An Analysis of Scene 3 (Pages 7 to 9), From ‘Gregory’s Girl

In scene 3 of ‘Gregory's Girl' there are only three characters involved. One is Gregory, another is Madeline who is Gregory's sister, and the other one is Mike who is Gregory's father. In this scene Gregory is late for school and is getting ready in front of a mirror in his bedroom. He then is talking to himself while he is putting on his deodorant. His sister who is outside is listening to him talking to himself. Gregory then smells is own breath by putting his hands over his mouth and breathes out and smells. He then exhales out loudly and smells. He then picks up his electric toothbrush, selects an appropriate brush, clicks it into place and then turns on his brush. He is in tune with the brush. He then changes gear. Madeline then comes into his bedroom and then criticises his tie saying it clashes with what he is wearing. Gregory then has a conversation with Madeline. The doorbell then rings and Madeline says bye. Gregory then ponders the purple tie and tosses it to one side. He unbuttons his shirt and his father walks in and shouts â€Å"good god† and Gregory then reply's â€Å"hi Mike†. Gregory's dad then tells him not to call him mike but to call him father or dad. Gregory then has a conversation with his dad and his dad makes a plan with Gregory to meet up sometime. They make an agreement to meet at 8 O'clock in the kitchen on Friday for breakfast. Gregory then leaves and his father picks up the purple tie with disdain. For acting out scene 3, I would have a stage set which has Gregory's bedroom, the kitchen and the passageway. The bedroom would be on the left side of the stage. On the right side of the stage would be a passageway which leads to the kitchen in front. Opposite the bedroom would be a door offstage. This would be used to exit/enter the flat. There would be a wall with a door splitting the bedroom and the passageway. There will be no wall to separate the kitchen from the passageway because the audience will not be able to see the kitchen. There will be another door in the passageway which would be Madeline's room. Madeline's room would be behind Gregory's room. This room the audience will not be able to see therefore there will be no need for this room to have props. The props in the bedroom would have a bed facing the audience which would have the blanket shoved to one side and it would be situated on the far left. Next to the bed would be a brown desk which would have a lamp on it, a silver alarm clock, an electrical toothbrush, a roll on deodorant and some books in a messy pile. Next to the desk will be a cupboard and next to the cupboard there is a long mirror. On the floor there will be a school bag some clothes which are in a messy pile. The colour of the room would be blue. I would make Gregory's room a bit messy to show to the audience the typical lifestyle of a male teenager. Another way to show his laziness of waking up is the silver alarm clock to show that he's not bothered about being late for school. The mirror would be there to show him getting changed in front of the mirror. The other props in his rooms are extras to make it look like a bedroom. The props in the passageway would have hooks attached to the wall with jackets on them, a telephone and clock attached to the wall with a desk just below it, some shoes lined up on the floor against the wall near the desk. Next to the desk would be a black school bag (this bag belongs to Gregory). The colour of the wall would be brown. The props would be here to show to the audience that this place is the passageway. The kitchen would have a sink, a washing machine, a cooker, a kettle, a microwave, a fridge, a shelves attached to the walls, there would be plates next to the sink and the walls would be white. The props in the kitchen are here to show what a typical kitchen looks like. The way the actors speak and move is very important in this scene. As a director, I would choose to start off the play by opening the stage curtains and the first thing the audience will see is Gregory buttoning his shirt in front of a mirror. The clothing Gregory would be wearing is black trousers and a white shirt. The clothing he is wearing is his school uniform. While he is dressing he is whistling and moving side to side. When the audience see his room they can tell that he is a typical lazy teenager by the mess in his room. Madeline will then come of her room into the passageway dressed up in her school uniform carrying her brown school bag. She then puts her bag next to Gregory's on the floor then stands outside Gregory's door listening to Gregory's monologue. The actress playing Madeline would be leaning against the wall and would be smiling. She would be wearing a black skirt, a white shirt with a black jumper and a school tie. This would show the audience that she is getting ready for school. Gregory then stops buttoning his shirt and says â€Å"ooh dear me, almost forgot my twelve hour protector. That would never do. Just a little roll fights off the demon sweaty odours for a full twelve hours. Then a little dab to encourage the chesty follicles and perhaps a quick whirl round the band of the Y-fronts and he's protected. One hundred per cent protection against all unsightly odours. Or is he? â€Å". I would make the actor use a commentating voice when the actor is saying these lines. The facial expressions when the actor is speaking he would be raising his eyebrows and moving his head. When the audience see this scene the audience know that Gregory likes to smell good. Then Gregory puts his hands over his mouth and smells his breath. Then he exhales out loudly smelling to see if his breath smells. When the audience see this they realise that Gregory does not like to smell bad and he likes to give a good impression of himself. He then says â€Å"can't smell a thing. Better give the shiny molars a polish, just to be on the safe side†. The way the actor would say this would be in a ‘oh well' tone of voice. The actor would shrug his shoulders and raise his eyebrow slightly when he is saying this. Gregory then picks up his electric toothbrush, selects an appropriate brush, clicks it into place and then turns on his brush. He is in tune with the brush. Gregory then stops brushing his teeth and puts on a purple tie. At this point Madeline walks into his room, stops dead and stairs at his tie and says â€Å"you're not wearing that tie are you? â€Å". When Madeline says this she would say it in an ‘uurgh' tone. Gregory would then jump from fright and would turn around saying â€Å"please don't creep up on me like that. You could damage my delicate relationship with this finely tuned apparatus†. He would then say in a suspicious tone â€Å"what's wrong with the tie†. Madeline would then reply in an accusing tone â€Å"it jars†. Gregory then says â€Å"so! † in a not bothered way. Madeline then says â€Å"it will set peoples teeth on the edge†. Gregory then argues back â€Å"it's a statement†. Madeline then replies â€Å"only to you. to everyone else it shows dreadful taste† in a criticising tone. When Madeline is talking the audience know that Madeline is in control and that Gregory listens to his sister who is younger than him. At this time Gregory will be adjusting his tie looking back at the mirror. Madeline will then go to his bed to fold up his duvet. When the audience sees Madeline fold up his duvet they see that she cares for his brother and she act a lot older than her big brother Gregory. Madeline then sits on his bed staring at him. Gregory then says in a curious voice â€Å"aren't you late for school or something? â€Å". Madeline then says looking at his clock I'm waiting for someone†. When the audience see her looking at the clock they think that the person she is waiting for is late or. Gregory then looks at her and says â€Å"oh. Who? â€Å". Madeline then gets off the bed and walks past him stops at the door turns back and says â€Å"Richard. He walks me to school†. At this time there will be a sound effect of a doorbell. Madeline then opens his door and leaves going into the passageway, she then collects her bag and when she gets to the front door to leave the flat, she opens the front door then says â€Å"see you† and Madeline the departs with the front door closing behind her. Gregory then leaves his room fully dressed and says â€Å"bye†. He then stops dead and looks slightly up then says to his self â€Å"walks her to school†. Gregory then ponders at the purple tie and throws it to one side onto the desk in the passageway. He then undoes one shirt button looking at the audience, two buttons then three. Gregory's vest shows then he tries to adjust it but it fails. He does his third button up and his father then comes in through the front door and looks at him and shouts â€Å"good God†. Gregory then reply's in a normal high voice â€Å"hi Mike†. The actor playing mike has a newspaper and goes towards the desk and says â€Å"call me dad, Gregory, or pop ore something . . . it makes me feel better when you call me dad . . . or father†. Mike then puts the news paper down onto the desk. The actor playing mike says these lines in a disappointing voice. Gregory then says â€Å"as you wish, father† in a not bothered way. At this time Gregory's father walks into the kitchen and opens the fridge. Gregory follows him. Gregory then says â€Å"how are you anyway†. Mike reply's â€Å"fine. Were all very well. Your mother was asking about you only the other day† in a surprising voice. At this time mike has just taken a bottle of milk out from the fridge. Mike then continues â€Å"I told her we had met in the hallway, briefly, last Thursday and you looked fine†. Mike then puts the milk near the kettle and takes the kettle to the sink and now he is filling it up with water. Mike then turns the tap off and takes the kettle back to boil the water. Mike is continuing â€Å"this is an added bonus. She'll be thrilled with news from this unexpected sighting†. Mike then presses the button to boil the kettle. Gregory then looks at the kettles light and asks his dad â€Å"so what keeps you hanging about the homestead† in a curious voice. Mike then corrects him in a correcting voice â€Å"returning to not hanging about. He then says in a tiresome voice â€Å"I have already taken Mr. Clarke for his pre-test warm up, done an hour with Miss. Benthal and since my next client†¦ † Gregory then buts in and says † client? Bit over the top, isn't it? † in a humorous voice. Mike then looks at Gregory with a raised eyebrow and continues â€Å"my next client happens to lives nearby so I dropped off for a cup of coffee. Unfortunately the adaptor for the coffee machine seems to have walked, and, not unnaturally, I surmised that it may have walked here†. Mike says the last few lines sarcastically to give the audience a bit of humour.

