diseases which are included in the Autism spectrum disorders include pervasive developmental disorder and child disintegrative disorder. Other diseases falling in the category include Rett syndrome and Asperger syndrome etc. autism is estimated to affect around 3 to 6 out 1000 children (Autism Fact sheet, 2007). According to the Autism and developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network (ADDMN), the disease affected 1 in every 150 8 year old children in different regions of United States. Furthermore it has been seen in males four tim es more than in females (Centre for disease control and prevention, 2007). Autism is a complex syndrome and its identification can be missed in case of a mild form of the disease. It is a debilitating disease in some cases and in order to identify patients suffering from ASDs, doctors study the patient’s different aspects of behaviour. These include: Difficulty in making friends with people. Difficulty in starting conversations with people Patient’s conducting repetitive routines. Lack of imagination and inability to be social. The atypical and stereotyped use of language skills sometimes repeating sentences. Limited interests in subjects with abnormally focused mind (Autism Fact sheet, 2007) Although the stated patterns of behaviour alert the physicians about suspicion towards Autism, the complete explanatory framework for understanding autism ultimately has to encompass multiple aspects of the condition: 1) Aetiology (2) Brain structures and processes (3) Neuro-psychology (4) Symptoms or behaviours At the most basic level, aetiology of the condition is thought to be genetic as well as environmental. Both factors are thought to play a role in the future abnormalities in the developmental process of the brain structures at an early age, and the behavioural pattern, the mind becomes able to illicit. Researchers have been attempting in the recent years to pinpoint the exact relationship between the anomalies in the brain structures and the effect they have on the behavioural patterns in autistic people. A person’s ability to â€Å"control and regulate† behaviour through cognitive abilities is called Executive function of the brain (Executive functions, 2007). They are complex behavioural abilities which simple mental abilities like focus, motor skills and memory etc (Executive functions, 2007). Researches note that the autistic children suffer from executive function deficit. Utah Fith in 1985 along with fellow psychologists’ put forward the idea that the main mental deficit in autism could be their inability to assess their own and other’s mental states. This is known as the â€Å"theory of mind† (Johnston, E, 1997). The theory that children with autism lack the theory of mind (ToM) is supported by multitude of experiments concerning the testing of presence of ToM via false belief task which show that the autistic children usually fail to pass the test (Johnston, E, 1997). Discussion Autisms come under the spectrum disorder, which means the characteristics of the disease, can appear in different combinations and different intensity levels. The aspects of individuality of human personality make it difficult to apply similar diagnostic techniques to different children. Some of the symptoms of Autism are resistance to change, lack of social interaction, lack of eye contact, inappropriate association of things and objects, lack of physical reaction to different stimuli and non- responsiveness to verbal instructions and many more. There are many misconceptions about the disease and lack of awareness among the family members and associated people, which makes it difficult to be accepted and to development of appropriate treatments and special behavioural attention that is to be given to these special children. Two major factors that affect the future behaviour and progress of these children are the teachers and the parents. As these children cannot in most cases develo p and react like normal children. So parents and teachers play and important role in making them normal people this also depends on the severity of the diseases (Baron-Cohen, 2004, p96). False Belief task Theory of mind is the ability of a person to predict or anticipate what the other person will think or do i.e. to read a person. Children at the age of 4years old should be able to illicit this capability. The litmus test to assess if children have developed the theory of mind capability is through the False-belief Task. Children suspected of having deficit of ToM are put through a False-belief task. This task is used in the ToM research and checks the children’s comprehension of other people’s false beliefs (Young, S., 2008). The term False belief can be defined as â€Å"individual’s wrong belief’s about other’s thoughts† (Young, S., 2008). The false belief task checks through a series of questions â€Å"whether child can distinguish between newfound knowledge of a stimulus and previous thoughts about the stimulus of interest† (Young, S., 2008). It has been seen that autistic children do not learn this capability and this is seen through the false belief tasks. These tasks require a person to anticipate or predict another person’s behaviour. It has been seen that a majority of the autistic children fail this task. The ToM theory was first tested by Uta Frith and Baron Cohen et. al using the modified â€Å"Wimmer and Perner’s False belief task† (Johnston, E, 1997). It was found that of the 20 autistic children tested, more than 80% failed to identify the False-Belief task. Whereas children with Down’s syndrome with a mental age lower than those of the autistic children passed the task. The authors attributed the failure of the autistic children in this particular task to their lack of capability to imagine or predict the mental states of others (Johnston, E, 1997). Since then, it has become a common practice to associate autism with failure lack of development of ToM and failure of completing the F alse-belief task. We present two rationales to discard this exercise. First, fleeting the false belief task requires capabilities other than theory of mind. Second, theory of mind need not involve the aptitude to basis about false beliefs. We conclude with an alternative conception of the role of the false belief task. (Obernman et al., 2005, p190) Studies have shown that even though autistic children perform worse than ordinary children on the false-belief tasks, they have success rates greater than those of other mentally retarded children. These results lead us to suspect that even though children suffering from Autism have a reduced comprehension of the false beliefs, when compared to children without the disease, they do not provide clear evidence to support the theory that their mental deficit is in comparable to children who suffer from mental retardation. Executive Functions in Autism Executive function is a general term used to describe large spectrum higher level cognitive processes. These are layered processes with can involve, a person’s ability to detach self from context, or plan for future actions. These actions also include inhibitions of actions deemed inappropriate or