Japense Government Essays - Government Of Japan, Politics Of Japan

Japense Government Japanese Government Vs American Government In this report I will compare and contrast Japans Executive Branch to the American Executive Branch, such as the Japanese Prime Minister to the American President, and also some of the other offices of the Cabinet. The Japanese government isnt all that much different than that of which we Americans have. Both countries have an executive leader, which is the Japanese Prime Minister, and of course the American President. Both countries also have a constitution, the Japanese was not written by choice though, but written under General MacArthurs supervision in 1946 following their surrender in World War II, when an Occupation Government was also set up for them, most likely not by choice. Their constitution is almost identical to ours because it states that political power rests with the people, and also starts out the same as ours by saying; We, the Japanese People. Both countries have a legislature, which theirs is called the National Diet. The two countries have a whole different stru cture of government. In America we directly elect our president by a vote through the whole country, which isnt what it is like in Japan. In Japan it goes through this system; 1st the voters of Japan elect the Diet, or what we would call the legislature, which consists of the house of representatives, and the house of counselors. The diet then chooses a Prime Minister, or president, which the House of Representatives can dismiss him, within a certain reason. After these processes, the Prime Minister then appoints the Cabinet, which exercises the executive power in the Central Government. In the diet, there are 512 members of the House of Representatives, chosen from 130 election districts, with one exception elects from 3 to 5 representatives. Each voter has one vote, but 3 to 5 candidates who receive the largest amount of votes are elected, and serve for 4 years unless the parliament is dissolved before the term expires. The house of Counselors consists of 252 members who are chose n for 6-year terms, where they most likely will serve their full term. Twelve members of the cabinet preside over departments or ministries of the government, which include the ministries of justice, foreign affairs, finance, education, health and welfare, agriculture and forestry, and labor. The remaining cabinet members are the so-called ministers of the state, which include the deputy prime minister and heads of various agencies such as the economic planning agency and the science and technology agency. Most of the time a minister will only remain in office for only one year, because of the high turnover in the cabinet. Bureaucrats provide the diet with the expert knowledge required for long term planning, which is commonly emphasized in Japan. Japan has a multiparty system in which one party, the Liberal Democratic Party, has been dominant since it was founded in 1955. They also have left opposition parties. The leading opposition party is the Japanese Socialist party that has c onstantly held more than 100 seats in the Diet. The second opposition group on the left is the Japanese communist party, a legal party that has held less than 10 percent of the seats in the diet. The third and last opposition party is the Komei, or clean government party. Its objective is to purify Japanese politics and improve the quality of life in Japan. Government Essays

The Colorful History of Lipstick

The Colorful History of Lipstick Lipstick by definition is a cosmetic used to color lips, usually crayon-shaped and packaged in a tubular container. No individual inventor can be credited as the first to invent lipstick as it is an ancient invention, however, we can trace the history of the use of lipstick and credit individual inventors for creating certain formulas and methods of packaging. The First Lip Coloring The actual term lipstick wasnt first used until 1880, however, people were coloring their lips long before that date. Upper-class Mesopotamians applied crushed semi-precious jewels to their lips. Egyptians made a red dye for their lips from a combination of fucus-algin, iodine, and bromine mannite. Cleopatra was said to have used a mixture of crushed carmine beetles and ants to color her lips red. Many historians give credit to the ancient Arab cosmetologist, Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi for inventing the first solid lipsticks, which he described in his writings as perfumed sticks rolled and pressed in special molds. Innovations in Lipstick Packaging Historians note that the first cosmetic lipstick manufactured commercially (rather than homemade products) occurred around 1884. Parisian perfumers had begun to sell lip cosmetics to their customers. By the late 1890s, the Sears Roebuck catalog started to advertise and sell both lip and cheek rouge. Early lip cosmetics were not packaged in their familiar tubes that we see used today. Lip cosmetics were then wrapped in silk paper, placed in paper tubes, used tinted papers, or sold in small pots. Two inventors can be credited with inventing what we know as the tube of lipstick and made lipstick a portable item for women to carry. In 1915, Maurice Levy of the Scovil Manufacturing Company invented the metal tube container for lipstick, which had a small lever at the side of the tube that lowered and raised the lipstick. Levy called his invention the Levy Tube.In 1923, James Bruce Mason Jr. of Nashville, Tennessee patented the first swivel-up tube. Since then the Patent Office has issued countless patents for lipstick dispensers. Innovations in Lipstick Formulas Believe it or not, the formulas for making lipstick used to consist of such things as pigment powders, crushed insects, butter, beeswax, and olive oil. These early formulas would only last for a few hours before going rancid and often had ill effects on ones health. In 1927, French Chemist, Paul Baudercroux invented a formula he called Rouge Baiser, considered to be the first kiss-proof lipstick. Ironically, Rouge Baiser was so good at remaining on ones lips that it was banned from the marketplace after being considered too hard to remove. Years later in 1950, chemist Helen Bishop invented a new version of long-lasting lipstick called No-Smear Lipstick that was very successful commercially. Another element of lipstick formulas effects is the lipsticks finish. Max Factor invented lip gloss in the 1930s. Like much of his other cosmetics, Max Factor first invented lip gloss to be used on movie actors, however, it was soon worn by regular consumers

Case Study Treating An Ischemic Brain Attack Nursing Essay

Case Study Treating An Ischemic Brain Attack Nursing Essay J Sparrow, a 70-year-old patient, presents to the emergency department 4 hours after experiencing an ischemic brain attack confirmed on the CT of the head without contrast. The patient is a candidate for intra-arterial thrombolytic therapy to dissolve the blood clot causing the significant stroke symptoms. The patient is scheduled for the emergent cerebral angiogram with possible intra-arterial thrombolytic therapy. The nurse provided patient and family education and received the informed written consent from the patient’s spouse. The patient has intravenous normal saline at 100 mL/hr infusing into the right forearm with an 18-gauge angiocath, which is patent. Interpretations and findings done by the group: Most books have cited the importance of the â€Å"3-hour window† for administration of thrombolytic therapies. This is to adhere to the fact that irreversible brain injuries usually take place after 3 hours from the onset of stroke, and any intervention to reverse t he condition would be deemed useless. But recent studies show that the 3 hour window was extended to 4.5 hours, and was proven to still be therapeutic if the drug was administered up to this time. In the patient’s case, even if it was 4 hours after the onset of stroke, he was still allowed to undergo possible Intra-arterial Thrombolytic therapy following a cerebral angiography since this was indicated for stroke patients with onset of symptoms for more than 3 hours. CT scan of the head without contrast was done as a differential diagnosis as to what type of stroke patient JS had experienced. This was an important test to determine further interventions needed, and to reduce risks for any complications if the client’s stroke was classified as hemorrhagic. Cerebral angiography was ordered to identify the exact area of occlusion, so that immediate administration of the thrombolytic drug can be done. Before patient JS became a candidate for thrombolytic therapy, several cr iteria for eligibility were assessed since not all stroke patients can have this kind of therapy. What labs should the nurse assess before the procedure and why? Patient JS is about to undergo cerebral angiography, wherein a contrast dye is to be injected to view the area of occlusion. Before the procedure, certain laboratory tests need to be assessed and reassessed as a standard protocol, and for further procedures which requires it. The cerebral angiography test is done to locate the area of occlusion or infarction to determine the area of administration of Thrombolytics. Since the client is about to undergo EMERGENT cerebral angiography, only the most significant laboratory tests are to be assessed. Blood tests Complete blood count with Platelet Count Hemoglobin count is important to determine the amount of oxygen in the blood. Low oxygen in blood aggravates the condition of the patient (in which a part of the brain is deprived already of oxygen), by depriving other parts of the brain or body of proper oxygen. Hematocrit can also determine if the client experiences alterations in fluid volume, especially within the blood vessels. Assessing these values can determine further interventions needed to be done before the procedure, such as administration of oxygen and increasing the rate of administration of fluids.