Comparison in the Issue Between USA and South Africa Essay

This paper seeks to make a comparison on freedom of expression between the United States and South Africa. The question to be answered in contained the definition of the problem. II. Definition of the Problem (or Issue/Topic) Is the freedom of expression now in the Republic of South Africa now comparable with that of the United States? III. Nature and Extent of the Problem in the Two Countries The Republic of South has evolved into a republic not many years ago which signifies its adoption of democratic framework which basically includes the freedom of expression as part of the rights of the citizens. The US Constitution which includes the freedom of expression on the other hand has been in existence much longer in number of years as compared with RSA’s. Given the extent of the proliferation of the technology and the universal nature of human rights at this point, it is interesting to evaluate whether the rights or freedom of expression are comparable or have close similarities between the two countries. IV. Dynamics of the Problem This part would refer to the factors that could create or perpetuate the problem or those that would tend toward elimination/resolution of the problem. What could create the problem may include lack of vigilance of the citizens in protecting their rights. Democracy requires vigilance of its citizens (Shaw, S. , 2001; Africa Research Bureau, 1981) and the failure of these citizens to assert their right could result to the demise or non-enjoyment of the right. Another factor is the support of the courts to uphold the right of the citizens by the nature of the decisions made. It is also required that courts need to have independence from the political branch of the government (Lieberman, 2006; Bowman Iii, 2005). What could work towards elimination or resolution could come from the factors that c could create or perpetuate the problem. If the citizens therefore are vigilant, there is a great chance that the right would triumph in the court battles. Similarly if the courts are independent from the political branches of government and that the resulting decision are based on the spirit and letter of the rights or freedom of expression (Pasqualucci, 2006; Pannill, 2002), they by all mean, the conflict if any on these rights may be resolved in favor of their assertion and eventual enjoyment by its citizens V. Analysis on the Degree of Comparability It could be cited that RSA’s ratification of its 1996 Constitution, signaled the adoption of some of the best practices from the different part of the world including that of the US. Since US is believed to the leader in the area of human rights, it could be thought the RSA may actually have improved on what is has adopted. The IFLA/FAIFE World Report: Libraries and Intellectual Freedom (1998) indicates that South Africa still requires more time to have its freedom to be considered comparable to the US. There is thus the RSA court decision involving the freedom of expression thing and what came out was that the Supreme Court has just even overruling previous decisions in favor of the upholding better right of freedom of expression. This means that RSA’s judicial system needs more time to really attain what the US as leader in human rights has attained as to freedom of expression. The IFLA/FAIFE World Report: Libraries and Intellectual Freedom (1998) has cited a decision on defamation in favor of â€Å"City Press† where the court has recently removed the unfair burden of legal liability on media. Without this ruling, the media would continue to be inhibited in its ability in championing the right to freedom of expression. This recent ruling was therefore considered as a victory of the principles of freedom of expression as contained in RSA’ Constitution. Since it was just made recently because of the RSA’s history of more repressive regimes, it could be asserted that it may require more time before RSA could match the kind of right now enjoyed in the US. VI. Conclusion Based on recent rulings of South Africa’s Supreme Court, it could be deduced that citizens of RSA could now be having more freedom of expression. But as stated in the dynamic of the problem, there are factors that could determine the resolution of conflicts pertaining to the right and the same factors could also be influenced the decrease or demise of the rights to expression. One of this is vigilance that must be asserted by the citizens of South Africa. The present level of technology could be a great help for them to use to protect their right by their acts of vigilance. The courts too need to be independent from political branches of government and be not cowed by the experiences of past regimes in South Africa. It has taken South Africa to adopt those of the US principles on human rights including the freedom of expression. It should be enough to conclude, it could not be that fast to reach what the US has attained in many decades for RSA’s freedom expression of expression to attain high degree of comparability with the US. VII. References Africa Research Bureau (1981) Africa Research Bulletin, Africa Research, Ltd. , 1981 Bowman Iii (2005) Mr. Madison Meets a Time Machine: The Political Science of Federal Sentencing Reform; Stanford Law Review, Vol. 58 ICL (2008) The Constitution of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996, {www document} http://www. servat. unibe. ch/icl/sf__indx. html, Accessed November 11, 2008 IFLA/FAIFE World Report: Libraries and Intellectual Freedom (1998), {www document} http://www. ifla. org/faife/report/south_africa. htm, Accessed November 11, 2008 Lieberman (2006) Sorting the Revolutionary from the Terrorist: The Delicate Application of the â€Å"Political Offense† Exception in U. S. Extradition Cases; Stanford Law Review, Vol. 59 Pannill (2002) Free Speech, â€Å"The People’s Darling Privilege†: Struggles for Freedom of Expression in American History; Journal of Southern History, Vol. 68, 2002 Pasqualucci (2006) Criminal Defamation and the Evolution of the Doctrine of Freedom of Expression in International Law: Comparative Jurisprudence of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights; Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, Vol. 39 Shaw, S. (2001) South Africa’s Transition to Democracy: An African Success Story : a Resource Book on the Positive Changes of the Nineties, The Author

ART110 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ART110 - Essay Example Contour lines are predominantly used as well in the painting to add to the visual effect of the real images of the clouds, the tigers and lions as well as the hunters. Short broken lines gave realization to the texture of the horse’s mane and tail, the lions’ and tiger’s hair and claws as well as the hunter’s clothes and bodies. The blend of primary colors created just the right hues to bring real pigments to the animals and men. The saturation of colors on the gray horse’s mane brings a bright effect reflecting the additive light’s natural influence on the artwork in contrast to the dull colors created in the middle and bottom part of the painting. The illusionistic three dimensional space presented in the painting add color and action to the drama between the animals and hunters, giving it a seemingly photographed picture of real events. The proportion of the images is realistic as well. Reference Kleiner, Fred S. Gardner’s Art Throu gh the Ages: A Concise History of Western Art (2nd Edition). USA: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print

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Australian Indigenous People - Essay Example This survival of a close link between religion and health helps to understand the way Australian indigenous population tends to think and act. For instance, "the eating of clay or charcoal and a range of other substances might superficially be considered bizarre or at best to be of limited adaptive value, and this is reflected in a long and continuing debate about the benefits or otherwise of geophagy" (Rowland 2002, p. 51). Many indigenous tribes suppose that their healing culture reflects a person's identity and helps him/her to recover after certain rituals. Healing practices are used in a variety of ways in reference to a number of social traditions and values (Johns and Sanders 2005). Many healing practices involve magical rituals based on sacred knowledge and beliefs. Unfortunately, most of such practices do not cure such diseases as cancer or diabetes which cause sufferings and deaths to indigenous population. Australian indigenous culture is based on a specific system of standards or rules a person attributes to the membership of the group as a result of his experience (Dudley 2004). According to cultural norms and traditions, many indigenous people reject modern health care and medical help relying on magical rituals and geophagy. (Indigenous Health 2007). Unique cultural norms and values lead Australian indigenous population to such problems as sexually transmitted diseases and alcoholism. The lack of HIV/AIDS education, prevention, and quality care on reservations has encouraged Australian indigenous population to migrate from reservations to urban areas. Indigenous population is similar to that of society at large, with men representing 82.6 percent of the cases and men who have sex with men constituting the largest segment of Australian indigenous AIDS cases, 5%. The second largest exposure category for male adult/adolescents is men who have sex with men and inject drugs, 17%. Since males account for the largest portion of AIDS cases for Australian indigenous population, and men and women who have sex with men make up the main exposure category, it is critical that we focus our attention on this population to stop the further spread of HIV/AIDS in tribal communities (Indigenous Health 2007). Lack of understanding and discriminatory treatment of two-spirit men creates an environment where HIV/AIDS can spread unimpeded. Knowledge of gender and sexual variance in indigenous societies is limited, but what is known is that some tribal communities had more than male and female genders and participated in a variety of sexual orientations (Australian Indigenous 2007). Poor health is closely connected with dietary patterns and crop technologies. In this case, diet represents "a product of human learning" which helps a person to organize his/her experience, including experience of other people (Briscoe 2005). For centuries, Australian indigenous population follows specific dietary patterns determined by cultivation practices and natural resources available to them. Critics admit that lack of minerals and vitamins is the main problem of many indigenous populations including the atrocious health. "Calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, nickel, manganese, cobalt and selenium are

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Contemporary Issues In Marketing - Essay Example Industrial marketing is another contemporary marketing aspect. It entails changing the focus from the end products to capital goods. Industrial marketing utilizes advertising, promotion and communication to consumers in order to increase the sales. In the same way, companies are currently using social marketing as an avenue of generating benefits for members of the society. In order to reach customers regardless of their location, organizations adopt e-marketing that involve use of internet to market their products. This has been achieved through the advancement of technology in the contemporary world. Ethics in Coca-Cola Company Coca-Cola Company maintains corporate governance guidelines that depict the approaches adopted by the company in order to enhance corporate governance that is vital in meeting the needs of its consumers and employees. In order to ensure accountability and transparency in the company, Coca-Cola management team undertakes regular reviews of its system. The rev iew is also undertaken to achieve international ethical practises thus ensuring the company retains its leadership in the soft drink industry. Code of business conduct is one of the major aspects that are adopted by directors, employees and other associates in order to enhance integrity and honesty during the performance of their duties. Any time new directors or employees are hired by the company, they should study and understand the ethics concepts that are covered by the code. In this way, they effectively emulate the required ethical procedures during their duties. The company also has put in place Ethics & Compliance Committee whose responsibilities include administering the Code. Other duties of the... The paper work studies the aspects of social marketing as an avenue of generating benefits for members of the society. In the contemporary world, marketing has been influenced by various aspects that include technology development, customer relationship management, globalization and stiff competition. To ensure that companies remain competitive and the sales volume are increased, it is imperative to ensure that ethical issues are appropriately addressed during the operations of any company. Coca-Cola Company, the world market leader in the soft drink industry has portrayed effective ways of dealing with ethical issues. Despite the criticism that faced the company mostly from India, Coca-Cola has not been left behind as far as undertaking social responsibilities is concerned. This has resulted to creation of strong customer-company relationship which has seen the company sales increase over the years. Another essential marketing aspect that Coca-Cola has adopted is effective segmentat ion of its market. Meeting of its customer needs is an important aspect that Coca-Cola has initiated in its effort to win customer’s loyalty and trust. This has been achieved through segmentation of its market based on the location and behaviours of its customers among other aspects as depicted in the discussion above. Additionally, Coca-Cola has embarked on various strategies in order to improve its brand awareness. These include extensive advertisement of its brands especially via its website and other avenues.

Enrolling at the Florida State College at Jacsonville Essay

Enrolling at the Florida State College at Jacsonville - Essay Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that   FSCJ takes advising and counseling as a serious commitment. Curriculum advising is done to assist students in achieving their academic goals, whereas counseling works to guide students in their personal concerns such as dealing with traumas or crises, coping with stress and problems, and surviving difficulties brought about by unplanned pregnancy, family conflict, and so on. Students may avail of advising and counseling support by calling in the Counseling/Advising office and securing an appointment. To ensure taking the right steps in their studies, students should are assigned to an academic advisor who will advise them what classes to take especially for the first term. Students should know their advisor’s name and schedule and should visit their advisors not only during enrollment. A strong rapport is encouraged between advisors and advisees especially for those who are working because they need to inf orm their advisor of their own work schedules. In addition, when talking with the advisor, students should note down the important information they are given. It is also preferable to jot down questions one needs to ask before attending the advising session to facilitate addressing the issues that need to be addressed. On the aspect of counseling, professors may also refer students for counseling if they feel the need to. Further counseling, which may need the help of out-of-school professionals, may likewise be provided to students who demonstrate such need. Providers of counseling service may include the members of the community such as churches, youth centers, and health clinics. Students who are looking for lodging houses and laundry services may likewise seek help from the counseling office because the latter maintains contact with some establishments within Jacksonville. However, such referrals may cost more than what a friend can provide.