actions which relate to responding to and adjusting ones behaviour according to feedback from people other than self. A commonality noted between autistic children and those with frontal lobe injury is their restricted and limited â€Å"stereotyped behaviour† (Happe, F. and Frith U 1996). This similarity in the both cases has led to the formation of a cognitive theory about autism. Children with autism seem to fair worse, when subjected towards â€Å"Wisconsin card sorting task, tower of Hanoi, fluency test, working memory, extra dimensional shift† (Happe, F. and Frith U 1996) etc as compared to those children who are mentally challenged but of a similar mental age as t he autistic children (Happe, F. and Frith U 1996). These significant findings have researchers suspecting the involvement of frontal lobe in the disease of autism. More importantly the new cognitive theory links autism directly to the decrease in one’s executive function execution and comprehension theory. Discovery of Autism When a child is discovered to be suffering for Autism it comes as a real shock for the parents and the family to accept the situation and accommodate the impairments of the child. It is very stressful for the family to grow an autistic child, and a challenge to deal with all the possible outcomes and reactions that they might have to face. The initial reactions of the family are always denial and anger, which is usually, spread over a number of days. It is followed by various other emotional reactions and for a few days the families suffer from emotional turmoil. The next stage is of acceptance and steps, to come in terms with the disease and proper procedures, which have to be taken to deal with the situation at hand. (Bauman, 2004, p791) The issue of Pretence The triad of autistic impairments according to Wing and Gould (1979) are imagination, communication and Socialization. The mind blindness hypothesis can give reason for the loss of socialization with other people and communication (verbal as well as non verbal). It would be logical to state that children who have deficits in communication and with social relationships, would have a difficult time understanding the thinking of others i.e. deficit in the theory of mind. This leaves us with the third component of the triad of characteristics found in the autistic children, i.e. the imagination. The imagination component works in a young child in the form of pretend play. The mind blindness theory cannot explain the absence or the impaired capability of the mind of an autistic child when it comes to pretence. (Bauman, 2004, p 794) The Obsessive Side of Autism The simplest explanation for the sometimes aggressive, repetitive and obsessive behaviour of autistic children can only be explained as the result of social alienation. This has been the traditional belief. A normal healthy young child spends most of its time occupied and overloaded with interactions of the social nature. The mind tries to â€Å"take in† all it can and learn the rules and responses to normal behaviour and actions. The expressions representing anger, the tone of voice which is inviting and loving, are all the interactions learnt at a very young age. A normal child mingles with parents, plays with the toys, and has, person read him imaginative bedtime stories. Severely Autistic children being handicapped in the sense that they are mind blinded cannot understand or comprehend these expressions and social activities, which are continuously thrown at them. The world is frustrating for this child has he has no understanding of the actions expressions of the gestures thrown at him. Therefore it can be thought of, as a natural phenomenon that autistic children would try to withdraw themselves from social atmosphere and into loneliness avoid further confusion. It would also seem logical that their learning and curious mind causes them to preoccupy themselves with simplistic and repetitive tasks which their mind can easily comprehend and keeps their mind occupied. We can also attempt to explain the focused attention and interest of children with autistic child as a means to distract one self from â€Å"opacity† of the social nature of the world and their lack of understanding of it (Bauman, 2004, p795). When we attempt to figure out how many social influences normal healthy children and adolescents have from their social environment, e.g. fictional books, movies sex, sports etc, we realise that we have an innate need for social interactions and they make heavy heavily on our social awareness and our personality as a whole. Keeping this in mind, we can also reason that autistic children also have the innate urge or the need to satisfy their mind with activities which make sense to them. Since they are hypothesised to be devoid of executive function, they preoccupy themselves with activities that they can comprehend like calendar dates time tables’ or any other activities which the later on excel at. There is certain evidence from research which leads us to believe that there is lack of flexibility in the autistic mind and this cannot simply be explained through the theory of social isolation (Bauman, 2004). Rowe et al, (2001) demonstrated in a study conducted on 31 patients that patients with frontal lobe defects reduced capacity for the executive function executions. These shows that loss of executive function comes from pathological tissue damage in the frontal cortex of the brain. They also demonstrated that the results relative to the executive mind defects were â€Å"independent of the theory of mind impairments† (Rowe et al, 2001). Several studies have also shown that autistic children fare worse than normal ones int he tasks involving planning and problem solving (Bauman, 2004). Even though this is consensus amongst some researchers that â€Å"autistic children have damage to their frontal lobe and the surrounding areas leading them to suffer from executive function deficit as well as mind blindness. These regions appear in proximity to the ones involving the tasks related to theory of mind (Bauman, 2004).This alone cannot be the basis on which we refute our position as any reliable theory about the autism has to explain the syndrome itself as well as the signs and symptoms that present themselves along with the main features of the syndrome. Deficits in executive control in Autism There is general association of the deficit of Executive function (control) with the pathological anomalies or any other aetiologies leading to damage of prefrontal region of the brain and specifically the dorsal region. Researchers still are cautious about findings related to executive dysfunctions in developmental disorders. They caution that the behavioural or functional disability need not necessarily reflect pathology in the above mentioned region of the brain which is thought to be involved with the executive function control. Rowe et al (2001) also found inconclusive evidence to support the hypothesis that the prefrontal cortex damage was the sole cause of executive function deficit. It was deducted from the study that executive function could be a result of a collaboration of inputs from the amygdale (Shaw, 2004) along with other regions including thalamus, striatum, hippocampus etc along with temporal and parietal lobes (Rowe et al, 2001). This means that the executive funct ion deficit is the result of more diffuse damage than previously expected. â€Å"The theory of mind theory of autism was experimentally tested with the now famous Sally-Ann version of Wimmer and Perners false belief task. In this task the child is shown two dolls, Sally and Ann. Sally has a basket and Ann has a box. The child watches as Sally places a marble in her basket and goes out. While Sally is out Ann moves the marble into her box. Sally returns. The question posed to the child is, Where will Sally look for the marble? Baron-Cohen, Leslie Frith tested 20 autistic children with mental ages well over 4 years; 16 (80%) failed to appreciate Sallys false belief. In contrast, 12/14 children with Downs syndrome of lower mental age succeeded on the task. Baron-Cohen et al attributed the high rate of autistic childrens failure on this false belief task to an inability to mentalize, to consider the mental states of self and others† (Johnston, E, 1997). This hypothesis postulates that social interactive and communicative abnormalities in autism are derived from a inability to understand other peoples minds and to interpret behaviour in terms of their underlying mental states particularly the ability to anticipate or predict the contents of anothers mind. How to Deal With Autism After the initial emotional reaction and acceptance comes the stage of devising strategies to make the child comfortable and acceptable at home and surroundings. There are many matters of concern that would than come face to face with the family. A resistance towards the child is developed which poses a greater threat to the future progress. The gap that is developed between the family and the child is to be overcome by patience and techniques. There are several well-planned techniques that the parents can use to communicate properly with their child. First of all they have to collect comprehensive information about the disease, and try to understand all the causes and their remedies. Proper medical help should be sought to initiate a proper treatment. Education about the disease and its particularities can be sought from various sources. Associations of the parents of the already suffering children are good source of information. The associations provide better guidance, counselling between families, opportunities to share experiences, about the adopted behaviour towards the child (George, 2004, p418). It is the parents duty to educate the people around the suffering child to accept the disorder and being receptive to the childs needs. They also have to disseminate information that they have collected around; a standard pattern of behaviour is established that will make the child comfortable. Seeking more and more information and then generalizing it will make it easy to deal with the circumstances. Along with the school the parents have to be extra careful about overcoming the gap between the child and themselves. They have to take up the place of an instructor along with a caretaker to make learning the deficiencies be prevailed over. The parents on their own have to try to develop the skills of the child. They can either learn to use the medical treatment procedures or simple home made tricks to improve on the respective weaknesses of the child. Their abnor mal responses to stimuli can be made better by exercising different activities like self-handling skills, show of particular responses in front of the child will make him to imitate. Sensory integration techniques can also be used at home to make their senses perform better. Role modelling can be done to make the childs communication better with other people. This way they can know how to react and behave with different people and can improve their eye contact and can carry themselves better. Bedtime stories and special games can improve their responses. They can be taught at home that how to develop on their touching and squeezing by making small toys of different textures, so they have a general idea. (Grigerenko, 1995, p205) The home environment should be made conducive for the child in terms of its safety and ease of movement. All the safety aspects of the windows, doors, sharp things and flames etc should be kept in mind. The Executive-Function Deficits There have been attempts to elucidate and explain the executive function deficit in people with autism through the reasoning of mind blindness theory it is too early to equate autism directly with complete executive function failure. â€Å"Problems in executive functions cannot explain all aspects of the nonsocial impairments in autism and more importantly, cannot, on the face of it, explain the intact and superior skills sometimes exhibited by autistic children. The spiky IQ profile is a case in point; block design, which is so often a peak in autism, is considered a good test of fluid intelligence, which in turn relies on executive abilities.† Happe, F. (1996). Executive function deficits are not limited to the disorder of autism. These deficits can be seen in â€Å"attention deficit disorders, hyper activity disorders, Tourette syndrome and phenylketonuria etc† Happe, F. (1996). Since these diseases amongst others do not follow the theory o mind therefore the executive function deficit cannot be expected to present itself in accordance with ToM in all case scenarios. (McEvoy, 2004, p563) A study by Baron, Cohen (1985) forms the basis for deviation from the traditional view. It dissociates recurrent and stuck-in-set â€Å"preservations in the cognitive performance of autistic individuals, showing that the former was specifically associated with the presence of lower-level repetitive behaviours (e.g. stereotyped movements), whereas the latter was specifically associated with the presence of higher-level repetitive behaviours (e.g. circumscribed interests)† (Joseph R M, 1999). â€Å"Yet, if the executive dysfunction theory is to provide a convincing alternative to the theory of mind view of autism, it needs to demonstrate similar associations between executive deficits and the impairments in social and communicative functioning that are so centrally defining of the disorder. Thus far, attempts to make such connections have not been replicated, or have suggested that executive deficits, although present, do not have a causal role in the social and communicative impairments.