An Historical Perspective on the Value of Wealth Essay

An Historical Perspective on the Value of Wealth - Essay Example Three prominent figures from the late 19th century were Andrew Carnegie, Booker T. Washington, and Ida Tarbell. This small group was made up of a business titan, an ex-slave and a female journalist. They were of vastly diverse backgrounds and yet all shared the common thread of being almost obsessed with the idea of wealth. All for different reasons, yet sharing some common motives. Washington, born into slavery, had worked his way up through sweat and diligence. He was a college graduate, prominent figure, and believed in the accumulation of wealth as a means to elevate your position in society. He was willing to compromise freedoms to attain modest material wealth in the notion that even modest wealth would bring greater power than social activism. He had understood the difference between rich and poor and had made a conscious plan to narrow the gap. While Washington respected the gaining of modest wealth as a means to power, Carnegie was the image of the man who collected wealth for what the wealth could do for others. He realized early in life that wealth was not an end to itself. He understood that wealth was not happiness and it was meant to be given away for public good.1 Washington and Carnegie both understood the difference between poor and rich. ... Ida Tarbell, a female journalist, took a more disparaging view of wealth as well as poverty. Though Tarbell was not a vocal advocate of women's issues, her notoriety in the field of writing and broadcasting would elevate her to prominence and pave the way for future generations of women seeking careers. Yet, she did not work to accumulate wealth. She saw wealth as concentrated in too few hands while poverty flourished. She had no attraction to wealth or money except in the capacity it had to solve hunger or suffering. She viewed a woman's right and ability to attain a factory job as a matter of gaining equal access and being recognized as more than a housewife. The opportunity to make money or prosper was not an influence in her thinking. In an undated essay she states "It is with her a question of self-respect, a question of freedom, a question of opportunity to advance, to take and make a place for herself in the community."3 To Tarbell, the pursuance of wealth was simply a by-prod uct of her quest for equality and liberation. To Washington it was a means to liberation. Carnegie, already liberated through the power of wealth, viewed it as a means to help mankind. While Carnegie was becoming the richest man in the world, Tarbell was taking journalistic aim at the class that he represented. Tarbell professed that wealth would do more good to solve social ills than in the hands of so few industrialists. Tarbell loathed wealth, considered it excessive greed and wondered how much does one man need. The best description of Tarbell's view of wealth comes from her own words: "For what then Why this relentless, cruel, insistent accumulation of money when you are already buried in

Bushfire risk in Maryborough in Victoria Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Bushfire risk in Maryborough in Victoria - Essay Example Regardless of the positive influence of the fires on the country’s flora and fauna, the extent of the loss of lives and destruction of property in the country is unwarranted thus compelling the country to country to invest millions of dollars with the view of safeguarding the population. Among the most adversely affected states in the country is state of Victoria, which has had a long history of bushfire disasters. The most recent of such disasters in the state was the Black Saturday bushfires, which resulted in more than one hundred and seventy deaths (O’Brien, 2002). To prevent such unwarranted loss of human lives and property, the Victorian state government has instituted several agencies such as the Department of environment and primary industries and the county fire authority both of which work in collaboration to mitigate on such disasters in the future. To do this, the organizations carry out effective risk assessment thus inform their population appropriately wi th the view of preventing the loss of lives and property in case of such fires. Additionally, the authorities strive to curb the fires in case they break out before the result in extensive loss of the country’s flora. ... Risk assessment and planning involves the utilization of varying amount of resources depending on the nature and size of the underlying potential of the risk. Such develops the concept of acceptable risk, which refers to the risk that the community can only accommodate. The cost of implementing an effective countermeasure to such risks is always too great for the community to bear. Furthermore, vulnerability of the countermeasure always exceeds the expected loss, such compel the community to understand and tolerate the prevailing risks (Lerche & Glaesser, 2006). An effective assessment of the risk that the fires present to the local population in the state of Victoria has helped reduce the deaths and magnitude of property damage in the event of such fires. However, the assessment compels the analysis of such factors as the climatic condition and the nature of the vegetative cover in the state. With such, the state authorities can therefore manage the settlement of the people and cont rol the activities of the local communities with the view of reducing the activities that pose threats such as smoking and garbage burning among other uncontrolled fire during the dry months. Sensitization and preparedness helps minimize the destruction of the fires since the local population stay aware of the nature of the prevalence of the fires. Additionally, the state authorities are also therefore capable of carrying out specific measures that help minimize the risk. Risk assessment matrix and methodology The fires vary in size thus pose varying risks to the local community. The varying magnitudes of the risks thus validate the use of a risk matrix, which