Management report on Intel Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Management report on Intel - Case Study Example It is essential that Intel move fast to close the gap in embedded segments in order to compete effectively and take advantage of the growing mobile and tablet segment. A company’s strategy should be directed at availing a product or service, which is distinctive from what the competitors are offering or establishing competitive capabilities that the rivals cannot match. Intel has also developed expertise and resource strengths, which have provided the company with competitive capabilities that are hard for the competitors to imitate. Intel has appreciated that winning lasting competitive edge over the rival necessitates that the company build competitive valuable expertise and capabilities, instead of merely having a distinctive product. Intel enjoys high reputation, economies of scale, and capability to innovate technological processes at low cost. Intel has encountered difficulties in its attempt to redefine itself in an era typified by stagnating desktop and net book PC unit. Although, AMD can be regarded as the only major competitor within the PC microprocessor market, Intel encounters intense competition from established firms using ARM technology such as Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, and Broadcom. Moreover, the number of processors within the devices are set t rise as the devices becomes more capable (Haberberg, 2014). Besides, Intel can no longer depend on the relationship it has built over the last two decades with firms such as HP, Dell, and IBM; hence, Intel will now be required to forge fresh relationship with cloud service providers (known to be aggressive and cost conscious). Intel has adopted a differentiation strategy as a mode of competition. This is manifest in the products and services possessing high to moderate prices since the majority of clients are ready to pay the premium so as to get the best, most efficient, the fastest, top of the line PC components. The campaign â€Å"Intel Inside† has helped to

The Struggle to Create Post-Cold War Europe by Mary Sarotte Essay

The Struggle to Create Post-Cold War Europe by Mary Sarotte - Essay Example The author, Sarotte, has also been able to effectively bring together the flawless descriptions. The author has also taken into account an analysis which is challenging in terms of the creation of the post Cold War order (Dale 2009). Here the focus of the book has been on German aspect of the overall period. The author has also been able to effectively look into the historical perspective and has also been able to keep track of the events in order of how the events occurred (Sarotte 2010). In the case of most of the geopolitical events, it was found that the 1989 events did not stay in link with the initial promise that had been developed (Sarotte 2010). The book by the author has focused on the reports and ideas that have been focused on the exchange by the statesmen and the other governmental officials. The overall book and the document is very well laid out and described. The book however does lack new information. The topic of discussion however has been on a single topic of Nato expansion which makes a major contribution. There was one underlying question throughout the Cold War which focused on whether the Soviet communism was the cause for the Washington to build up their forces in Europe. The doubt here was whether this has been the cause for the stationed forces or whether it was simply to validate the existence and the presence of Nato (Sarotte 2010). In time with the disappearance of the Soviet, the answer to this was clear and evident. The other main question that related to Nato was that of the nuclear weapons. The book has also taken into account the several questions of nuclear weapons and the questions relating to the shadows of the denuclearisation of Germany. The questions of the presence of the US military in Europe have also been high. The author has been a little hesitant and unsure of Nato expansion without having a clear idea of the benefits of the expansion (Sarotte 2010). Here there is little attention and positive elements that the aut hor finds in her book about Bush and the author has presented Bush to be a very tactful leader who also shows high boldness. There are two main elements that are found to be missing in the book. Firstly, the way the book has been developed and presented, this could have been written several years ago and the overall analysis as presented in the book, could have been presented in a much more effective manner (Sarotte 2010). There are numerous elements in the book where there have been irrelevant discussions and there has also been a major disconnect in the overall discussion. Here of these one of the examples has been of the marketing strategies discussed in the paper. The second major limitation of this book is the lack of focus on the corrupt activities of the Chancellor which could have been brought out in a more effective manner. Here these activities have a major role in the overall courting as well as the persuasion of the Germans and the unification with the Atlanticist (Dale 2009). As a whole, the book has been well presented and also very thoroughly researched. Here however a lot more positive elements could have been presented in the book to provide a higher level of acceptance and also more recognition to the book as a whole. The author has been able to effectively use all the research to provide a well presented book, with a few tweaks and improvements, the book and

Diversity And Discrimination In the Work Place, Can It Ever Be Essay

Diversity And Discrimination In the Work Place, Can It Ever Be Overcome - Essay Example Therefore, to overcome this discrimination, diversity management policies should have a high focus on increasing awareness, sensitizing the staff and ensuring inclusive policies. Causes of Discrimination and Strategies to Overcome Awareness In the recent years, eliminating any discrimination due to diversity has been a topic that has received the attention of researchers and scholars. One of the main reasons because of which discrimination takes place in workplace is the lack of awareness that leads to insensitive and discriminatory behavior (Nishii and Wright, 2008). Hence, creating awareness should be one of the most important steps when it comes to diversity management. In addition, creating awareness does not mean having certain non-discriminatory policies at workplace, instead it means educating employees and making them understand how to acknowledge as well as accept the diversity that they would be experiencing. This is particularly crucial in a situation where the majority of employees belong to one particular group (age, gender, ethnic origin, sexual orientation and so on). In such a situation, discrimination can even happen in the form of isolation (Nishii and Wright, 2008). For example, most organizations have a policy of non-discrimination with regard to homosexuals, but due to the stigma associated with homosexuality, it is possible that the individual is looked at in a different manner because of the sexual orientation. Therefore, both the Human Resources team as well as the management should work in tandem through formal sessions, online trainings and need-based individual sessions to improve awareness. Acknowledgement and Acceptance According to Green, Lopez, Wysocki... The paper stresses that with rising competition and challenges related to economic recession, it is necessary for the organization to ensure that any form of discrimination is eliminated because it can result in not just the loss of productivity, but it can also compromise the ethical foundation of the organization. Across the world, the message of equality and acceptance is being propagated and hence, a good diversity management policy which is effectively implemented can help in overcoming the challenge of discrimination at workplace. The report makes a conclusion that , most organizations have a process called diversity training which aims at informing and educating the management as well as the staff about diversity and the advantages that a diverse workforce can provide to the organization. Additionally, some organizations have also implemented the policy of diversity audit. This audit is carried out through means such as surveys and personal interviews to understand if there are any hidden prejudices or discrimination that exists in the organization. A diversity audit can not only help in resolving any discrimination issues, but it can also provide information on how to improve the diversity management strategies from an employee’s perspective. The author declares that one of the major mistakes that organizations make with regard to diversity management is that they frame certain policies and implement it, but do not subject it to periodic review. This can be drawback because as trends related to divers ity change; the needs of diversity management also undergo a change. Hence, they should periodically review these policies to see if it suits their needs of the current set of employees that the organization has.

Professional Sports and Michael Pore Essay Example for Free

Professional Sports and Michael Pore Essay Athletes are almost as bad of role models as criminals. Athletes get called role models a lot but they do not fit the definition of a role model. Athletes set bad examples for teens. They make poor choices and are easily forgiven due to their athletic abilities. Athletes are bad role models for teens and kids because a lot of athletes have bad habits, set unrealistic expectations, and set bad examples. In spite of their abilities, athletes are not good role models for anyone of any age. Many athletes have bad habits like drug use, fighting, and gambling. Laura K. Egendorf says many unrealistic expectations are set; not everyone can become famous or a professional athlete. Too many teens and kids look up to major athletes so they should not be setting the bad examples that they are setting (Laura K. Egendorf, 64). Not only are they setting bad examples but they have bad habits as well. Also, as teens grow older they read about their athlete hero and their bad habits. Michael A.  Pore states that any law breaking or wrong thing a professional athlete does, there is a story posted in newspaper, online, or even said on television. Michael Jordan had a gambling problem, Sammy Sosa had a steroid issue, and Riddick Bowe had a fighting problem (Michael A. Pore, 41). Some teens realize athletes are not good role models. Professional athletes are easily forgiven for their mistakes. However, professional athletes set bad examples for teens and young athletes. Michael A. Pore states that athletes are too easily forgiven for their bad behavior. You don’t need to use drugs to be good at something. They feel money comes easily, but money is not everything and does not come easily. Athletes send bad messages to kids; if you buy a certain product the athlete promotes, you will not perform better (Michael A. Pore, 40). Not everyone will perform the way professional athletes do and become famous. In Addition, athletes set unrealistic expectations for the teens and kids looking up to them. Not everyone can and will become a professional athlete. Very few people will make millions of dollars a year just for playing a sport. Michael A. Pore says teens feel if they wear a brand promoted by an athlete they will fit in with the rest of the players playing the sport. For the kids looking up to the professional athletes, they feel they have to look as strong as them or be as muscular as them to plat the sport well (Michael A. Pore, 43). A few athletes get their muscular look from steroids, not actual strength. However, steroid use is not that bad once in a while. In the article, Athletes Are Role Models it states; If you have no time for practice, steroids improve your performance. Steroids make you feel better when you do well in your game. No one will know if you do it once in a while (http://www. ickscorner. com). Steroids can help anyone any age. In any case, no one of any age should use steroids. Steroids are an illegal substance and if you get caught using them you can get a huge fine or even jail time. If you use steroids, you are just cheating yourself and the game. Not only does steroid use get looked down on but it also kills brain cells (http://forum. bodybuilding. com). If you do not have time to practice and feel like that is a reason to use steroids and perform better, than you should not have the time to be on the team. Accordingly, athletes can set realistic expectations and help teens and kids go for their dreams. Laura K. Egendorf explains how most young kids and teens want to be famous when they are older; professional athletes help them reach for that dream. As teens grow older, they continue to watch their favorite professional athlete. Watching them do well in a game will make teens want to perform like them (Laura K.  Egendorf, 64). Professional athletes make a lot of money just for playing a game, but money is not everything. On the other hand, many kids and teens get motivated but is it realistic? Very few people in the world become famous. The chances of becoming a professional athlete are really small; there are about 301,000,000 people in the United States and only about 17,000 professional athletes. â€Å"http://forum. bodybuilding. com† Being like a professional athlete is not always good; drugs are not a good thing for a teen to get into. As a result, athletes should not be role models for anyone of any age; they have bad habits, set unrealistic expectations, and set bad examples. A lot of athletes have bad habits like steroid use and gambling. Professional athletes set unrealistic examples, not everyone can and will be famous. Many bad examples are set within athletes. People get motivated for unrealistic dreams. Athletes can teach teens how to try to achieve in athletics but they can’t help with homework or real world family issues, they should not be considered role models.