† (Joseph R M, 1999). Personal Thoughts Mind blindness hypothesis concerning autism presents and can even explain the often overlooked fact that people suffering from autism suffer not only from the inability to assign states of the mental sort to other people , but they also fail to achieve or assign a second order mental awareness level about themselves. It can be argued that the theory of mind hypothesis can be used to explain the self attribution and acknowledgement as well as other’s attribution. The theory of mind can easily account for and provide an explanation for autistic patient’s lack of self and other’s mental awareness. Explain the reason why autistic people have narrow range of interests’ and have deficits in comprehending problems and finding their solutions. This can be explained as autistics do not have second order awareness about their own thought processes. Conclusion In conclusion autistic disorder remains an enigma whose research studies have not yet managed to decipher the different parts to elucidate both the causes and the resulting disruption of brain function. However, it is hoped that the preliminary data obtained in neuropsychology, genetics, biochemistry or brain imaging may help in the coming years to identify subgroups of study subjects more homogeneous autism, providing other dimensions to explanation of the condition that the only concept too broad for autistic disorder. Since autism is a developmental disorder of the neurological type, it presents a challenge of how so diverse anomalies in higher centres of the body can lead to characteristic patterns and behaviours. Autism as a condition requires a lot of patience on part of the care takers to bring out positive changes in the patient. These children need acceptance and patience to be dealt with. Their comfort with the society and their mates at school will only be possi ble if they have the acceptance and proper dealing at home. Parents have the utmost responsibility to make things comfortable for their child and be supportive towards them so they can be better people accustomed to deal with their deficiencies in future. References and bibliography: Autism Fact sheet, (2007). National institute of neurological disorders and stroke. Retrieved on 30th March.2008 from http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm Baron-Cohen, (2004), the essential difference. London: Penguin, 2004 Baron-Cohen S, Leslie A.M, Frith U. Does the autistic child have a ‘theory of mind’? Cognition 1985; 21: 37–46 Baron-Cohen, S., Richler, J., Bisaraya, d., Gurunathan, N. wheelwright, S. (2002) The systemizing quotient: an investigation of adults with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism, and normal sex differences, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal society London B. Available from Baron-Cohen’s web pages, p45 Centre for disease control and prevention (2007). Retrieved on 30th March.2008 from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/symptoms.htm Executive functions, (2007). Retrieved on 30th March.2008 from http://www.minddisorders.com/Del-Fi/Executive-function.html Grigerenko, E. L. Stemberg, R. J. (1995) Thinking Styles, in Saklofske, D. H. Zeidner (eds) International handbook of Personality and Intelligence, New York; Plenum Press, 205-230 Happe, F. and Frith U (1996). The neuropsychology of Autism, Brain, 119; 1377-1400. Retrieved on 30th March.2008 from http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/119/4/1377?maxtoshow=HITS=10hits=10RESULTFORMAT=fulltext=autism+executive+function+deficitsearchid=1FIRSTINDEX=0resourcetype=HWCIT Happe, F. (1999) Autism: cognitive deficit or cognitive style, Trends in Cognitive sciences, 3 (6), p216-222 Joseph, RM., (1999). Neuropsychological Frameworks for Understanding Autism. International review of Psychiatry, 11; 309-324 Retrieved on 30th March.2008 from http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1351137 Johnston, E, (1997), Autism, investigating minds. Retrieved on 30th March.2008 from http://pages.slc.edu/~ebj/IM_97/Lecture21/L21.html Obernman et al. (2005) Cognitive Brain Research, 24, 190-198. Rowe et al, (2001). Theory of mind: impairments and their relationship to executive functioning following frontal lobe excisions. Brain, 124; 600-616, Retrieved on 30th March.2008 from http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/124/3/600?maxtoshow=HITS=10hits=10RESULTFORMAT=fulltext=autism+false+belief+tasksearchid=1FIRSTINDEX=0resourcetype=HWCIT Riding, R. RaynÐ µr, S. (1988) Cognitive styles and learning strategies: understanding style differences in learning and behaviour. London: David Fulton, p1-9 Shaw P, et al. (2004). The impact of early and late damage to the human amygdala on ‘theory of mind’ reasoning. Brain. 127; 1535-1548. Retrieved on 30th March.2008 fromhttp://brain.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/127/7/1535?maxtoshow=HITS=10hits=10RESULTFORMAT=fulltext=autism+false+belief+tasksearchid=1FIRSTINDEX=0resourcetype=HWCIT Witkin, HÐ µrman A. (1981) cognitive styles: essence and origins: field dependence and field independence, New York: International Universities Press, p45

Mke-si-mume: Neocolonialism and Sexual Practice in Kenya Essay

Mke-si-mume: Neocolonialism and Sexual Practice in Kenya The Republic of Kenya, voted one of the top five hottest tourist attractions in the world and labeled as one of the most promising and developing third world countries in Africa. This beautiful country has been a source of major controversy and debate as it takes a step into the 21st century. The topic of discussion that has sparked such great interest ranging from the President of Kenya up until the United Nations is the subject of homosexuality. At first I will talk about the way the government has essentially denounced all rights and equality of people who practice same-sex relations in Kenya. Then I will move to address when and how same-sex activity first began in Kenya and what it really means to be gay in Kenya. Furthermore I will cover how the issue of homosexuality rainfalls into many other aspects such as the economy, globalization, neo-colonialism, family and the workplace. Besides all the social issues same-sex offenders must deal with the principal reason most Africans never reveal their sexuality is because of the government. The continent is among the most war-torn, but several African leaders have found one thing on which they agree: homophobia. The fact is that it is illegal to be gay in Kenya. Sections 162 to 165 of the Penal Code criminalize homosexual behavior and attempted homosexual behavior between men, referring to it as "carnal knowledge against the order of nature". The penalty is 5 to 14 years' imprisonment. However lesbian relations are not mentioned in the law (www.ilga.com). Africa is a male-dominated country and therefore doesn’t include female relations in the law; additionally there is a longer and much more dominant presence of ... ...litical group and given a proper change in Kenya, a new political schema. This was the goal of one of the very first gay activists who formed the recently disbanded Forum for Positive Generations on AIDS Prevention. Its intention was to increase social awareness and understanding towards people with AIDS and to emphasize and relieve the plight or marginalized groups such as homosexuals with AIDS. Studies have shown that homosexual behavior within the normal is being ignored, but in light of all the recent events, despite the negative approach, people will begin to take thought of the very real existence of the gay and lesbian community that exists. The fight for equality will continue and there shall come a day when people can identify themselves as who they are openly and being gay or practicing same-sex intercourse will be an acceptable part of society in Kenya.