Research paradigm Essay Example for Free

Research paradigm Essay The research paradigm considered by the researcher in regard to this work included the consideration of packaging in special occasions and which factors companies should focus during the period of social occasion in order to make their packaging their selling point. During the festival seasons market is flooded with various gift options. Due to the competition various organizations offer attractive schemes and offers to allure the consumers. Consumers due to various kind of motives of buying gift which can be personal, individual, altruism, cultural, reciprocal and other reason wants to buy attractive gifts for the people within his circle from family to the friends and relatives. The competitions companies face to attract these customers comes from various sectors of the industry or outside the industry. Now a days even service organization have become very competitive and services can also be offered as a gift. In such case company faces all kind of product, generic, industry specific and other kind of competitions. The packaging decisions are one of the important aspects of the marketing mix which can not be ignored in such a competitive environment where everything needs to be perfect. This paradigm has been utilized many times in the study of packaging in special occasions for all the group of respondents. I. i. a. Sample selection The data sampling was randomly managed utilizing stratified means with sixty five questionnaires completed by both male and female retail consumers. The percentages of female respondents were higher than that of male. The choice to use retail consumers alone in this research was made for three reasons. †¢ First, it was far simpler to have access to consumers from retail organization in regard to the researcher’s availability. †¢ Second, the focus itself is on understanding attitudes and perceptions for the packaging of gifts in special occasions and retail organization is a place attracting major customers to buy gifts. †¢ Third, the quantification of such information allows the researcher to gain a broader perspective on how respondents observe and realize the meanings of different components of packaging during special occasions and how it impacts their buying behaviour. I.i. b. Reliability and viability Reliability for the researcher was achieved in the assurance that only a specified group of men and women were utilized in regard to the research. The focus of the research has been on the consumers from retail organization. These consumers from retail organization were approachable. Data was collected in the presence of researcher. This gave the research a more focused view of the research goal. The validity was managed as a result of this focus and emphasised in the considerations involved in the data collection, variables and sampling methods. Privacy and confidentiality methods included assigning numeric and alphabetic coding to each responding questionnaire. This ensured anonymity in regard to the researcher and the subjects of the research process. I. i. c. Sample size Approximately 100 questionnaires have been distributed to collect the information. However in 35 questionnaires the information was not completed and due to that these has been withdrawn from the studies. 65 fully filled questionnaires have been utilized for the purpose of study. I. i. d. Questionnaire design The questionnaire design was simple. The questions included in the paper are related to the attributes of the packaging. The time taken to complete the questionnaire was less due to its simple nature. Most of the questions are simple circle question where respondent has to make a circle around the most appropriate and applicable option. I. i. e. Data analysis and findings Analysis of information in regard to research managed by the researcher must include complete and full understanding of the questionnaire. This understanding focuses in the use of the questionnaire created specifically for this process. It is the considerations realized within the questionnaires, no matter their simplicity, that will focus considerations in later chapters of this work. Within this section of Analysis and Findings there will be measurement of all responses in regard to the questionnaire. †¢ Analysis strategy Analysis strategy included a full series of statistical diagrams of all information collected including positive and negative responses, gender variations and marital status. This strategy provided the researcher with a wider spread for the conclusions that became evident in regard to the researcher’s focus. This information was broken down into specific charts for the benefit of visual context. The visual context provided insight in regard to perceptions of packaging and considerations by consumers from retail organization in regard to the impact of components on them. These perceptions and considerations provide the researcher with evidence to support the hypothesis made in that effective packaging decisions during the special occasions will support organizations to delight the consumer. †¢ Awareness The researcher held awareness of the potential for study in regard to packaging during special occasion through many methods. Those methods include observation, interaction and extensive research. The awareness of the media discussions of packaging amongst collegiate level men and women and the similar studies within this idea would in fact have influenced the choice made. The choice of analyzing how consumers from retail organization amongst this particular population would in fact consider their packaging options and knowledge allows for a singular perspective isolated from the more broadly painted view. The focus itself was on the consumers from retail organization and how they absorbed information available before deciding on packaging decisions. Overall, the respondents to the questionnaires provided insight in regard to how many individuals are learning more and more about packaging decisions. From the literature review it is evident that usually colour of the packaging which makes impact on sender or receiver of any gift. The questionnaire aims to measure the frequency to which people buy gifts for others and what are the factors they consider for the packaging. †¢ Understanding The understanding of this information gathered is proven in the statistics within the questionnaires that were completed and submitted. Each respondent have been explained the objective of study. Researcher has helped the respondents if s/he faces any difficulty in understanding any question. The research found that all respondents understood the material being requested and filled the questionnaires accordingly in timely fashion. The responses of questionnaires were filled in the database as the completed questionnaires had been received from the respondents. This information was then examined thoroughly for consistency and validity. The researcher now understands that there is a great deal of diversity in gift buying and packaging behaviour among the consumers from retail organization. Respondents can learn about better packaging options through their own personal research, their parents, friends or other family members. †¢ Findings The questionnaire included demographic details like of the respondents Demographic Profile †¢ Age Large section of the respondents (41. 5%) fall under the age group of 22-30 years old, followed by people within the age group of 41-50 years who are 20% of the total respondents. Approximately 15% of the total respondents fall under the age group of 18-21. Figure III. 1 Age of Respondents Ethnic background: 43% of the total respondents were from White community while 34% were Asian. Black other and Black African were 14% and 6% respectively of the total respondents. None of the respondent was from Hispanic or African background. Figure III. 2 Ethnic Origin of the Respondents Gender Majority of respondents are female with percentage of 66 while remaining 34% of the respondents are male. Figure III. 3 Gender Consumer behaviour. When respondents were asked the question â€Å"How frequently do you buy gift items? † twenty five out of sixty five responded that they buy gifts once in a month. Twenty two out of sixty five responded that they buy three to six times in a year. Nine respondents told that they buy less often gifts for anyone while the same number of respondents told that they buy gifts once in a week. No respondent told that s/he never buys any gift items. Figure III. 4 Frequency of buying Gift Items Components of Packaging on Special Occasion Colour:When consumers were asked what they feel about the statement â€Å"It feels good to receive a present in Colourful packaging on special occasions† approximately 48% of the respondent strongly agreed to the statement while 35% agreed to the statement. Remaining respondents felt they were neutral to the Colour of packaging. Figure III. 5 Colourful Packaging Respondents when asked to respond on the statement â€Å"On special occasions (like Christmas), packaging is more Colourful than normal. † Majority of them agreed to the statement. 37% of the total respondents strongly agreed to the statement while approximately 50% agreed to the statement. 10-% of the total respondents felt neutral about the statement while approximately 1% disagreed to the same. Figure III. 6 Packaging on Special Occasions Respondents were asked to respond on the shape and Colour attribute of a product. They were asked to respond on the statement â€Å"People are mostly attracted by different shapes and sizes in gift items. † 58% of the total respondents agreed to the statement while approximately 16% strongly agreed. 18% respondents were neutral to this statement while 4% disagreed. 1. 5% of respondents strongly disagreed to the statement. Figure III. 7: Colours and Shapes of Product. When respondents were asked whether or not they agree to the statement â€Å"Packaging styles vary for different occasions† 44% agreed to the statement while 30% strongly agreed. 18% were neutral to the statement and 4% strongly disagreed. Figure III. 8 Packaging Style in Different Occasions When consumers were asked about their own perception regarding shapes and Colours of the product by the statement â€Å"I am attracted to a product because of different Colours and shapes in packaging when I buy for a special occasion† approximately 40% of the total respondents agreed to the statement while 26% strongly agree to the same. 18% respondents were neutral to the same, 17% disagreed and 1. 5% strongly disagreed to the statement. Figure III. 9 Impact of Shape and Size of packaging in special occasions To the statement â€Å"Colourful and attractive packaging makes a good impression about the sender to the receiver. † Approximately 50% strongly agreed to the statement while 43% agreed to the same. 6% of the total respondents were neutral while 1. 5% strongly disagreed to it. Figure III. 10: Colourful and attractive packaging and impression about sender.

Free Capital Punishment Essays: Mandatory Death Penalty for Nitwits :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Mandatory Death Penalty for Nitwits    When I was in high school, my friend Mike and I earned extra money working after school and on weekends at a drugstore located at the north end of our town. Before we started working in the retail business, we both had a fairly high opinion of humanity. That is to say, we thought that the average person wouldn't try to cheat us, would be at least marginally polite, and would be smart enough to avoid walking in front of a bus.    As it turned out, we were wrong.    When we stepped behind the counter of that drugstore, we had to remove the rose-colored glasses and reexamine our cherished ideas about humanity. We found that there were many, many rude people out there and that quite a few would cheat us if they were given half a chance. We also found the average person was much less intelligent than we had thought. On Labor Day, 1995, I started a list of all the irritating and stupid things that people did while we were at work. After a while, other employees began to contribute to the list, although I compiled about 75% of the complaints. By the time I left at the end of May 1996, the list had 567 items on it, and we were referring to some of the customers by number.    In particular, I remember 337, an older lady who came in early every Saturday morning to buy a candy bar. Sadly, 337 never had the requisite fifty cents, and as she was rummaging through her purse looking for spare change (which sometimes took as long as ten minutes), impatient customers would line up behind her. Finally, she would storm off in a huff.    Incredibly, 337 would return several times over the course of the day and attempt to purchase the candy bar again. Once more would come the agonizing search through her purse, but (surprisingly enough) the change at the bottom had not bred over the course of the day, and over and over she was forced to leave in defeat and shame.    Number 337 was hardly unique, or even unusual. Every shift that I worked, I was forced to deal with people nearly as clueless as she was. Mike and I were inevitably led to the conclusion that stupidity should be painful; we thought that if stupidity were painful, people would go to great lengths to educate themselves.