Impact of New Media Technologies on the News

Impact of New Media Technologies on the News This essay argues that new media technologies have impacted on the structure of international news. As development of new media technologies is not a linear progression (Logan, 2010), what constitutes ‘new media technology’ changes from time to time. The exact definition of new media is arbitrary as television back in the 1950s is considered the new media but at this present moment, it no longer is. Recognising the transitory of the term ‘new media technologies’, I agree with Logan (2010)’s definition of new media technologies as digital, two-way interactive media with ‘the ability to combine text, audio, digital video, the Web, email, chat and a cell phone’ (ibid, 2010: 5), which is different from electric mass media such as TV or Radio posit by McLuhan in 1964 (ibid, 2010). As Shapiro (1999) articulates, â€Å"the emergence of new, digital technologies signal a radical shift of who is in control of information, experience and resources † (cited in Croteau William, 2003: 322) reinforces my support on the statement that new media technologies have impacted the structure of international news. Therefore, in order to illustrate my stance, I will discuss how the functionality of new media technologies, specifically mobile devices and the social media platform- Twitter have impacted the structure of international news in terms of its news production and distribution. Furthermore, I will look at the wider discussion sphere as to how new media technologies have impacted the media environment with relations to the structure of international news. As media coverage on international news according to Moeller (1999) focuses mainly on war, famine, pestilence and human misery issues, I will be using the case studies of 7/7 London Bombing and the Israel-Gaza conflict as examples. First of all, this essay argues that the functionality of new media technologies like smartphones have impacted the structure of international news in terms of news production. With the increase to access and ownership of new media technologies, in this context culture production tools, â€Å"today everyone is a reporter† (Utley cited in Holms, 2001: 126). Smartphones are typically defined as mobile phones with advanced capabilities such as internet access, camera function, voice and video recording (Smith, 2011). These capabilities within a mobile device, I argue are potential mediated tools for news gathering, enabling ordinary citizens to generate their own news content especially in times of unfortunate event. For example, during the 7/7 London bombing incident where journalists were denied access to the sites of bombings, the public capture images and videos of the bombing attacks using smartphones (Allan, 2007). These photographs and videos captured by ‘people who are not professional journalists and are unrelated to news organisations’ are what Wardle Williams (2008) defined as user-generated contents (UGC). With relations to the 7/7, news agency and organisation like Reuters and Sky News initially have no confirmation of what was going on at London’s Liverpool Street station (Allan, 2007). Instead of obtaining news material from professional journalists, evidences of this breaking news came from UGC captured by eye-witnesses (Allan, 2007). This demonstrates that in times of emergency, producer of international news rested in the hands of whoever has the means of cultural production (Beckett, 2009). Realizing the difficulties entering the site of incident, BBC News site publicly solicit photos and statement of witness (Allan, 2007) and as a result, received over thousands of news materials. As such, this proves that the functionality of new media technologies like that of smartphones has enabled the production of UGC, thus aff ecting the production of international news which are formerly generated ‘exclusively’ by professional journalists (Beckett, 2009). Due to the functionality of smartphones that connects users to the Internet, this essay moves on to argue that social media, another form of new media technology has impacted the structure of international news in terms of news sourcing and distribution. Hahn (2013) asserts that BBC journalists’ referral to Twitter has increased by 500% between 2010 and 2012. As opposed to traditional international news sourcing which rely on the four global news agencies namely Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, Reuters and Agencia EFE (Belair-Gagnon, 2013), Twitter has become a valuable source of reportage for modern journalists (Hermida, 2010). BBC News editor agreed that social media help journalists to see what people were seeing and experiencing in real time (Belair-Gagnon, 2013). For example, updates of 7/7 bombing documented by citizens on Twitter allow news organisations to come up with a precise timeline of the attacks. Furthermore, amateur journalists who are on the ground in t imes of emergency sent texts on to Twitter and further spread it across other social media like Facebook, Instagram and MySpace through actions of ‘re-tweeting’, re-blogging’, ‘sharing,’, and ‘tagging’ (Belair-Gagnon, 2013). This decentralized distribution of international news to not only official news organisations but also other unofficial avenues like that of social media is a sign of how new media technologies have impacted on the previously vertically distributed international news (Goode, 2009) by changing it into the present day horizontally shared model. However, I acknowledge that there have been concerns over the quality of UGC and legitimacy of tweets used in international news reporting (Bowman Willis, 2003). For example, in the event of the 7/7 bombing, mainstream media misreported the number of explosions, causing many to thought there were six explosions but in actual there were only three (BBC News, 2005). Despite the uncertainty over the authenticity of the information extracted from social media, mainstream media still adopts the ‘publish then filter’ journalistic style (Kperogi, 2011). As messages on Twitter often consist of unsubstantiated rumours whenever there is a major breaking news event, such unverified news source may jeopardizes a media organisation’s corporate ideology such as that of BBC’s ‘being impartial and accurate’ (Hermida, 2010). Nevertheless, despite such risks, BBC still broadcasted a ‘shaky’ video clip taken with camera documenting the real-life sto ry event of commuters being trapped underground (Allan, 2007). This is probably due to public’s demand for minute-by-minute report (Belair-Gagnon, 2013), especially in times of emergency like that of 7/7 has changed the traditional structure of international news of presenting news as a whole. Owing to globalization, flow of information has speeded up and with global communications infrastructures that links distant communities across the globe, new media technologies supply us news feeds across the world (Terry, 2007). As such, this essay argues that despite the controversy over the inaccuracy and low quality of news sourced via new media technologies, UGC remain valuable to newsgathering in times of crisis (Belair-Gagnon, 2013). After looking at how new media technologies have impacted the structure of international news in terms of production and distribution, I further argue that new media technologies has caused a ripple effect to the wider international news media environment. This statement is supported by Kperogi (2011)’s assertion that the new media technologies have challenged the ‘dominant cultural hegemony’ of global media organisations. For example, the emergence of citizen journalists which is the resultant of new media technologies have become the watchdog of mainstream media (McQuail, 2008), thus indirectly affecting the structure of international news. Meraz (2011) further contends that as contemporary cultural production tools have been ‘democratized to the masses’, the increase in citizen journalism has contributed to the creation of panopticon effect where mainstream media are under the surveillance of citizen monitoring (Stones cited in Meraz, 2011). As a m atter of fact, citizen journalists who are generally perceived to uphold the notion of ‘freedom of expression’ (Krumsvik, 2010) often question the editorial structure of international news which they condemned as narrow, homogenous and pre-determined by news agencies (Holm, 2001). As the Internet has allowed media users to bypass traditional gatekeeper in publishing news (Holm, 2001), citizens are being given an opportunity to create a networked public sphere that deviates from the hegemony public sphere. For example, the creation of Twitter-sphere and the use of hashtag ‘#’ (Butcher cited in Hermida, 2010) such as #GazaUnderAttack demonstrate a deviation from the Western international news that deliberate structure Israel as the only victim in the Israel-Gaza conflict. As such, I argue that the prominent usage of hashtag demonstrates how new media is used to provide narratives of war from a marginalized group’s news angle. As the intention of contem porary journalists practice is to provide independent and wide-ranging information that a democracy requires in news reporting (Bowman Willis, 2003), Goode (2009) reckons such journalistic practices poses challenge to mainstream corporate media. Therefore, new media technologies have empowered citizen journalists the ability to challenge the spreading of the dominant Western worldview on the structure of international news. In order to mediate the contestation from citizens as discussed above, international news organisations such as CNN, BBC, ABC, Fox News and MSNBC initiate corporate-mediated citizen journalism projects such as iReport.com, UCG Hub, i-Caught, uReport.com and FirstPerson.com. (Belair-Gagnon, 2011; Kperogi, 2011). This incorporation of citizen journalism in the mainstream media offers ordinary people the opportunity to contribute unedited, unfiltered and uncensored UGC (Kperogi, 2011), reflecting news organisations democratic practice in news structuring. Furthermore, news organisations also solicit public’s opinion for example, BBC uses SMS poll to gather audiences’ heterogeneity views (Lee-Wright, 2010). This connotes news organisations, in the face of new media technologies advocate open conversation, transparency as well as encouraging heterogeneity of opinions in structuring international news reporting (Belair-Gagnon, 2011) by recognizing the usefulness and credibili ty of UGC (Bruns, 2007). Nevertheless, I argue that this adoption of corporate-mediated citizen journalism is a double-edged sword that on one side, seemingly advocating citizen journalism but on the other hand, retaining the dominant hegemony ideology. As Jurrat (2011) asserts, structure of international news can never be free of hegemonic control. Kperogi (2011) further points out that the very creation of corporate-mediated citizen journalism in actual represent hegemony cooptation of citizen journalism. This statement is reflected through Moeller (1999)’s assertion that international news reporting have always made references that resonates and emphasizes the Americans in mainstream news channel. This is because media globalization is dominated by Western transnational media corporation and as such, allowing the West, particularly the United States to exert hegemony across the world (Terry, 2007). For example, even though UGC are gathered in CNN’s iReport.com, the selection of these UGC is still subjected to the control of gatekeeper (Kperogi, 2011). Such highly editorially controlled news suggests that homogeneity opinions are still very much preferred (Lee-Wright, 2010), thus implying that media cultural imperialism still exist. News help stronger countries influence weaker ones. For example, in the Israel-Gaza conflict, CNN and Fox News presents the Hamas group as terrorist organisation, framing the idea for audiences that US support for Israel is justified. Being one of the superpower in the media industry, the spreading such homogenous media content worldwide (Terry, 2007) is undeniable, branding Hamas or rather Palestinians as terrorists. Furthermore, there may even be a possibility of media domestication (MacGregor, 2013) where actions of altering video and text supplied by making it relevant to local context such as modifying news angles and omitting irrelevant material. For example, the way how the current Gaza war is narrated conforms to the Western’s dominant hegemony ideology of framing the Hamas as terrorist organisation instead of showing how Palestinians being victimized. Such deliberate framing I argue, gives the US authority the justification to supply ammunition to Israel. This essay concludes that new media technologies have indeed impacted on the structure of international news in terms of its production, where news organisations have become reliant on user-generated content and its distribution, where previously vertically distributed news have become horizontally distributed. Besides that, social media, Twitter in particular has emerged as a powerful tool for reporting breaking news stories and generating stories angles (Belair-Gagnon, 2011). Even though there have been speculations over the usage of UGC and Twitter feeds, I argue that these new media technologies still have positive significances in the structure of international news. Discussing on a wider spectrum, new media technologies have further advocated the manifestation of citizen journalism which proves to pose quite a challenge to the hegemonic structure of international news. Nevertheless, I concede that the dominant Western ideologies of media organisations though being contested, re main dominating in this global media landscape. As a conclusion, in this globalized technological determinism society, technology is the impetus in the development of cultural production, in this context, the structure of international news.