Essay --

This essay explores the mutually beneficial commercial collaborations between the tobacco companies and major motion picture studios from the late 1920s through the 1940s. Smoking in movies is associated with adolescent and young adult smoking initiation. Public health efforts to eliminate smoking from films accessible to youth have been countered by defenders of the status quo, who associate tobacco imagery in â€Å"classic† movies with artistry and nostalgia. Both the entertainment and tobacco industries recognised the high value of promotion of tobacco through entertainment media. Each company hired aggressive product placement firms to represent its interests in Hollywood. These firms placed products and tobacco signage in positive situations that would encourage viewers to use tobacco and kept brands from being used in negative situations. Efforts were also made to place favourable articles relating to product use by actors in national print media and to encourage professional photographers to take pictures of actors smoking specific brands. The cigar industry started developing connections with the entertainment industry beginning in the 1980s and paid product placements were made in both movies and on television. This effort did not always require money payments from the tobacco industry to the entertainment industry, suggesting that simply looking for cash payoffs may miss other important ties between the tobacco and entertainment industries. So, therefore the tobacco industry understood the value of placing and encouraging tobacco use in films, and how to do it. While the industry claims to have ended this practice, smoking in motion pictures increased throughout the 1990s and remains a public health problem. The tobacco i... ...y has a long history of working to influence Hollywood. The power of film to promote the â€Å"social acceptability† and desirability of tobacco use, particularly among young people, is a continuing inducement for the tobacco industry to utilise this medium. The increase in tobacco use and the continuing appearance of specific brands in movies since 1990 may reflect continuing activities by the tobacco industry, despite the industry's voluntary restrictions on such practices. It may be that, as with provisions of the industry's voluntary advertising code that nominally restricts print marketing to children, the industry finds ways around its own rules. Until something is done to reduce and eliminate pro-tobacco images on film, motion pictures will remain one of the most powerful forces in the world promoting tobacco and serving the tobacco industry's financial interests.

Leacocks Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town :: Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town Essays

Leacock's Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town It takes a certain type of character to see the humour in everyday life. It takes an even greater character to express the humour in ways that other people can appreciate and subsequently find gaiety therein. Stephen Leacock is such a character, and his compilation of short stories Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town recognizes, and assists the reader to recognize, one's need to laugh at their surroundings, their culture, and the people that interact in their lives. Leacock is known for his profound ironic and satirical wit but, in the case of Sunshine Sketches, he offers aspects of tragic irony and sagacious insight with regards to everyday, small-town life as well, which serves to further enhance the value of his humour. Just as Leacock was interested in the techniques of humor, he was interested in the language of humor. Besides the careful selection of language, said Leacock, humor demanded a "great naturalness" of language, the use of phrases and forms so simple that writers straining after effect would never get them. [Critics] felt that one of the main reasons for Leacock's success was that his style was that of "a talker rather than a writer". Another said..."He talked to the world. And the talk was good." (Curry. p.242-243) Satire is defined as a genre in which the author attacks some object, using his means of wit or humour that is either fantastic or absurd. In the case of Sunshine Sketches, Leacock's target is a fictitious small town in southern Ontario, which could be, and often is, compared to all other small towns across the country. Leacock immerses the reader amidst a collection of ordinary characters who become extraordinary due to Leacock's grasp of the comedy within human nature and the scope of small-town culture and tradition. By utilizing elements of both comic and tragic irony, which by definition suggest varying divisions between words or events and their contexts, Leacock not only creates a humorous environment for his characters, but also one in which the reader may laugh at situations and idiosyncrasies which are strikingly similar to their own. Events such as the sinking of the Mariposa Belle in six feet of water and the subsequent rescue attempts by Mariposans, the comedic courting rituals of the extremely shy Peter Pupkin, and the inane attempts to raise money on behalf of the church are all examples of these sharp, ironic situations. To understand the irony in any work, one must first appreciate the context of such a work. With regards to Sunshine Sketches, the town of

Adult social care settings Essay

1.1 Define Person centred values. Person centred values means the people whom we support are treated as equals and are involved in all aspects and areas of their care and that they are respected and valued as individuals. This means being involved in their assessments, care delivery and support planning, basically person centred values is making sure all approaches, policies and procedures and care practices put the residents at the centre of the day-to-day activities. It should also include the residents and their families in the planning and maintaining of this. 1.2 Explain why it is important to work in a way that embeds person centred values. The underlying purpose of person centred values is to ensure that the individual needing care is put at the very centre of the decision making progress about their life and the services and support they want, need and require. Person centred values is about putting an individuals needs and choices first, respecting their privacy and dignity and giving that individual as much independence as possible. under this strict system, the person is always placed at the very centre of the planning of the care programme required, in that he or she will always be consulted and that his or her views will always come first. Therefore the plan is tailor-made to that particular person, and it should include all aspects of care, from the Social and Health Services, from that individual’s family and from the voluntary sector. Outcome 2 Understand how to implement a person centred approach in an adult social care setting. 