How Matters Stand About Chinese View of Marriage Essay

Usually the couple’s marriage was arranged by their parents in old society, and the couple did not have right to choose their lover. In old society, divorce was immoral. Divorce was injurious to morals, even would affect their future. The couples were forced these pressures from public opinion and family that they could not divorce. Therefore, many couples were forced to keep their unhappy marriage all their live. As the progress of the society, present people have changed their ideas about marriage. They will not be forced from public opinion. They have right to choose their own love. Present Chinese are no longer bound by the old concept. They can follow their own will to find their own happiness. When their marriages are unhappy, they do not think about the pressure from public opinion to divorce. Naturally, the divorced rate in the present is higher than past. Present society give people a lot of freedoms, and give people more choices. Increasing of divorced rate is become normal. On the one hand, it reflects the progress of social civilization; conversely, what are present people seek the love and how do the people view about marriage? Through two aspects by women and men, maybe people can understand present’s Chinese view of marriage. Many women seek their lover and measure the men is good or not, they are just through the men’s wealth and position. Therefore, the women go into wealth life but poor life of the mind. A man’s wealth and position can improve this man’s ability. However they cannot represent completely all of the man. Women compare looking for boyfriends to buy stock share. They hope their boyfriends are potential stocks and hope their boyfriends become good performance stocks in the future. However, looking for this kind man, it exists huge risk. There is an old Chinese saying goes, a woman are afraid of marrying the wrong man. Even if the woman wipes her eye for looking for her boyfriend, they are still disappointed frequently. The results make them want to look for new lover. The men look for girlfriend as buying stock share. Most men recognize first they look for girlfriend because of the woman’s good looking. It is good thing for women have a good looking. However, everyone will be old, and nobody can keep their good looking all of their life. Good looking looks like a stock share that will become devaluated. In fact, a man lives with a good looks woman for whole life. Finally, the man will feel tiresome to face the woman who was even good looks someday. Someone has more high expectations for his or her loves; he or she will disappoint more about his or her marriage. Before the couples marry, everyone wants to show his or her partner the best side, and they have a high forgiveness and tolerance to their partner. However, after they marry, they lose a lot forgiveness and tolerance to each other. Then, they will have more disputes and complained. Finally, they will face separation and divorce. There are very famous writer ever said in China,† marriage is like a siege, the people outside of the city want to go in, in the same time, the men inside the city want to get out. † This sentence is best life’s portrayal for present couples. However, people should believe the everlasting love. The society is progressing; the human being is developing, in such great time, men should choose their partner resonantly. Everyone should ask for himself or herself: do you love your lover? What do you like your lover? Can you live with your lover for whole life? In the present society, most people believe true love still exist in the life. Actually, true love is in everyone’s heart. If you pay your love sincerely, and pursue your love constantly, your true love will be found in the end by you. If you love your lover truly, and you will try to pay for your happy life, everlasting love will be in your side. Believing yourself, where has love, happiness is in there. In the other words, when you have a positive View of Marriage, you will have a happy marriage. . A) what is the Sapir-Whorf Theory? Useful, important or not? The Sapir-Whorf theory â€Å"The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is a theory put forward by the American anthropological linguists Sapir and Whorf (and also a belief held by some scholars). It states that the way people view the world is determined wholly or partly by the structure of their native language. (2) The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis consists of two pa rts. i. e. linguistic determinism and relativism. Whorf proposed first that all higher levels of thinking are dependent on language. Or put it more bluntly. Languages determine thought, i. e. the notion of linguistic determinism. Because languages differ in many ways, Whorf also believed that speakers of different language perceive and experience the world differently, i. e. relative to their linguistic background, hence the notion of linguistic relativism. † I think it is useful. When people learn second language, people can understand very clearly that if you want to learn very well, you should learn grammar, memory the words and the sentences, and you should learn the background of the culture too. Therefore, through The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, it teaches people how to learn a new language very well that people are not only memorize the words and the sentences, but also people should learn the culture of the language. B) what is a culture universal? Cultural universals are anything that is part of every culture, but varies from culture to culture. For example, marriage, most of the people will marry, but different country or different area has different culture of marriage. C) What were they actually thinking about naming the seven dwarfs? In this story, the seven dwarfs’ names are Doc, Bashful, Sleepy, Sneezy, Happy, Dopey, and Grumpy. Their names represent their each characteristic. Happy represent he is hopeful and he likes laughing. Doc seems he knows everything, so he is their leader. Therefore, through their name, people can easily know everyone characteristic. D) Why do most people obey most of their culture’s norms most of the time? Because the family and society direct influence, most people usually obey most of their cultures norms. A culture’s norms represent a nation civilization culture. Cultural norms can alter the expression of aggressive behavior. So, people obey their culture’s norms most of the time that are good for the people having a positive view of life. It is positive for people’s lives. However, if we judge other people whose ways of showing emotions are different according to our own cultural norms, we may make the mistake of â€Å"reading† the other person incorrectly. 3. Nature vs. Nurture in here Some people think the intelligence is from nature, some people think the intelligence is from nurture. In China there are words that are â€Å"human nature is kind at the beginning of human being’s lives. I think the environment and experience where people live are most important than other factors. Only through eating education between China and American, people can find the difference between Chinese children and American children. Chinese attach importance to eat. The old saying in China is â€Å"people regard food as their pr ime want; food is the necessity of human. † Chinese parents love their children, especially on meal. First, they just want their children eat more, and the kids eat more their parents will be more glad, but the parents don’t care about whether or not their children like it, and the children have been full. The parents coax their children to eat more. Moreover, when children don’t want eat and go to play, their grandparents try to reach behind the children for feeding them. American parents concerned with their children eating too, but they are not as good as Chinese parents. I have never seen American parents always feed their children. They let their children eating by themselves, and do not care about their clothes are going to be dirty. American parents do not force their children for eating. They know vegetables are good for their children’s healthy. They ask for their kids to eating, but if their kids insist not to eat, they will not force them again. They do not very care about whether or not their kids are full. I have never seen American family that when their children are full, the parents coax their children eating more. The kids just put the silver then left the dining table. American parents’ attitudes and way of their kids eating reflect a core objective of children education in the United States. That is, the parents train their children ability of independent thinking. The kids can decide which food they like and do not like, or make sure they are hungry or full. Because the kid is fond of play, he or she misses time for eating. He or she will bear the consequences by themselves that he or she will be hungry. That is themselves choice. When the kids really fell unwell with hungry, they will do not repeat doing that. American likes to say that making mistakes is an essential process when the kids grow up. The basis of this concept is that American parents think that they are equal between the parents and their children. They respect their kids’ thinking, Even though the thinking is insignificant. American parents think that their children’s lives belong to themselves, and they can control their live by themselves. No matter now or the future. Therefore, American parents train their children capacity for independent living from early age. Therefore, the children do not want eating vegetable; they can do not eat it. When children say they are full, they can do not eat anymore. About American parents do these ways for their children, Chinese parents think American parent do not care about their children’s state of be hungry or full and state of nutrition, even fell the parents mistreat their children. From another standpoint, Chinese parents think the kids are so young. They lack experience of their live. The children do not have ability to make a correct choose. Therefore, Chinese parent think they must represent their children to make a correct choose. It is not correct that children do not like eating vegetable. The parents must force their children eat it. When the children have just eaten a little bit, and then say they are full, the parent must force their kids eat more until the parents fell their kids have been full. Chinese parents always think the children know things a little. The parents cannot allow their children do anything that the parent think are wrong. Chinese parent think if they agree their children who do not want for eat or do not like this kind food, they will be a poor diet even die. American and Chinese kids grow up in two different living environments, so they made they have a very different character. When they were kids, American children knew what they need, what they want, whether or not be full. When Chinese kids were young, they know that adult know more than them. Therefore they should obey their parents. American kids believe in speaking their mind. When they are full, they say they are full. If they do not like vegetable, they do not eat it. They are confidence by themselves, and they know their parents trust them enough. Chinese kids know it is wrong to cheat their parent. Sometimes even though they said are true, they are still not easy be trust by their parents. So they only can do with their parents requested. In the result, when the two countries kids are grow up. American kids prefer saying, I know, I will. Chinese kids prefer saying: I obey. I am my parents’ darling kids. American kids eat are not good than Chinese kids. American kids like to live by themselves. They have more ideas that belong to themselves than Chinese kids. Finally, they can invent a lot of new things. Chinese only can do that their boss demand. All in all, I think environment shape personality. There is no person who bore clever absolutely. The person’s environment and experience decide his or her level of intelligence. 4. The film The Gods Must Be Crazy. How and why do they relate to the course? Be complete. It is a movie with not only entertaining but also education. The movie comes into our eyes with a Bushmen and a narrator tells us what kind of people they are: friendly and without any knowledge about the world not far from their Kalahari desert. When they see a plane they think it is a strange bird or even a god. One day a pilot throws a glass bottle out of his airplane and the thing is found by the Bushmen. They have never seen anything that smooth and hard as this object and they find it very useful. They think it is a gift from the gods. The problem is that the gods have given only one objected and for the first time they have to share something that is very hard to share. For the first time they feel emotions such as anger and jealousy. It is decided that the thing is an Evil Thing and must be thrown off the earth and Xixo one to do that. In the meanwhile we have met Andrew in the bushes playing cards. We don’t know how all these stories come together but that is not a bad thing. It only to show us the differences between people, In the heart the most gentle place is undergone thoroughly Soviet sincere and nicely is being moved. We have the most beautiful chaste mind originally, was we lost it. We have chosen our comfortable life, as far as possible seizes us to need, therefore gave up pure and happy. We chose have siege oneself in the lock with the wall in, was defending our property, the thin number, has while convenient locked our heart. Therefore we gave up free and the natural air. We chose the style of speaking to be graceful, have an easy-going manner. But simultaneously we gave oneself have taken to bring with the serious social shackles. These days high ground are extravagant, enjoyed sunlight and the sentimental day recklessly is discarded crazily by us. In the primitive clan and tribe the human is simple, is good, between human and human harmony happiness, this is one kind of near ideal paradise countryside madrigal -like life. Because but we also watch in the movie triumphant to be unable with the outside person to communicate, has brought many â€Å"the trouble†. Inside this has a question to have to ponder similarly, how â€Å"they† should both maintain own fine tradition in the modern society, and can integrate to in the world which changes with each new day? At the same time, undeniable, the civilized step needs to continue to make great strides forward; On the other hand, the modern civilization cannot become buries human own sharp weapon, therefore while humanity more and more civilize, must maintain humanity’s natural disposition.