Theories of Feminist Geography

Theories of Feminist Geography Does a feminist geography need be primarily concerned with the lives of women? In relation to the essay title, according to Dias et al (2008), Hesse- Biber (2012) and McDowell (1992), there are significant diversity and heterogeneity among feminist geography and its research, with no single methodology or epistemology. Therefore, instead of viewing feminist geography as a static sub-discipline, feminist geography should be examined by looking at a wide range of work produced by feminist geographers addressing the issues found in different contexts, with varying research aims. By examining existing studies, this essay aims to demonstrate the fact that some aspects of feminist geography have, in fact, been primarily concerned with lives of women in a socio- spatial context. Subsequently, this essay also aims to demonstrate that feminist geography did not engage exclusively with the lives of women; by examining practices within the geography discipline, associated with the discipline’s exclusion of female, feminist geographer have offered important insights for geographers in understanding gender bias embedded in geography, and has facilitated the re-evaluation of geographic knowledge and practices among scholars. According to Dixon et al (2014), feminist geography is primarily concerned with improving women’s lives by identifying, and to develop an understanding of the sources of women’s oppression, as well as the dynamics and spatiality of the oppression. This description of feminist geography is mirrored by work produced by feminist geographers that has adapted Marxist theory in examining the relations among economic development, space and gender under capitalism (Pratt, 1994). These feminist geographers were focusing on the social- spatial exclusion of suburban households’ female members from paid employment, which was an important element in reproduction of labour power, and has provided insights to how traditional gender relations in capitalistic societies are continued and preserved (Pratt, 1994; Mackenzie et al, 1983; Hawkesworth 2006; Seccombe 1974; Beechey 1977; Eisenstein 1979; Nelson, 1986; Massey, 1984; Chant et al, 1995; Hanson et al, 1995; Gerstein, 1973). F eminist geographers have argued that the isolation of women from employment a strategy that is vital to manage the effects of capitalist economy; it reproduces the dominant- subordinate that is essential to the operations of capitalist production (Hawkesworth 2006; Eisenstein 1979; Beechey 1977; Pratt, 1994). The isolation also facilitates daily and generational reproduction of labour power, plus it leads to the creation of a labour force, which consists of women who are willing to be working for less than substantive wages (Mackenzie et al, 1983; Pratt, 1994; Seccombe 1974; Hawkesworth 2006; Beechey 1977; Nelson 1986; Eisenstein 1979; Massey, 1984; Chant et al, 1995; Hanson et al, 1995; Pearson, 1986). This was demonstrated in Nelson’s (1986) and Hawkesworth’s (2006) study, as he mentioned that in 1970s, capitalist in the United States had relocated to suburban locations in aiming to employ, or further exploit, according to Marxist perspectives, housewives who are mor e inclined to work despite the less than substantive wages. It has also been revealed that governmental policies, working-class household strategies, as well as traditional male power exercised in both families and trade unions are interplaying factors facilitate the isolation of women as housewives to inhibit or minimize employment opportunities available to women (Mackenzie et al, 1983; Hawkesworth 2006; Seccombe 1974; Eisenstein 1979; Nelson 1986; Pratt, 1994; Massey, 1984; Hanson et al, 1995; Gerstein, 1973). These literatures by feminist geographers are fundamentally linked to the lives of women (Johnson, 2007; Pratt, 1994; Hanson et al, 1995; Seccombe, 1974). By using women’s lives as point of departure, they have identify the consequences of the exclusion of women from employment; creation of female labour that are more prone to be subjected to capitalistic exploitation, enabled by traditional gender and social relations which constitute capitalism, in conjunction with patriarchal gender relations, which have contributed to the redefining of the spatial distribution of women’s social and economic activities in urban areas. However, feminist geographers did not engage exclusively with the lives of women. Feminist geographers are also concerned with development of geography, in relation to the exclusion and isolation of female scholars from the discipline, and how this has affected geographic research and thought. As Morin (1995: 1) has described, the theme of these studies is ‘â€Å"gender of geography† rather that the â€Å"geography of gender† ’. Under this theme, feminist geographers have highlighted the fact that geography is a male- dominated discipline (Rose, 1993; Dixon et al, 2006; LeVasseur, 1993). As suggested by Dixon et al (2006), women have been excluded from higher education from late nineteenth to early twentieth century; early universities mainly consists of upper- class white men. During that period of time, female are mainly found in the field of teaching and helping professions, and are mostly absent in the disciplines and institutions that have contributed to the establishment of modern geography, such as geology and â€Å"expert† societies, such as Royal Geographical Society (Rose, 1993; Dixon et al, 2006). These â€Å"expert† societies were heavily involved with the establishment of geography as a discrete academic discipline, by defining geography’s investigation agenda and methodologies, as well as establishing programs in university (Dixon et al, 2006). Since these societies had entry requirements based on peer nomination and work assessment, it was difficult for women to join such societies, as their works are often dismissed as non- scholarly (Dixon et al, 2006). As a result, these institutions had a disproportionately large numbers of male members (Rose, 1993; Dixon et al, 2006). As female are not able to negotiate in this field of study due to institutional discrimination , white men were able to almost exclusively define what constitute as the norm in the discipline, which has allowed masculinist thinkin g to thrive and flourish in geography (Rose, 1993; Dixon et al, 2006). A number of scholars have pointed out as men have associated themselves with attributes or descriptions in their studies on landscape, such as culture, intellectualism, practicality and mobility (Rose, 1993; Pile, 1994; Berg, 1994). The adaptation of dualistic worldview that was assumed to be objective and scientifically sound has meant that women are therefore associated with nature, body and emotionalism (Rose, 1993; Berg, 1994; Lloyd, 1984). Further, masculinist thinking believes that men are capable of rational thought, whereas women are not, as â€Å"female-ness† was thought of as the lack of â€Å"maleness† (Jay, 1981; Massey, 1998; Longhurst, 2000; Lloyd, 1984; Bordo, 1986; Berg, 1994). Together, these beliefs have helped to establish a hierarchical, binary opposition between mind and body; culture and nature; men and women, with the latter assumed to be inferior and less important (Pile, 1994; Rose, 1993; Berg, 1994; Lloyd, 1984). Dualistic world views have also meant that, according to masculinist thinking, men are traditionally associated with public spaces, due to their association with waged work, which requires mobility and intelligence (Dixon et al, 2006; Rose, 1993; Longhurst, 2000; Berg, 1994). Therefore in contrast, women are typically associated with private spaces due to their traditionally assigned role as care- taker at home (Dixon et al, 2006; Rose, 1993; Longhurst, 2000; Bordo, 1986). Men self- proclaimed attributes, facilitated by dualistic world views have facilitated the formation of a hierarchy in geography in relation to gender (Rose, 1993). The hierarchical opposition signifies that spaces that are typically associated with female, reproduction activities are deemed as less important and less valued when comparing to spaces that are associated with men and their waged production activities (Dixon et al, 2006). Dixon et al (2006) has demonstrated that geographer has thus focus their studies on male productive activities , such as steel manufacturing, rather than investigating reproductive activities that are traditionally associated with women, such as day care for example. As stated by Dixon et al (2006), this bias is reproduced in the discipline across multiple research area. This argument demonstrates the problems underlying geography; the focus on production relative to reproduction within geography signifies the existence of a knowledge gap within the discipline, in regard to areas associated with female economic and social activities. Furthermore, this can discourage scholars, who aim to examine or carry out research in fields associated with female activities, to engage with geography due to concerns over the research prioritization mentioned above, and turn to other disciplines that they feel their research will be valued (Dixon et al, 2006). Together, these diminish the scope of geographic investigation, further reducing any potential knowledge that would have been produced and incorporate d within the discipline of geography, which lead to the diminishing of the academic significance of geography, and this urges the re-thinking of geographic practices, in order to minimize bias due to the discipline’s masculinist legacy (Dixon et al, 2006; Pile, 1994; Monk et al, 1982). In conclusion, the works of feminist geographers examined in this essay have all shared a common theme- the exclusion of women and the consequences, in different contexts or settings. In some aspects of feminist geography, feminist geographers have directly engaged with the lives of women; studies have attempt to undercover ways in which women are oppressed under capitalism, and to demonstrate how women’s lives, in regards to their economic opportunities, are limited as a result of the exclusion from employment. However, this essay has also demonstrated that there are existing studies in which the primary concern is the development of discipline, under the influence of limited female participation. They have highlighted that the discipline’s lack of female involvement, which has facilitated the flourishing of traditional masculine thinking as dominant discourse in geography, has in turn lead to the production of biased knowledge and skewed research approaches that const itute geography- this remained to be an internal, innate problem that results in the narrowing of the scope of study, and has imposed limits on the production of geographic knowledge. The problems highlight above, by feminist geographers, can perhaps urge geographers to rethink their research priorities and focuses, to avoid the induction, or reproduction of masculine- orientated bias in geography, to overcome the legacy of male- domination in order to facilitate wider, more depth understanding of space/ place and social relations and activities. Together, these studies have confirmed that there is significant diversity among feminist geography; feminist geographers have addressed a range of issue or concerns that relate to gender bias or inequality in different contexts. Thus it can be said that the â€Å"primary concern† cannot therefore be generalized into one subject of concern. Reference Karen Dias Jennifer Blecha (2007) Feminism and Social Theory in Geography: An Introduction , The Professional Geographer, 59(1): 1-9 LeVasseur, M (1993) Finding a Way: Encouraging Underrepresented Groups in Geography: An Annotated Bibliography. Indiana, PA: National Council for Geographic Education Rose, G. (1993) Feminism and geography: the limits of geographical knowledge. Cambridge: Polity Press. Massey, D. (1998) Blurring the binaries? High tech in Cambridge. In Ainley, R. (ed.) New frontiers of space, bodies and gender, London: Routledge Morin, K (1995) The Gender of Geography. Postmodern Culture. [Online] 3:2 Available at: http://pmc.iath.virginia.edu/text-only/issue.195/review-3.195[Accessed: 19 February 2015] MacKenzie, S; Rose, D (1983) Industrial change, the domestic economy and home life. In Anderson J; Ducan, S; Hudson, R (eds.) Redundant Spaces in Cities and Regions? Social Geography and Industrial Change. London: Achedemic Press Dixon, D.P.; Jones III, J.P. (2006) Feminist Geographies of Difference, Relation, and Construction. In Aitken, S; Valentine, G (eds.) Approaches to Human Geography. International: SAGE Linda McDowell (1992) Doing Gender: Feminism, Feminists and Research Methods in Human Geography. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers New Series, 17(4): 399-416 Beechey, V. (1977) Some notes on female wage labour in capitalist production. Capital and Class, 3, Autumn : 45-66 Eisenstein, Z. (1979) Developing a theory of capitalist patriarchy and socialist feminism. In, Eisenstein, Z. (ed.) Capitalist Patriarchy and the Case for Socialist Feminism. New York: Monthly Review Nelson, K. (1986) Female labour supply characteristics and the suburbanization of low-wage office work. In Scott, A; Storper, M (eds) Production, work, territory: the geographical anatomy of industrial capitalism. Boston and London: Allen and Unwin Pearson, R. (1986) Latin American women and the new international division of labour: a reassessment. Bulletin of Latin American Research, 5(2): 67-79 Chant, S.; McIlwaine, C. (1995) Gender and export manufacturing in the Philippines: continuity and change in female employment? The case of the Mactan Export Processing Zone. Gender Place and Culture 2(2): 147-76 Nelson, K. (1986) Female labour supply characteristics and the suburbanization of low-wage office work. In Scott, A; Storper, M (eds) Production, work, territory: the geographical anatomy of industrial capitalism. Boston and London: Allen and Unwin Massey, D. (1984) Spatial divisions of labour. London: Macmillan Hawkesworth, M.E. (2006) Feminist Inquiry: From Political Conviction to Methodological Innovation. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers Unversity Press McDowell, L (1992) Doing Gender: Feminism, Feminists and Research Methods in Human Geography. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers New Series, 17 (4): 399-416 Seccombe, W (1974) The Housewife and Her Labour under Capitalism. New Left Review, 83: 3-24 Pratt, G (1994) Feminist geographies. In Johnston, R; Gregory, D; Smith D (eds) The Dictionary of Human Geography (3rd edn) Oxford: Blackwell Hanson, S; Pratt, G (1995) Gender, Work, and Space. New York: Routledge Pile, S (1994) Masculinism, the use of dualistic epistemologies and third spaces. Antipod 26(3) : 255-277 Johnson, L. C. (1994) What future for feminist geography? Gender, Place Culture: A Journal of Feminist Geography, 1(1): 103-113 Gerstein, Ira 1973 Domestic Work and Capitalism, Radical America , 7 (45)101-128. Longhurst, R (2000) Geography and gender: masculinities, male identity and men. Progress in Huma Geography 25(3) :439-444 Berg, L. D. (1994) Masculinity, place and a binary discourse of ‘theory’ and ‘empirical investigation’ in the human geography of Aotearoa/New Zealand, Gender, Place Culture. A Journal of Feminist Geography 1(2): 245-260 Bordo, S.(1986) The Cartesian masculinization of thought. Signs 11 (3): 439–456 Jay, N. (1981) Gender and dichotomy. Feminist Studies 7(1): 38-56 Lloyd, G. (1984) The Man of Reason: male and female in Western philosophy. London: Methuen Janice, M; Hanson, S (1982) On not excluding half of the human in human geography. The Professional Geographer 34(1): 11-23 Hesse-Biber, S.N. (2012) Feminist Research: Exploring, Interrogating, and Transforming the Interconnections of Epistemology, Methodology, and Method. In Hesse- Biber, S.N. (ed.) Handbook of Feminist Research: Theory and Praxis (2nd edn) International: SAGE