2.1 Describe how to find out the history, preferences, wishes and needs of an individual. By working in a way that puts an individual we are supporting at the centre of any planning and communicating with them we can find out information about their history, preferences and wishes. By using this approach we aim to see the person as an individual, rather than focusing on their illness or on abilities they may have. We can also include asking their family, friends, carers, other professionals including, GPS, nurses, social workers and also by looking at documents, such as pictures, letters, etc†¦ 2.2 Describe how to take into account the history, preferences, wishes and needs of an individual when planning care and support. When planning individual support it is necessary to record day-to-day preferences and requirements of the individuals care and support, we can do this by addressing individuals needs and preferences in a care plan, this holds all information about the individual you are supporting, their likes and dislikes, their hobbies, family information and their health as it changes. You can find out in a care plan if an individual likes reading in the afternoon or dancing to Elvis, and you can plan their daily activities around this, it is a way you can ensure the environment promotes well-being for your individual you are supporting. Having a holistic approach to meeting the needs and preferences of each individual is also a key skill. Things can change however depending on how that individual is feeling, say for example they feel physically sick and tired, they are not going to want to get out of bed, get washed, get dressed and sit in a room full of people all day, they are a lot more likely to want to lye in bed all day and that is fine as long as all their needs have been met and you explain what this choice will mean. 2.3 Explain how using and individuals care plan contributes to working in a person centred way. Plans for how people want their support to be delivered are a vital part of  person-centred working. People should be in centre of their plans and the planning process is a key way of ensuring that are at the centre of any support provided Care support plans are now developed by the person themselves, sometimes with support from family and friends. Plans are then agreed by the social worker or the manager. The development of a support plan is the perfect example of how person-centred working operates. Instead offering people a choice of what is currently available and finding what best fits their needs, person-centred working looks at someone’s needs and built the support package around them. One of the important aspects of person-centred planning is to look at what people are able to do for themselves and to ensure that services are not taking over aspects of a person’s life that they could perfectly well manage without support. Outcome 3 Understand the importance of establishing consent when providing care or support. 3.1 Define the word ‘consent’ Consent is the informed agreement to an action and/or decision. Permission for something to happen or agreement to do something. 3.2 Explain the importance of gaining consent when providing care or support. When working with an individual it is important to uphold their rights to be fully involved in their own care, whilst adhering to legal requirements. It is also the individuals right to refuse any care, support or treatment they do not want. It is also essential that people not only give you their consent but also that they understand what they are consenting to and the implications of this. Gaining consent protects not just the career but the individual receiving the care and support as-well. If no consent is given then you cannot proceed with the care. It is illegal to pressure anyone into something they do not want to do. 3.3 Describe how to establish consent for an activity or action. Consent can be implied, verbal, informed or written. Good communication skills and active listening plays a key role when gaining consent, by listening and treating an individual with respect you gain their trust and this is a way of gaining consent. By openly talking to the individuals in your care and being honest with them they are more likely to trust you. 3.4 Explain what steps to take if consent cannot be established. If consent cannot be established then you have a legal requirement to act in the best interest of the individual, to work towards solving conflict, with the use of extra support of advocates if necessary and where need to contact the person with whom has legal responsibility. All this must be recorded. Outcome 4 Understand how to encourage active participation. 4.1 Define what is meant by active participation. Active participation is an approach that recognizes all individuals rights and needs to participate in activities and relationships of everyday life as independently as possible, making sure the individual is actively part of their own care or support rather then a passive recipient. 4.2 Describe how active participation benefits an individual. Active participation empowers and encourages and individual to participate in their own care, it gives them the chance to be included in their care and have a greater say in how they live their lives. Active participation has many positive benefits such as: Physical benefits including greater activity levels. Increased independence and autonomy in what people do. An opportunity for individuals in health and social care settings to have a say in matters of direct concern to their lives. Increased opportunities for social contact and interpersonal relationships. Encouraging involvement and self-awareness. Enhanced well-being, with increases in self-confidence, self-esteem and self-belief. Active participation enhance an individual and helps to strengthening them physically, psychologically and their all over well-being. 4.3 Describe ways of reducing barriers to active participation. There are many ways of reducing barriers to active participation, organising and providing opportunity’s for involvement in social activities, Treating all individuals equally whilst still recognizing that everyone has differences and everyone is unique, A main way of reducing barriers is to introduce different ways of communication, such as Makaton, Sign language, Braille and also just by talking nice a clear and taking the time to listen to the individual in your care. 4.4 Describe ways of encouraging active participation. To encourage active participation you first should explain the benefits of participation and how it will motivate, encourage and support an individual. We can also involve family and friends to make experiences more meaningful and to be able to discuss with family and friends that activities cater to the needs and ability’s of an individual. Encouraging active participation is all about making that individual under your care feel good about themselves through, praise, compliments, patience and constructive feedback. Its all about making that individual feel comfortable, helping them feel as if their home, helping to improve their fitness, and helping to develop their social skills. Outcome 5 Understand how to support an individuals right to make choices. 