Observation Report Essay

On the 7th of March 2013, I visited the Kogarah Court House for two hours. During this time period, I became particularly aware of the court’s role, purpose and place within the Australian legal hierarchy of courts rules and boundaries, set by adults and peers alike, that the children often encounter when attempting to frame their interactions in an acceptable way. To simply walk up to a group of children and ask them to play in a friendly manner represents only a miniscule factor of social development. As a child interacts, he or she must learn to interpret a wide variety of complex cues and requirements. Problems arise when separate requirements conflict with one another or with the child’s own perceived needs and, at times, it is difficult for the child to understand that these requirements even exist! The internalization of formal rules is one facet of social development to which adults assign great significance. Indeed, noncompliance is the â€Å"most frequent reason for psychiatric referral of young children† (Schaffer, 1999, p. 250). Self-control is important, of course. â€Å"Adults play a crucial part in helping children to achieve control over their own behavior; it is only through initial dependence on others that a child can develop autonomy† (Schaffer, 1999, p. 249). What many adults tend to overlook, however, is that children are sometimes trying to operate within several different â€Å"realities,† each of which sets forth an entirely different set of rules. For example, Turiel (cited in Schaffer, 1996, p. 268) notes that the requirements set forth by the family differ significantly from the requirements set forth in the â€Å"outside world.† Similarly, the objectives of the adults on the playground are very different from the objectives of one’s cohorts, and the child must find a way to interact that satisfies the rules delineated by both groups if he is to function successfully. Finally, the child must also learn the appropriate ways to meet his or her own needs. Thus, the process of moral development is far more complex than memorizing simple phrases such as â€Å"do this† and â€Å"don’t do that.† Several attempts have been made to construct a model that tracks the moral development of children. In this paper, I have found the work of Piaget, and Kohlberg to be the most useful references to explain the observations I made on Woodward’s playground. In some way, each of their theories assumes that moral development follows a pattern in which the child progresses from fulfilling the needs of the self to fulfilling the needs of the whole. It is important to note, however, that, like any form of development, the internalization of rules does not occur in a rigid, homogeneous pattern. I witnessed displays of egocentrism in children who, according to Piaget, should have moved well into the third stage of moral development by then. The concept of â€Å"soft assembly† (Thelen, 1994, p. 30) in the dynamic systems perspective provides a much better format for the progression of moral development. According to the dynamic systems perspective, there is no predetermined outcome. Rather, certain innate possibilities, such as the potential for various types of moral reasoning, that lay within the child are assembled in a malleable configuration when the environment for such growth is provided. A pattern of behavior emerges as the self-organizaition continues, becoming more and more stable over time (Thelen, 1994, pp. 30-31). In the example of moral reasoning, the child, recalling memories from each stage in his or her life, attempts to create a sensible â€Å"pattern† from these experiences. It is this pattern that leads to the internalization of a belief system, the belief that â€Å"this† is the way things â€Å"ought to be,† and therefore, this is what I â€Å"should† do in this situation. Everyone has a unique life experience. Therefore, it makes sense that some children may have had more opportunity than others to expand their realm of self-awareness into the more complete awareness of the whole. In this paper, I will explore different aspects of several experiences that I had with the children, attempting to make sense of their moral interpretations of each situation. I will use the theories of Piaget, Kohlberg, and Eisenberg to provide a loose context for their behavior, with the understanding that each child is different, and may not fit the profile set forth by each theory in other situations. On the playground, the children do not know that they are learning. Their behavior is, for the most part, purely spontaneous, and, sometimes, they happen upon a new form of successful interaction quite by accident. It is then up to them to remember this behavior, and to utilize it in future situations. * To protect their identities, fictitious names have been given to all children mentioned in this report. Observations Monday, April 16, 2001 Immediately upon entering the playground setting, I became engaged in an opportunity to define a rule for a group of children and apply its importance to a greater context. The discussion took place between myself and three little girls who were enthralled by my necklaces. The necklaces, I told them, came from my grandmother, and so they were pretty special to me. I then took the necklaces off to give them a closer look, and offered to let them wear one each for the duration of recess. I made it clear, however, that I needed them back at the end of the play period, assuming that they would understand that this deal was non-negotiable. The girls wanted to keep the necklaces for themselves, however, and seemed unable to comprehend that I had set this boundary because I had a â€Å"greater motivation† (i.e. I did not want to keep the necklaces simply because I liked them and was being â€Å"selfish,† but because they were from my grandmother and therefore had sentimental value). Instead, they were more focused on the immediate, tangible evidence, which to them implied that I should be more thoughtful of their needs. â€Å"Why should you get to keep all of them?† one of them asked me. I had several necklaces, they went on to explain, so why couldn’t I just give each of them one of mine and keep one for myself? When that didn’t work, they tried to show me how similar the necklaces were—I could give them that one and keep the one that looked just like it. When I held my ground, they resorted to bargaining: if they could make it all the way across the monkey bars, then would I consider relinquishing the jewelry? At this point I reminded them that gifts from relatives were very important to people, and that my grandmother would be hurt if she knew that I sometimes gave away the presents that she had given to me. I asked them how they would feel if somebody wanted to take a gift from their grandmothers. I also stressed that I had explained the conditions before I took the jewelry off. After this explanation, they seemed to be more thoughtful, and willing to accept the limitations of our agreement. At the end of the play period, each of them willingly sought me out and gave the necklaces back, asking if they could wear them again next time. Without guidance, these girls evidently operated within Kohlberg’s second stage of moral understanding, the instrumental purpose orientation. At this stage, children are able to understand individualized needs, but believe that each individual should and will act in his/her own best interest (Kohlberg, 1969, cited in Berk, 2000, p. 493). Accordingly, the girls formed the belief that they deserved to have the necklaces based on their personal desires, and believed that my desire to keep the necklaces were purely based on self-interest as well. This level of thinking coincides nicely with the â€Å"needs of others† orientation, which is the second stage in Eisenberg’s levels of prosocial reasoning. Without my guidance, they displayed limited perspective-taking skills, as they were unable to conclude on their own that I might want to keep the necklaces because they were a gift. Their interest was more focused on the concrete, material desire (Eisenberg, 1982, cited in Berk, 2000, p. 493). Once I pointed out that my grandmother would be hurt and discussed how they might feel if they were in my position, they were able to take a more empathetic perspective on the situation. In this situation, the girl’s thinking process coincided more effectively with Eisenberg’s level of empathetic orientation (Eisenberg, cited in Berk, 2000, p. 505), as Eisenberg was less concerned more with an empathetic understanding of rules than Kohlberg, who is more oriented toward a utilitarian ethical structure that focuses on punishment, authority, and the needs of society (Berk, 2000, p. 505). With my reminder, they were able to reflect hypothetically upon the situation and understand how they would feel if they were either in my situation, or my grandmother’s. While it is helpful to classify the children’s level of moral reasoning in order to understand that a progression did take place with the proper instruction, it is more important to understand that a child’s moral development is just that: a progression. With their life experience, the girls were not yet able to instantly consider how another person would feel, and based their demand on their immediate need. Here, the theory of soft assembly comes into play. They would be able to take this experience and apply it in the future, incorporating more and more experience into their moral development. Selman (1980) indirectly supports the theory of soft assembly through his model of children’s stages of empathy, by postulating that children begin upon the path to empathy by understanding the views of others as being highly individualized and flexible. Later, as their ability to think in more abstract terms develops, and as their experiences accumulate, they begin to consider the views of others simultaneously (Selman, 1980, cited in Schaffer, 1996, p. 173). Although the fact that they were unable to advance right away is partially due to their lack of sufficient cognitive development, empathetic