Resistance coursework - some useful things :: essays research papers

Resistance Coursework Planning: Aim Investigate how the length of a wire affects the current and resistance of a wire. Variables The variables that could change resistance are: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Length of the wire †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cross section area (thickness) †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Changing materials †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Changing temperatures The variable I am going to change in my experiment is the length of the wire. Prediction and Hypothesis I think as you increase the length of the Constantan wire, you also increase the amount of resistance. The current is the flow of electrons; the current is dependent on the amount of voltage, which is applied. Voltage is the push given to the current. The current has to go through a circuit, which contains resistance so if you increase that push you also increase the flow of the current. All materials have a slight resistance to electricity factors affecting the resistance are: Length, Voltage & Temperature and Surface Area. Preliminary Work Changing only the length of the wire Length  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Voltage (V)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Current (A)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Resistance () Short  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5.45  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.26  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  20.96 Long  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5.56  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.24  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  23.16 Longest  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5.58  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.19  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  29.36 Conclusion: the longer the wire, the higher the resistance Changing only the cross section area of the wire Thickness  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Voltage (V)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Current (A)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Resistance () Single  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4.73  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.45  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3.26 Double  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4.44  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.98  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2.24 Triple  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4.34  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2.07  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2.09 Conclusion: the thicker the wire, the lower the resistance Changing Materials Material  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Voltage (V)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Current (A)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Resistance () Constantan  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5.51  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.48  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  11.47 Aluminium  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.82  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  8.63  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.21 Conclusion: different materials conduct electricity better Changing Temperatures Temperature  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Voltage (V)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Current (A)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Resistance () Cold  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2.27  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  6.72  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.34 Hot  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2.62  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  7.00  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0.37 Conclusion I came to a conclusion that the decrease in current is the increase in resistance this is because the current although less of it they collide with the resistance causing a decrease in the output voltage. List of equipment and circuit diagram †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Power pack †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  6 connecting leads †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Push switch †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2 crocodile clips †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wire (constantan) †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Voltmeter †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ammeter †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Meter sticks Circuit diagram: Analysing: As the length increased so did the resistance. This is because in a longer piece of wire the electrons have to push past more ions. The electrons have a negative charge and the ions have a positive charge. So energy is needed to keep the electrons flowing.

Height and Weight Data on High School Children Essay -- Data Handling

Missing Some Graphs Handling Data Coursework Introduction This is based on fictional data on a school called Mayfield high school. I will be comparing two variables I have chosen to compare the relationship between the height and weight of the pupils in the school. It will be involving the following year groups seven, eight and nine. The data that I have been given to me is a secondary source, which was provided to me by teacher which was from the internet. The data has provided me with each pupils name, age, year group, height, hair and eye color, and the distance from home to school, traveling method, number of brothers and sisters and KS2 results. The aim of this investigation is to find out a relationship between two variables, the two variables which I have chose to investigate are height and weight. Hypotheses To test my first hypothesis i.e. as pupils get older the boys and girls get heavier and taller. I will carry out a stratified sample of 60 boys and girls. The reason why I will do a sample is because it will show the different proportions of people in each year group and gender. Therefore my data will be representative of Mayfield High School. Once I have collected the data I will then organize the heights and weights of the girls and boys in a grouped frequency table. I will then use this table to find the mean, mode, median of the results of the heights and weights of these males and females. I will then construct a cumulative frequency graph to find and locate the median, lower quartile and upper quartile. This will then be used to draw a box plot for the heights and weights of male and females. This data will be used to help me to conclude my first hypothesis. To test hypothesis two i.e. girls in y... ... that overall my hypothesis is correct. This is shown in the graphs of the data showing the boys and girls in year eight, nine and eleven. However in the graphs showing year seven and ten proves that my hypothesis is wrong. Also my last graph shows an overall outlook of the whole population I had sampled and it shows a very positive correlation of the taller you are the heavier you are. To conclude my coursework I have learnt that all of my hypotheses are correct. My first hypothesis was the older you are the heavier you weigh. My second hypothesis was the girls in year seven are taller and heavier then boys in year seven. My last hypothesis is the taller you are the heavier you are. From investigating these I have learnt that the older you are the heavier you are, year seven girls are heavier and taller then boys and the taller you are the heavier you are.

Electronic Publishing: The future of the media industry? Essays

Electronic Publishing: The future of the media industry? It all depends on whom you talk to, because everyone has their opinion. Some people feel that this industry is a flash in the pan, but others feel quite differently. The Internet is expanding second by second and the information that is on this medium is astounding. Newspapers and magazines have jumped into a type of publishing called internet publishing, or electronic publishing, in which the Internet becomes the primary place to find information about the particular company. Organizations like Syracuse Online have used this type of publishing and grabbed a much different quality of audience than the print version of the Syracuse Post-Standard. Electronic publishing brings information to the user instantly, with minute-by-minute updates of news stories, sports scores and special events. Like no other form of media, electronic publishing uses new technology unique only to the Internet, in order to enhance the experience of the user online. Java applets and scripts, Macromedia Shockwa ve programs, RealAudio broadcasts, free e-mail newsletters, live video webcasts and interactive chat are some of the ways in which electronic publishers can translate basic text into exciting, moving media applications. Syracuse Online has taken advantage of these new media on the Internet and has changed the way in which Central New Yorkers view their web site. There are problems with change that skeptics of the Internet have. One problem is that information changes so quickly sometimes, that new information mounted on a web site five minutes ago, might not be read because something has just changed. So, in their opinion, why would you write an article or record a sound bite that won't be ... ...s made that even more possible. The issues that I have raised are just a handful of what is being talked about with regards to electronic publishing. Electronic publishing will continue to grow with the Internet. As more people discover the power of electronic publishing to reach out to people, the medium will grow exponentially. The future is very bright for the Internet and for electronic publishing. Only time will tell though. Works Cited Betz, Dean. Personal interview. 15 March 1999. Betz, Dean. "What's Hot at Syracuse Online." E-mail to H. Mansfield. 24 March 1999. Editor & Publisher Magazine Online. 6 April 1999. <http://www.mediainfo.com/> Mansfield, Howard. "Electronic Publishing." English 212 Senior seminar. University of Vermont, Burlington, VT. 30 March 1999. Syracuse Online. Syracuse, NY. 6 April 1999. <http://www.syracuse.com/>