5.1 Identify ways of supporting an individual to make informed choices. Informed choice is a voluntary, well-considered decision that an individual  makes on the basis of options, information, and understanding. To offer informed choices in a care setting staff need to empower their clients offer them up-to-date information and knowledge encourage independence 5.2 Explain why risk taking can be part of an individuals choices. We all take risks in life, its a way we grow and learn about ourselves and our limitations. Taking risks can empower us and teach us consequences, it is part of an individuals choice to take risks as long as those risks do not hurt others. To take a risk is an individuals choice the decision they make will result in some sort of consequence, negative or positive but it is down to the individual to make that choice. If the individual has the mental capacity to make an informed choice then they should be allowed to explore those risks. A person centred approach seeks to focus on people’s rights to have the lifestyle that they chose, including the right to make ‘bad’ decisions. You have to try and use person centred thinking tools, to help people and those who care about them most to think in a positive and productive way about how to ensure that they can achieve the changes they want to see while keeping the issue of risk in its place. 5.3 Explain how agreed risk assessment processes are used to support the right to make choices. Each individual in adult care should have a formal risk assessment carried out as part of their care plan. Risk assessments should contain information about the individual and the type of care and support they need. It will provide the most appropriate options for keeping the individual and anyone else involved as safe as possible. It will also tell you how to do some tasks where these tasks have been risk assessed and the best option has been established. Using a person-centred approach helps professionals involved in assessing risk to address significant issues of health and safety whilst supporting choice by also taking into account things that are important to people. A person centred approach can be one of the best ways to: Consider taking a particular risk or risks Establish and improve capacity to make decisions Make a best interest decision 5.4 Explain why a workers personal views should not influence an individuals choices. Every person in the world has the right to make his or her own decisions as long as it doesn’t involve another individual getting hurt. When an individual in your care makes a decision which you feel is risky, you need to make the individual aware of any consequences of their decision, however you mustn’t try to influence them with you own views, thoughts and feeling. The choice is the individuals not yours, they need to make their own decisions in order to feel in control of their lives, this leads to positive thinking, motivation, and positive feelings towards, dignity, pride and satisfaction. 5.5 Describe how to support an individual to question or challenge decisions concerning them that are made by others. Family and friends sometimes make decisions on behalf of an individual in care, these decision can be about the type of care or support they are receiving or the life style they are leading, but these decisions are not always discussed with the individual in question, and they may no be happy or comfortable with the outcome. It is essential that you obtain and understand the facts and reason these decisions were made so you make sure the individual has a clear understanding. If the individual remains sure that he/she is not happy with the decision, once he/she has this information, you can work with the individual to support them to challenge the decision. Any changes that are made to these decisions must be noted and reported and they must be made safe for yourself, the individual and anyone else involved. You should never make changes to a care plan or anything smiler without the proper training or discussing it first with you supervisor or line manager. 6.1 Explain how individual identity and self esteem are linked with well being Everyone has the right to identify themselves however they want, everyone has there own thoughts and beliefs and they shouldn’t be made to feel bad or have there self esteem lowered because someone doesn’t believe or think the same ways as someone else. Maintaining someone’s identity is done by always recognising that person as an individual, recognising that everyone has there own thoughts, feelings, beliefs, wishes and views and that makes them unique. You must always try to deal with views and choices of another person in a positive and caring manner, all this will contribute to their sense of well-being. 6.2 Describe attitudes and approaches that are likely to promote an individuals well-being. By always ensuring that the individual is treated in a professional, kind, caring and courteous way, their sense of well-being is always assured. Care workers can also make sure that they use a number of different approaches empowering approaches that enable the individual to take control, a positive approach that encourages the individual to feel good, working in a trusting and professional way enables a good relationship to build between the care worker and individual promoting a sense of well-being. 6.3 Identify ways to contribute to an environment that promotes well-being. There are many ways to contribute to an environment that promotes well-being, the individual in your care needs to feel safe, secure and at home in a welcoming environment that makes them feel comfortable, the best way to do this is for the individual to have their personal belongings around them, things that matter and make them feel good; Photos, Ornaments, Books, Pieces of furniture An environment that is easy for them to get around in, that is adapted for their needs/abilities, set out in a way of their choosing e.g their bedroom is personal to them, furniture placed in the way they have chosen, they’re decision on how it’s laid out, their decision on how it is decorated, it is their home and it should be made to feel welcoming, open and comfortable. Adult social care settings Essay Outcome 1 1.1 People communicate to understand their needs, to have a conversation, to express feelings, needs, to build relationships and trust. They communicate to share information and opinions, to ask questions and get answers. 