reasoning is also hindered by lack of experience, and a sufficient â€Å"template† of the circumstances of others. I provided this template by describing my feelings and my grandmothers feelings, connecting both of our individual sentiments to the overall concept of sentimental value. When I reminded them to reflect upon â€Å"how they would feel,† they considered their own varied assortment of life experiences and applied certain experiences to the concept I had just explained, and were more capable of understanding why I had placed this limitation on their use of the necklaces. With clear and positive guidance, these third graders demonstrated that they were capable of developing a sense of empathy and understanding a standard in the spirit of its application, but only when they were provided with the opportunity to think about their actions. In order to facilitate this development, the authority figure can use several techniques. Each can have a different impact upon the way that a child processes information, and therefore each can lead to a different outcome in the development of a moral code. Hoffman (1977) hypothesizes that authority figures use three methods of discipline to show children the nature of their â€Å"moral mistakes:† love-oriented discipline (if you do/don’t do this, my opinion of you will be enhanced/lessened), power-assertive discipline (do/don’t do it because I said so), and inductive discipline (do/don’t do it for this reason) (cited in Schaffer, 2000, pp. 305-306). Hoffman’s research has shown that inductive discipline is usually the most effective, because it not only explains the rules, but also appeals to the child’s own emotions (Hoffman & Salzstein, 1967, cited in Schaffer, 2000, p. 306). This was the technique that I used, and it did indeed prove to be effective. Through this exchange, one can see the connection with the dialogue between the authority figure and the child described by Schaffer. With patience, the adult uses the child’s questions to provide feedback about important details in everyday life, and to establish and negotiate rules and boundaries (Schaffer, 1996, p. 261). I used the girl’s questions to talk about the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren, and the nature of giving gifts. By the end of the conversation, the little girls had a slightly deeper understanding of the concept of â€Å"sentimental value.† Thursday, April 19, 2000 Hoffman has found that, while most parents tend to use one of the three techniques more often than the others, parents usually end up using some combination of all three in order to gain compliance from their children emotions (Hoffman & Salzstein, 1967, cited in Schaffer, 2000, p. 306). I found that, in order to effectively maintain control over a larger group of children, I sometimes assumed the role of the enforcer, using power-assertive discipline along with inductive discipline. The first incident that illustrated this combination of techniques involved a small group of boys, both in the third or fourth grade, who were threatening to jump off of the swings. I told them that this might not be such a good idea, because, I explained, they seemed to be able to swing very high. They talked back, claiming that they would, and I told them that if they did, they would have to sit with me for the rest of the period. This assertion seemed to have the desired impact. The boys decided not to jump off of the swings. Later, however, it became apparent that my more authoritative instruction failed to instill a true sense of â€Å"playing safely on the playground.† This was illustrated five minutes later, when I turned around and saw that the boys were challenging the other children to walk between the swings without getting hit. Once again I informed them that their behavior was unsafe, but they continued to play in this manner until I stepped into the area between and physically stopped the swinging. â€Å"If you can’t play safely,† I told them, â€Å"You can’t play.† By assuming a more authoritative role, I was responding to two aspects of the situation. First of all, their behavior was dangerous, and there was a very real chance that one of the children running between the swings could have gotten hit at any moment. Secondly, these boys were responding in a very confident manner, and acting assertively was the only way I could get their attention. Actively stopping the swinging by itself without providing an explanation would have been a purely power-assertive role, however, because I provided the boys with feedback for why I was doing this (they were not playing safely and somebody could have been seriously injured) I was also using inductive discipline. However, there were drawbacks to my reaction, and, while it did keep them safe for the moment, power assertion is not the best way to instill an autonomous reaction to a rule. The rule came from the â€Å"outside,† and (fortunately) they were unable to witness the consequences of their actions. Piaget argues that the best way for children to obtain his highest stage of moral understanding, moral subjectivism, in which children recognize that rules are â€Å"arbitrary agreements† that are sometimes based on motivation, is to interact with their peers. He believed that â€Å"cognitive conflict,† which is the most powerful motivating factor in provoking change, can be caused most easily by â€Å"interpersonal conflict† (Piaget, 1932, cited in Schaffer, 1996, pp. 292-293). It is difficult for interpersonal conflict to emerge in a vertical relationship between a child and an adult, the one-way interaction wherein the adult sets aside his/her own needs in order to meet the needs of the child. In a horizontal relationship, however, which takes place between peers, reciprocal behavior is demanded by both parties, and conflict can easily begin if one party feels that his/her needs are not being met (as cited by Tan, 2001). It was not until I became involved in a more structured game, where adult rules were consistent and obvious, and the interactions of the children were cooperative and directed at meeting a wide variety of goals, that I was able to observe the scope of the variables in moral development. I also was able to compare the more flexible nature of the informal rules that emerge within a group of children without direct adult feedback. Thursday, April 26, 2001 The game that allowed such a rich opportunity for observation is called â€Å"Pom Pom Pull- Away,† and it is usually run by Mary, one of the head playground supervisors. The formal rules are quite simple: players run across the soccer field in order to avoid being tagged by the players who are â€Å"it.† The â€Å"its† are accumulated until one runner is left out. This runner then gets to choose whether or not he wants to be it for the next round. This game, I have found, is the most efficient way to observe the children’s behavior on their own terms, in â€Å"their world,† according to their own laws of social functioning. When the game runs smoothly, Mary and I are merely there to ensure that the game proceeds at a quick pace, and that the â€Å"chaos† remains ordered. The kids in this group are fourth graders, and they seem to be quite competent at following the simple structure of the game. According to Piaget, children of this age have generally entered what he calls the â€Å"cooperation stage† of the application of rules. At this age, winning is still the primary goal of playing the game, but by now the children have developed a â€Å"sense of mutual control, unification of rules, and agreement within a game† (Piaget, 1932, cited in Singer & Revenson, 1996, p. 99). The children tend to be â€Å"hyper-conscious† of the rules, and are quick to point out the mistakes of their teammates. Usually they try to direct Mary’s or my attention to the actions of the â€Å"culprit.† 9 Although their censure usually coincides with an action that has negatively affected their own performance in the game, their awareness demonstrates that they are beginning to internalize the need for the rules, and most of them understand that the rules do not merely exist because the adults â€Å"said so.† I am more interested, however, in the kids’ set of rules; they have their own â€Å"code.† Piaget accounts for this in his stages, stating that children at this level often retain individual interpretations of the rules (Piaget, 1932, cited in Singer & Revenson, 1996, p. 99). During the course of the game, it also became apparent that they had a separate understanding of the purpose of the game from the adults. Mary mentioned that she has them play this cooperative game because it helped them to function better as a group, and since they had started it she had noticed a significant improvement in their cooperative behavior at lunchtime. The children themselves, however, seem to play the game for various other reasons, especially status. The game becomes an excellent opportunity for the child to view his or her own behavior compared to other members of the group, and, generally, there is a firm consensus about what is acceptable to the group and what isn’t. For example, whiny or pouting behavior is tolerated far more easily by the adults than by the children, whereas, interestingly enough, the children seem to have a higher tolerance for aggression, unless it is directed at them. For example, I observed several particularly â€Å"rough† tags during the course of the game, but only the children at whom the aggression was directed would respond. However, when children resisted assuming the position of â€Å"it,† (and they often did) I would frequently hear comments from his/her peers such as â€Å"You are holding up the game!