On Seeing England For the First Time by Jamaica Kincaid Essay

When you see something for the first time as a child it’s fascinating to you. England is like a diamond in the rough to young Jamaica Kincaid. When she thinks about England, she sees a great place and it’s unlike anything she’s ever seen before. In the essay â€Å"On Seeing England for the First Time,† Jamaica Kincaid uses imagery, diction, and repetition to show her feelings of awe. In the essay â€Å"On Seeing England for the First Time† Kincaid uses imagery to express her feelings of awe toward England. She compares England to â€Å"Jerusalem.† This shows her adoration, she is comparing England to the city of the bible. In Kincaid’s eyes England is a place that one aspires to visit. England is also described as â€Å"a very special jewel.† It’s considered rare and precious. In Kincaid’s eyes, England is valuable and should be venerated. When she sees England on a map for the first time she describes it as having â€Å"shadings of pink and green unlike any other shadings of pink and green.† Kincaid considers England unique; it’s unique and unequal, even on a map. Kincaid also expresses her awe toward England by calling â€Å"its yellow form mysterious.† This signifies that England is mysterious to her, as if it holds some special secret. Kincaid has a big fascination with England and shows it using imagery. Through the use of diction Jamaica Kincaid shows her feelings of wonder toward England. She uses the word â€Å"adoration† to illustrate how she admires and adores England. Jamaica uses the word â€Å"greatness† to show that she considers England most important. â€Å"Gently† is used to show that England has no harshness or violence. Jamaica Kincaid calls England â€Å"meaningful.† She feels that it is significant and of importance to her. Kincaid proves her admiration for England through diction. Throughout the Kincaid passage the phrase England is constantly repeated. Kincaid shows her admiration for England when she says â€Å"the people who got to wear England were English people.† Kincaid considers the people of England remarkable and they leave a lasting impression on her. To Kincaid â€Å"England was a special jewel†¦and only special people got to wear it.† Kincaid exhibits her admiration for England by giving up her preferences to  emulate English behaviors. Kincaid states, â€Å"We somehow knew that in England they began the day with this meal called breakfast.† This is an expression of her admiration because even though eating a big meal so early in the morning is strange to her, she does it because she wants to imitate England. To Kincaid â€Å"made in England† means that whatever the product is, it came from a great place. Kincaid shows her fascination with England using repetition. In this passage, Jamaica Kincaid uses diction, imagery, and repetition to show her feelings toward England. She shows fascination and awe using these literary terms.

Kant on the Nature of Genius

Kant was an 18th century German philosopher whose work initiated dramatic changes in the fields of epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, aesthetics, and teleology. Like many Enlightenment thinkers, he held our mental faculty of reason invests the world we experience with structure. In his works on aesthetics and teleology, he argued that it is our faculty of judgment that enables us to have experience of beauty and grasp those experiences as part of an ordered, natural world with purpose.In the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, genius is the ability to independently arrive at and understand concepts that would normally have to be taught by another person. An essential character of â€Å"genius† for Kant is originality, or a talent for producing ideas which can be described as non-imitative. In the Critique of Judgment (1790) Kant defines genius as an artist capable of articulating truths or understanding in an imaginative, and uniquely creative way [1]. The articulation of the truths or understanding involves both a judgment by a viewer and the methodology by which it is created, and that specific criteria for both must be present for the designation of â€Å"genius†.   Kant assumes that the cognition involved in judging art is similar to the cognition involved in judging natural beauty.Thus, while two objects may have aesthetic beauty but the way they are created imparts the object with â€Å"soul†.   Kant argues that art can be tasteful (that is, agree with aesthetic judgment) and yet be ‘soulless' – lacking that certain something that would make it more than just an artificial version of a beautiful natural object.   He further claims that what provides soul in fine art is an aesthetic idea that unlike rational ideas can’t be adequately exhibited sensibly.A genius generates aesthetic ideas, exhibits them tastefully, in a way that is universal and capable of being shared. While observing the work of art the viewer should experience the same state of mind the artist had while creating it.â€Å"The power of communicating one’s state of mind, even though only in respect of the cognitive faculties, carries a pleasure with it, as we can easily show from the natural propension of man towards sociability (empirical and psychological). But this is not enough for our design. The pleasure that we feel is, in a judgement of taste, necessarily imputed by us to every one else; as if, when we call a thing beautiful, it is to be regarded as a characteristic of the object which is determined in it according to concepts; though beauty, without a reference to the feeling of the subject, is nothing by itself.† (Kant Section 9, pp 1)One analogy that has been made is that to make a chair, one must know, in advance what a chair is, and create it with the intention of creating it.   In this respect Kant assumes that the creation of art is an exercise of will.   This is a convenient definition because it allows him to also distinguish art from nature because he assumes there is no prior notion or will behind the activity nature. This leads to a dilemma in whether one can call some forms of modern art a reflection of genius, if those works are created randomly, or allowed to self shape based on the physical properties of matter such as glass or ceramics.Another dilemma it raises stems from our definition of who has will or intention. For humans it is clear that the intention to express a thought or feeling through the creation of a physical art is an act of will, but do other animals have will is a matter of metaphysics rather than philosophy. According to Kant’s definition it would be difficult to know for sure if art painted by cats [2] or other non-mammals [3] would qualify, since for Kant non humans are part of the natural world and not endowed with will. Yet, as all of us know who own pets, animals have both distinct personalities and wills.For Kant, art also means somet hing different from science, since it is a skill or practical ability that is more than just an understanding of awareness of something.   He also distinguishes from a labor or craft which has a vested interest or purpose in having the product itself. This also limits who can be a genius since any art that has a function separate from the function of being observed and understood for the idea it expresses, must not be real art, and its creator not a genius but a craftsman. This definition seems anachronistic since in many fine art museum there are displayed fragments of pottery or metalwork that are considered art today yet when they were produced, were produced by craftsman so that they could be used by ordinary people who were not concerned with the deeper meaning of what that plate may have represented.It would seem that the ability of the craftsman to mix metals or use new firing techniques to achieve a texture or impression of strength not found when traditional materials wer e used is expressing a form of genius. His idea was to create an object, regardless of its popular usage, that was different from the ones before that, when viewed by the recipient or purchaser gave them the impression that this new object, such as a sword, was better, stronger, more reliable or more facile. Thus according to Kan’s first definition of art, the expression of a concept by exercise of will is fulfilled. It would seem then that the use of the object later has no relevance on whether or not the object is art, and as a consequence no bearing on whether its producer is a genius.Kant spends much effort to categories arts into mechanical and aesthetic, agreeable and fine art. What it is defines the state of mind of the creator when producing it, and therefore creates the criteria of whether the final product actually reflects the thought or will of the person creating it.   Kant introduces yet another rule to this confusing definition by stating that it should not b e obvious (which would be in poor taste) what the intentions actually were.   Thus it would seem that for an art to be truly genius it should convey a message of concept, somewhat unclearly so that no one is 100% sure what the creator’s intentions were.   Thus the less obvious a message (though no message is also bad) the more likely the creator is to be a genius.According to Kant genius is the talent (natural endowment) that makes it possible to produce art which is an object that has no predefined definite rules or concepts for producing or judging it in a way that satisfies aesthetic judgment that is more than a functional object, or a representation of something natural. To make things art must have elements of originality for it to be a characteristic of genius. This means also that fine art properly is never an imitation of previous art or nature, though it may ‘follow' or be ‘inspired by' previous art and nature. To be radically original is difficult, b ecause all human production is in some form an imitation or a trained action through other artistic influences, schools, and culture.Kant's approach to art emphasizes our interest in it rather than the artwork in itself. The artwork is beautiful insofar as it instigates an intellectual activity termed reflective judgment. For Kant, the viewing of art rouses us to an intellectual involvement with the world in which the very sense of order by which the whole world can be articulated as a whole and be kept in balance is brought to light.   Reflective judgment does not determine whether something exists or not. It also does not determine what specific qualities a particular object might actually possess. Such judgments are cognitive and belong to the field of science. Reflective judgment judges whether something is beautiful. Beauty is never experienced as a determinate thing. We do not experience beauty directly, although it is always implicated in our experiences of the world. Beaut y is a feeling induced by our sense of an ordering, a valuing, at work in the world that lies beyond any explicit demonstration.   The ability of the artist to generate such thought in the observer is thus deemed genius.There is a dilemma with this point of view, since what generates such thoughts for an individual is that individual’s experience. So one is left to wonder is the genius in the artist who created an object that could elicit that experience, or is it in the observer who is open to allowing that experience to occur in themselves? Thus if I look at a painting such as American Cubist Stuart Davis (1894-1964), Report from Rockport, 1940, and feel no understanding or connection, is it my lack of genius or his? If I feel a negative response is that a sufficient criteria of genius?Kant indirectly makes the artificial requirement that for something to reflect genius, it must be liked by the observer, not disliked. This is evident in his effort to define taste as invol ving the judgment that a thing is beautiful. Taste is a subjective judgment in which an object is referred by our imagination to our subjective selves, to the feeling of pleasure or displeasure that the object arouses in us. The representation of the object rather than the object itself is what is at issue in this judgment–not the building itself but its manner of being formed would be the matter of an aesthetic judgment. Though perception is always colored by experience, and is necessarily subjective, it is commonly taken that that which is not aesthetically satisfying in some fashion cannot be art. However, â€Å"good† art is not always or even regularly aesthetically appealing to a majority of viewers.In other words, an artist's prime motivation need not be the pursuit of the aesthetic. Also, art often depicts terrible images made for social, moral, or thought-provoking reasons. For example, Francisco Goya's painting depicting the Spanish shootings of 3rd of May 180 8, is a graphic depiction of a firing squad executing several pleading civilians. Yet at the same time, the horrific imagery demonstrates Goya's keen artistic ability in composition and execution and his fitting social and political outrage.Kant defines several aspects that lead to the formation of an individual’s taste. The first is quality which is supposed to be an objective evaluation of the object being considered. This means that a science of art appreciation has to be developed to define good from bad art in a way that is agreeable to everyone since it follows some pre-set rules, as w ell as generating a psychologically positive impact.â€Å"†¦ when [a man] puts a thing on a pedestal and calls it beautiful, he demands the same delight from others. He judges not merely for himself, but for all men, and then speaks of beauty as if it were a property of things. Thus he says that the thing is beautiful; and it is not as if he counts on others agreeing with him in his judgment of liking owing to his having found them in such agreement on a number of occasions, but he demands this agreement of them. He blames them if they judge differently, and denies them taste, which he still requires of them as something they ought to have; and to this extent it is not open to men to say: Every one has his own taste. This would be equivalent to saying that there is no such thing as taste, i.e. no aesthetic judgment capable of making a rightful claim upon the assent of all men.† (Kant, p. 52; see also pp. 136-139.)Another aspect of taste is quantity of positive appreciation (which means many people have to agree).   This judgment cannot, however, be proven. We can only ask others to look again with more attention to some aspects in hopes that can be induced to see something that eluded them in the first place. Thus genius of the artist grows with the contemplation of the observers, again indicating that it is as much attributable to the viewer as it is to the producer. A third criteria of taste is the purposeness of an object, or that it should have a reason for being there, greater than just the artists desired to memorialize the object.   Finally the last aspect of taste is the feeling of satisfaction in the object by the observer.To summarize, according to Kant, art encourages an intuitive understanding, was created with the intention of evoking such an understanding or an attempt at such an understanding in the audience, has no other purpose or function, may communicate on many different levels of appreciation, leads to many different interpretations, or reflections, demonstrates a high level of ability or fluency, and creates an appealing or aesthetically satisfying structures or forms upon an original set of unrelated, passive constituents.   This definition leads to a vagueness and subjectivity to art appreciation that varies from person to person, and an uncertainty who is most responsible the artist or the observer.De spite the attempt to attribute genius to the creator of the artistic object, all the definitions suggested to help the observed form a value judgment externally define what is artistic, or beautiful. Thus it would seem that for an artist to be truly appreciated and considered, he has to conform to the opinions of non artists, and tailor his work to stimulate their positive responses within the rule network they created.   This is undoubtedly responsible for statements like â€Å" he was ahead of his time† and why truly innovative artists are seldom appreciated during their lifetime.  [1] Critique of Judgment. Trans., James Creed Meredith. (Oxford: Clarendon, 1988)[2] Why Cats Paint: A Theory of Feline Aesthetics Heather Busch, Burton Silver, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley CA, 1994.[3] Museum of Non-Primate Art. http://www.monpa.com