1.2 Communication between staff effects service provision, understanding each other, team work and dignity in care. If communication is not effective, it can affect again residents-we can do harm to them, it can affect their health and well-being. Communication with staff is essential for passing information from one person to another. Information can be passed from carer worker to carer worker via verbal communication or written documents from care plans and daily reports, to fire books. Written communication has to be effective as it provides an on-going picture of a certain person, situation. Effective communication between staff is essential for care to be professional. Without effective communication care needs of the clients may go unnoticed leading to medical problems, abuse, depression etc. Communication with residents is most important in care job. That’s the way how you can easier understand they needs, requirements. It can affect service that carer provide to reside nts-more effective communication, better service to residents; with effective communication carer is building trust between residents and staff that helps in future work with them. 1.3 The care worker should always observe an individual’s reactions to see whether person fully understands what you have said to them. If the resident for example looks confused then the carer must then adapt their communication and ask again the question or other. In this way communication will be effective. It is also important to observe an individual’s reactions so as to spot anything that may be worrying them or upsetting them; the carer must to change their approach – this may be noticed through the resident change in facial expression or body language. If resident cannot verbalise what they want or prefer, then observing their reactions staff can make a decision about resident needs. Outcome 2 2.1 It makes more effective communication, more understand what other person trying to say. More understand they culture, religious believes. To be involved in their daily life. To avoid the individual feeling excluded, becoming distressed, frustrated or frightened. 2.2 Is verbal and non-verbal communication. Non-verbal communication is all without making noises, sounds. It can be writing, showing pictures with food choice, walk in park, toilette need. Can be even facial expressions, eye contact, body language, gestures or touch to get attention, physical gestures, behaviour. Verbal communication is vocabulary and tone in what person like to talk, involved in conversation. Outcome 3 3.1 Communication barriers can be place where person is, people around, noisy environment, values, culture, beliefs, his wishes and needs. Reason can be even lighting, how close you stand to that person or language barrier. 3.2 Communication barriers can reduce if you take the person to another room. Can try to turn lower music volume on television or radio. Try to talk with person in more private place, ask about his needs. Another way how we can reduce the impact of this barrier is by using a translator when you or resident do not understand what you both are saying because of a language barrier. Finally this would work because by using a translator you will not be offending people who speak a different language. Communication barrier can be because of different cultures and they include different cultures using different words or signs which may not be accepted in other cultures. One example of a mechanism which can be used to reduce the impact of this barrier to communication is by respecting other people’s beliefs and social habits. 3.3 To be sure that person understand me I can see it by his facial expressions, body language or his action on what I said. Ask if the person understand me, rephrasing. Some person need more time for get right answer or you should repeat a question, sentence. 3.4 It can be more enable: Colleague – staff member who knows resident issues, needs, wishes, more  about his culture, values, beliefs. Speech therapist – can tell who has had a stroke. GP – is person who know more about resident general health problems, how staff can make that person more relax and comfortable. Family – can tell more about carrier person daily life, person food choice, needs. Psychotherapist – can advise on exercise for people at all stages of dementia. They can also give advice carers on safe ways of helping someone to move. Dentist – can be used if the individual has dentures which are to loose and move when speaking. Outcome 4 4.1 Confidentiality means keeping residents information private and safe and passing information to only those who have rights to it. Confidentiality means also not passing information outside care house, keeping information safe and private. 4.2 Confidentiality you can maintain with not passing information outside of work or to other resident visitors. Be professional and don’t talk about residents in public places when you have a meal with work colleagues or in public transport on a way home. Don’t leave a written personal records lying around. You need to put them in safe place, where access is just for staff members. Health records are confidential. They should be shared only on a need-to-know basis. Carrier can give access to resident relevant information to those who have rights to know it. 4.3 Can share confidential information when the person is being placed in danger, harmed or abused. You can share information with other staff members in situation if for example resident is telling you he feels in danger of other resident or staff member and ask you not to tell anyone. It is situation where you need to explain person that you can’t keep information, because you want him to be in safety and need to help him by acting straight away. Can share when a criminal act has taken place. However, even, where it is clearly beneficial to share information for direct care, rules about confidentiality and privacy still apply. That means that only those who have a clear need to know should have access to the relevant confidential information. 4.4 Can seek advice about confidentiality if speaking with manager or with the organisation’s confidentiality policy. If someone is calling by phone and asking some information about any of residents and you are not sure who it is you can always ask him to speak with manager or just  take persons phone number and tell him that manager will call him back. The Data Protection Act is a law that applies to all social services and health records. It means that any information about resident should be kept accurately and securely, and there should be measures restricting who can see it. There are circumstances when an authority may have the right to break the rules about confidentiality. This is normally in extreme situations.