† Conversely, Mary and I are more likely to stop aggression, and we are far more sympathetic to tired or frustrated children, reminding them frequently that it is ok to take the option of resting on the side of the field. Nevertheless, it seems to be far more detrimental to one’s social status to break the code set forth by the children themselves than it is to break the rules set forth by the adults! This â€Å"code† is far more intrinsic in their behavior; it is simply expected that their standards (such as bravery or stoicism) will automatically be known. This higher expectation could be because they have yet to understand the situational nature of behavior—as stated before, â€Å"rules† are still rather rigid and universal before Piaget’s stage of moral subjectivism is reached. Also, the rules set forth by the adults represent a convention that shifts from situation to situation; the teachers in the classroom hold different expectations from Mary on the playground. However, at Woodward, the children’s group always remains the same—the same class has the same playground hours. Thus, they have more of an opportunity to observe one another, and they establish a more consistent code, which I will call the â€Å"code of social morality.† This code is intrinsic enough to be consistent with Turiel’s definition of convention versus morality, as described by Schaffer: â€Å". . . children learn to make the distinction between these two categories from a quite early age because of the different types of social interaction that they involve. Conventions are dogmatically taught, being handed down by authority. Initially, they may be regarded as universal; it does not take long, however, before children realize that the done thing in one’s own family is not necessarily the done thing in any other family. Moral principles, on the other hand, are acquired because children perceive that certain actions have consequences for other people that are intrinsically harmful: witnessing a younger child being hit is sufficient to show that such an act, in whatever social context, is undesirable. Thus children begin to construct two quite different domains of knowledge about the social world and its functioning† (Turiel, 1983, cited in Schaffer, 1996, p. 268). In this quote, the teachers play the role of the â€Å"family,† and the playground assumes the role of the â€Å"real world.† Here, the children have the opportunity to witness the actions that are intrinsically harmful within the social needs of their age group. Because they are less closely supervised on the playground, they are more likely to â€Å"be themselves,† and witness the consequences of their behavior firsthand. And, because status is so important, the requirements of the adults naturally become a second priority. One boy grew particularly angry at his peers during a hiatus in the game and a shoving match began. Later, I saw two children collide, and their immediate response was to ask one another if they were all right. Positive and negative responses such as these occur without any adult intervention, and it is the social outcome of these behaviors that catalyze the child’s formulation of a moral theory. Friday, May 11, 2001 Frequently, the children search for ways to â€Å"bend† the adult rules in order to advance their status. Most of the time, in this game, the key to status is to be tagged last, proving that they are faster and better athletes than their peers. Others resort to other methods, such â€Å"playing tricks.† This is usually amusing to the adults as well as the kids. They are permitted to take breaks that last one round, sitting on the sidelines when they get too hot or too tired. Several of the boys, however, simply began to walk across the field one day, stating that they could not be tagged because they were â€Å"on break.† For them, this was merely a strategy that would help them to avoid being tagged until they reached the other side of the field, at which point they would call â€Å"time in† again. When I reminded them that breaks could only be taken on the sidelines, they claimed that the rules stated that breaks had to be taken by walking across the field. I understood that this was not the case, and another supervisor supported me. At this point the boys laughed, and began to run again. It is amusing to fool the adults and their peers, and none of the children would ever label their own behavior as â€Å"cheating.† They are quick to recognize it in others when it interferes with their efficacy in the game, but they do not seem to realize that these rules can be applied to themselves as well. When they are labeled as â€Å"cheaters,† they will in fact say almost anything to defend their behavior, demonstrating that, while children of this age are just learning to understand the actual value of the rules as they apply to the group, they are simultaneously learning to view themselves as playing a functional role within this group. Although the boys were â€Å"breaking the rules,† Schaffer reminds us not to become worried by some demonstrations of noncompliance. Through simple tricks such as these, the boys were developing â€Å"social skills and strategies to express their autonomy in a socially acceptable way† (Kuczynski, Kochanska, Radke-Yarrow, and Girnius-Brown, 1987, cited in Schaffer, 2000, p. 251). They were tired, but they did not want to be removed from the game, and it was perceived as being more socially acceptable by their peers to walk across the field rather than to sit down. Furthermore, it is completely understandable that they would still demonstrate some egocentrism by believing that  the rules apply to others and not to themselves, for they are still forming their identities in a group context. Schaffer cites a study by Hartshorne and May (1928-1930) that found that children’s tendency to lie fluctuates depending on the situation with which they are confronted, and that a child’s tendency to lie is therefore not an innate characteristic (Schaffer, 2000, p. 301). It seems that, when children engage in behaviors such as bending the rules, they are in fact testing socially acceptable boundaries. Monday, May 14, 2001 I observed the most obvious struggle for status in a child whom I will call Justin (not the child’s real name). He did not seem to be as athletic as the other children, and many times he would accidentally collide with somebody, or trip, and then burst into tears. After falling, he would often blame the other child for his misfortune, and at times making an appeal to authority, telling me that he had been singled out by his peers, once more, as an object of their aggression. Early in the game, I observed that this was not the case; that the falls were all accidents, and Justin’s reactive behavior might be exacerbating his social situation. After one particularly bad episode, I decided to talk to Justin. As he collected himself, he began to tell me how he felt. He claimed that â€Å"Nobody ever left him for last,† meaning that he felt that his teammates were singling him out personally to tag first. Here, he demonstrated that he had a more egocentric interpretation of the social code. Like a younger child in Piaget’s egocentric stage of moral interpretation, his concept of rules was flexible, indefinite, and tailored to fit his individual needs (cited in Singer & Revenson, 1996, p. 98). At this particular moment, he firmly believed that one of the implied rules of the game was that he, as an individual, should not be tagged so often, even though, to an adult, it would seem that he did not get tagged any more often then the other children. This slight difference in maturity also affected his perception of the â€Å"social code,† and he eventually developed a tendency to rely upon me to enforce his current interpretation of the rules. For example, when we returned to the game, he expected that I would tell the other children that it was his turn to be â€Å"it.† According to Piaget, write Singer & Revenson, in the egocentric stage of social development, â€Å"[children] feel a communion with the abstract, ideal adult who epitomizes fairness and justice, but at the same time they may be inventing their own rules throughout the game† (1996, p. 98). Justin clearly hoped that I would intervene when it seemed that his peers were not treating him according to his perception of fairness, even though this perception would alter to fit the current situation. His style of interaction with me also often assumed the form of a â€Å"monologue,† which is Piaget’s stage of language development that coincides with the egocentric stage of rule development (cited in Singer & Revenson, 1996, p. 98). In the collective monologue, a group of children play together and speak, but the speech is often unrelated to what the others are saying or doing, and the purpose is rarely to exchange real information (cited in Singer & Revenson, 1996, p. 60). This immature style of communication may inhibit a child’s ability to communicate with more mature peers, limiting his or her opportunity to absorb the â€Å"code† set forth by the group. Shortly before Justin and I returned to the game, I tried to encourage Justin by stating that â€Å"everybody has different talents,† and that â€Å"some people are better at sports than others.† He comprehended my implication, and stated that he was good at playing tic-tac-toe. However, he then attempted to show me how to play the game by drawing in the dirt, when I needed to be with the other children, because the other playground supervisor had gone in. He did not seem to notice that I needed to be interacting with the other children, and showed little interest in the bigger game until he realized that he now had an opportunity to be â€Å"it.† â€Å"I want to be ‘it,’† he told me, but made no further comment when the other children protested. He simply looked at me and was apparently waiting for a response. Here, he relied heavily on our vertical relationship to ensure that he would be treated fairly. For him, it was perfectly natural to put the game â€Å"on hold† while he showed me his skill, and to expect me to help him to assume a leading role once he was finished. Unfortunately, this perception did not coincide with that of his peers, and Justin experienced even more trouble with acceptance as the game progressed. Later on, Justin did tag one of the bigger boys. This particular child, Alex, often displays reactive tendencies as well, but is far more athletic, and generally it seems that the other children leave him alone. I happened to be watching Justin, and thus happened to witness Alex’s immediate reaction as well. Immediately he turned around and leaned over Justin, who was a good head shorter than he. His eyes were wide and his expression was angry, and it seemed to me as though he was ready to push the smaller child. I yelled Alex’s name and told him that this action was not acceptable, that Justin had tagged him â€Å"fair and square.