Psychosocial Stage Essay

Psychological development is generally accepted as product of the interaction among social and psychological forces which directly affect and shape the personality of every individual (Erikson, 2000). This may also encompass changes in self-control, and prosocial behavior. In relation to this, Erik Erikson established a unifying theory on the social and psychological aspects of human development throughout life span. In his eight developmental stages, each individual should, from infancy to senescence, accomplish psychological tasks in line with his or her social experiences. In addition, his theory, often called as â€Å"the stages of man,† is primarily grounded on the notion that every individual develops self-images through others’ perceptions and his or her own perceptions (Erikson, 2000). Erikson described the development of personality and the process by which an individual acquires societal role and shapes his or her identity. In contrary to Freud’s psychosexual emphasis, Erickson accentuated the development of one’s attitudes, skills, and the sense of responsibility. Further, Erikson argued that individuals undergo the different developmental stages, each with crisis or dilemma, and expected to resolve specific conflict in every stage. Unresolved conflicts in the previous stage will pass on the succeeding stages which impart negative traits in one’s personality (Erikson, 2000). On the other hand, as an individual successfully confronted every developmental crisis, he or she achieves positive traits or psychological attributes. Generativity versus Stagnation Erikson viewed â€Å"development† as a continuous process of facing the complexities of life (Santrock, 2002). A young professional, for example, to ensure success and intimate relations, he or she must perceive and accomplish the task of creating and caring his or her life role or style. Erickson’s 7th stage of psychosocial development, generativity versus stagnation, coincides with the middle adulthood period of humans. As defined by Erikson, generativity is the desire to take an active role in establishing the society and nurturing the youth to ensure the continuity of human generation (Lerner, 2002). In this stage, individuals should develop concern for the next generation in order to prevent personal stagnation (Santrock, 2002). While some individuals accomplish this through active community involvement and participation, some contribute for the welfare of the society through responsible parenthood. In any means, the dynamic that must be attained is the outward shifting from the well-being of one’s self to the consideration and care for the humanity. As such, the strength of care is achieved through creating, parenting, volunteering, and mentoring. For instance, by means of genuine care and concern, the generative religious teachers indoctrinate traditional religious view on development. Generative adults, on the other hand, may take responsibility on the cycle of life by leading and guiding their children in the first five stages of psychosocial development (Santrock, 2002). Meanwhile, a key element of â€Å"generativity versus stagnation† is the continuity of stages and cumulative implications of various experiences in life (Santrock, 2002). The adults’ sense of generativity is stimulated by encouraging and supporting the future of the next generation. However, individuals who fail to bestow the continuity to the next generation may possibly become engorge with his or her personal needs, disregard the needs of other individuals, and eventually become stagnated. Influences on my Personality The psychosocial development constructs of Erickson encompasses every experience of an individual that processes and shapes his or her personality, generativity, and perceptions. These processes are deemed universal; that is, although individuals experience family, social, and cultural life differently, the variations are minor. The minor variations account for other individual variables such as socioeconomic status, age, race, gender, ethnicity, religion, education, and culture (Lerner, 2002). Hence, the psychosocial processes in the middle adulthood show variations on themes but of similar dynamic of change. Erikson outlined these changes in every developmental stage through specific conflicts or tasks that one needs to attend to or resolve. As such in middle adulthood, generativity versus stagnation is the conflict that needs to be resolved. However, as the resolution of conflicts in the early adulthood influences this stage, the outcome in this stage will directly affect the late adulthood period (Lerner, 2002). As well, as individuals are expected to provide inspiration, care, and guidance for the youth, they are also challenged to acquire productive roles for the societal development and continuity. Generativity then should not only be confined in parenting but should stretch out to community involvements through projects, leadership, and commitment. It must be deemed with respect to the manner by which an individual handle his or her relations with his or her family, societal institutions, friends, relatives, and with other individuals. Whereas every social behavior is determined by myriad of factors, the commitment and concern for the welfare of the next generation must be the primary motivation in all those aforementioned social responsibilities and activities (Lerner, 2002). As I learned the middle adulthood psychosocial stage of Erikson, about 35-40 years of ages, I examined the present state of my personality in terms of generativity and stagnation. That is, I assessed my self if I am productive in my field of endeavor and geared towards inspiring and guiding my children and other youngsters and young adults. I became concern with the achievement of generativity for Erikson argued that it is crucial for a positive outlook during midlife. As such, I formulated my developmental goals of preparing my self for my senescence period and caring for and guiding the youngsters for adulthood. However, life experiences in this stage of life are not identical among individuals; some are still single adult while others are happily married or divorced during this period. Generally, the middle adulthood has developmental discontinuity and continuity. In particular, psychological attributes like cognitive functioning may rapidly change while the others such as intelligence and personality may attain stability during midlife (Lachman, 2001). I realized then that in defining life’s success, experiences in midlife have significant roles. During middle adulthood, every individual compensates for and copes with life’s losses which tend to be apparent as senescence life approaches. As revealed by psychological researches, life satisfaction is at its peak in midlife; this is the period of life where subjective happiness and well-being are rated best as compared to other stages of life (Lachman, 2001). Thus, midlife is known as the prime of one’s life, where most middle adults are at the summit of their family and professional careers, and income generation. In addition, middle adults experience a very satisfactory psychological well-being; they have positive outlook in life, autonomy, and aim for both personal and professional growth (Lachman, 2001). They perceived midlife as the period where one should function best. Thus, my consciousness on my work performance, multiple-role playing, and parenting styles were awakened. Nevertheless, at the other extreme of middle adulthood are the midlife crises. Based on psychological reports, middle adulthood is battered by worries in life such as the feelings of individuals of life losses and failures, non-achievement and underachievement, and trivial and non-essential goals (Lachman, 2001). Yet, amidst these crises and as compared to other stages of life, middle adulthood is the period of less depression and higher well-being. In this period, most individuals attained their professional and personal goals. Those who are susceptible to environmental factors, limited resources, and poverty, are at risk to psychological and physical distress (Lachman, 2001). It was then clarified in my mind that during midlife, individuals may either enjoy the fruition of their respective labors or suffer the cumulative deficits of their life due to unresolved conflicts in previous stages. Therefore, middle adulthood, as generativity versus stagnation implies, is not only a period of fulfillment and accomplishment but also a transition period for the past and present events of life basically influence the later life’s transition. Midlife is the stage of life when individuals, more frequently, have already decided for a lifestyle and other social context like vocation, routine, neighborhood, and support network. Thus, I postulated that personality molds the life of an individual, rather than life experiences shapes the personality of an individual. In particular, only specific aspect of personality is altered by dramatic life events during middle adulthood. For example, career or marriage failure, affliction due to mental or physical disorder, and death of a loved one may alter the behavioral trait of an individual which in turn only causes minor shifts in personality but do not reflect in the holistic personality structure. Moreover, the concept of midlife crisis, perceived as inevitable in middle adulthood, was found to be false (Lerner, 2002). Even though midlife is a stage of reflection, increased anxiety, midcourse correction, and unpredictable transformation, researches revealed that during middle adulthood, individuals still undertake the shifting of life perspective from birth until to their last years to live (Lerner, 2002). The nature of an individual’s response to midlife challenges is largely affected by personality attributes and less by the individual’s present developmental stage or chronological age. As proposed, the enduring nature of midlife crisis is possibly related to the capability of an individual to cope with the tragic life events and in the end still considers his or her self as fairly fortunate. In sum, Erikson suggested the importance of finding oneself in another during midlife developmental stage. By merely serving oneself or own family, an individual becomes engorge with his or her personal needs, disregard the needs of other individuals, and eventually ends as stagnated. Hence, I must not confine my self in looking at and working only for the welfare of my family. Bringing up my children into the best that they can be is inadequate contribution for the welfare of the society. I need to acquire the sense of altruism in order to contribute whatever resources I have, actively involve myself to community projects, and to extend whatever support I can give for the welfare of the next generation. In addition, since midlife crisis is inevitable in middle adulthood, I realized that in order to face every travail, empathy and support to others are crucial so as to establish a network support where I can lean on as I resolve any form of midlife crisis. References Erikson, E. H. (2000). The Erik Erikson Reader. Coles, R. Ed. New York: Norton. Santrock, J. W. (2002). Life-span development. New York: McGraw-Hill. Lachman, M. E. (2001). Handbook of Midlife Development. New York: John Wiley. Lerner, R. M. (2002). Concepts and Theories of Human Development, 3rd ed. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.