† This diffused the immediate conflict. Alex, however, continued to insist that Justin â€Å"always went after him,† and that â€Å"it wasn’t fair.† Once again, this illustrates how children have the egocentric tendency to alter their own rules to fit their needs during the course of a game. Alex did not want to be â€Å"it† anymore, and so he felt that he was justified in blaming Justin for tagging him â€Å"all of the time† so that he would not have to be. Perhaps he selected Justin because his peers were biased against Justin at the time, and would be more likely to accept his assertion that â€Å"Justin was acting out again.† In this instance, the â€Å"understood rules,† the intense desire for â€Å"fairness† that so often dominates the game, could have very well developed into a bully/victim dynamic should this aggressive pattern have been allowed to continue. However, in this early stage of the interaction, it was clear that Alex’s behavior was largely due to his perception of Justin’s intent. In late childhood, asserts Schaffer, children are more likely to link their behavior to the motivations of others (1996, p. 280). Alex also displayed some egocentric behavior, however. His actions, in this instance, can be linked to Kohlberg’s stages of moral understanding. By stating that Justin â€Å"always went after him,† he assumed that Justin (and probably others) was doing this in his own self interest, probably because it made Justin â€Å"look good† to tag one of the bigger boys. This fits nicely into Kohlberg’s instrumental purpose orientation, in which behavior is reciprocal, but each participant acts in his own self interest with the assumption that the other will do the same (cited in Berk, 15 2000, p. 493). This provides insight into the perspective that bullies often take when defending their actions toward victims. Because the aggressive child attributes his/her actions to another’s behavior, he/she is likely to believe that the other child â€Å"brought it on himself.† The aggressor’s assumption is precluded by another assumption, a moral belief that may lead to a bullying dynamic: that the victim should know that the bully will behave in a way that will further his own interests, and therefore, the victim should take the appropriate measures to protect himself. Fortunately for everybody, the need for social status also encourages prosocial behavior, especially in children such as Justin, who are having difficulty with acceptance from the group. This was certainly the case with Justin. The next observation I made of Justin’s interaction with his playmates had a far more positive outcome. Either somebody had been teaching him the benefits of prosocial behavior, or he had simply figured out that it is more beneficial to act in a manner that keeps the game moving â€Å"forward.† This time, around the beginning of the game, Justin entered late, when the team member who had been tagged last was trying to choose a partner who would be â€Å"it.† Justin asked rather brightly if he could â€Å"help,† and the other boy said that he could. Mary, Bill and I all acknowledged his contribution. The need for acceptance, however, is not the only motivation for internalizing the rules. I believe that, above all else, the children like each other, and participate in the game with the understanding that everybody should be having a good time. These children had moved well beyond the stage of egocentric empathy described by Hoffman (1987), and well into the stage of having empathy for another’s feelings. Schaffer expands upon Hoffman’s theory by stating that â€Å"it is . . . when confronted by another person’s distress that a child’s prosocial tendencies become most evident† (Schaffer, 1996, p. 271). Most of the children whom I have come to view as more confident and popular seem to have internalized the rules of empathy and are able to put them into practice during the appropriate times, indicating that they have improved their social skills with their peers, not simply their ability to interact well with adults. For example, during this game it is very likely that children will fall, and, while it is not very likely that the child is hurt, most of the kids demonstrate concern for their fallen peer. After one particularly rough collision, the boy who stood up first immediately and sincerely asked the other boy if he had been hurt. Replying that he wasn’t, the other boy reciprocated by asking his friend if he had been hurt. This demonstration of prosocial skills exemplifies the awareness that is required for successful peer interaction. Conclusion As time went on, it seemed that more and more of the children were truly integrating the various codes set forth by the different situations in their lives. They began to develop a sense of empathy necessary to understand the purpose of boundaries, and they began to internalize the real rules of the game and understand how the restrictions of the game applied to their group function. This is partially due to the modulation provided by the adults. For example, I indirectly talked with the three girls about empathy, and Mary continually stressed the importance of â€Å"keeping the game going,† and, eventually, they began to demonstrate their new understanding in several ways. For instance, they tend to argue less now when they are caught breaking the rules. During the beginning stages of the game’s development, they would become very argumentative when they ran â€Å"out of bounds,† which serves as the equivalent of a â€Å"tag.† Often, they would blame the person who was chasing them for â€Å"making† them run out of bounds. Now, however, they are far more good-natured. When a player runs out of bounds now, I am often amused to witness the realization spread over his or her face. Usually, they grin and shake their heads, make a comment such as â€Å"Oh, man!† and go to their proper place as a â€Å"tagger.† This slight difference in reaction illustrates a more mature interpretation of the rules. Children who react in this manner have made a connection between their realm of understanding and the realm of the adults; they realize that the rules do not exist in order to restrict them as individuals, but to keep the game going and to help them to function more smoothly as a whole unit. The interaction itself also gave the children feedback on how to play the game. By acting, and observing the acceptable and unacceptable interactions of their peers, the children first internalized the socially acceptable ways of responding and, in turn, began to view the rules in the spirit in which they were intended, instead of interpreting them as â€Å"moral realism,† the outside edict of an adult with the power to punish (Piaget, 1932, cited in Singer & Revenson, 1996, p. 101). Mary has noted that the game proceeds far more smoothly now, and the children seem to facilitate decisions more quickly about who will be â€Å"it† at the end of the game, when there is usually some confusion. Arguments about whether somebody was tagged or not are usually less frequent now, which tells me that the children have begun to apply the rules as â€Å"something built up progressively and autonomously,† thus eliminating the â€Å"need to quarrel† (Singer & Revenson, 1996, p. 100). This increase in cooperation signifies the gradual emergence into the â€Å"codification of rules stage,† the final shift into an adult decision-making system based on the needs of the group and the individual. It seems that, while this integration of social codes is a natural occurrence, that the opportunity to negotiate and interact in a cooperative setting provided the greatest environment for the children to learn about the value of rules. When the rule came as a command to â€Å"get off the swings,† for instance it was simply an inconvenient imposition. Provided with an in-depth explanation of how their behavior might affect others, however, as well as the opportunity to improvise and test new styles of interaction, the children grew remarkably quickly. They are indeed eager to learn the system as quickly as possible, and absorb information rapidly. It seems that a host of factors, such as a wide variety of new situations, appropriate feedback, and positive reinforcement throughout development all contribute to a child’s development, allowing him/her to flourish a thoughtful, attentive, and adaptable adult. References Berk, Laura E. (2000). Child Development.Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon. Schaffer, Rudolph H. (1999). Social Development. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers. Singer, Dorothy G., & Revenson, Tracy A. (1996). A Piaget Primer: How a Child Thinks. New York: Plume. Thelen, Esther. (1994). The improvising infant: Learning about learning to move. A dynamic systems approach to the development of cognition and action. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press/Bradford Books. Tan, S.L. (2001, April 25). Lecture, Kalamazoo College.

Catch 22, Close reading of Chapter 24 Essays

Catch 22, Close reading of Chapter 24 Essays Catch 22, Close reading of Chapter 24 Paper Catch 22, Close reading of Chapter 24 Paper Essay Topic: Literature Catch 22 is a novel set in World War 2. The universal phrase Catch 22 simply means a situation whereby one is destined to lose. The passage is placed in the setting of Milo and Yossarian engaged in a conversation concerning Milos investment, Egyptian cotton. Milos character is symbolic of what is wrong with capitalism; he lacks morals and consideration for other people and is tremendously selfish. Earlier in the novel, Milos sleeps in luxurious hotels whilst Yossarian and Orr sleep in the plane, which is representative of Milos self centred characteristics, as is this passage. The passage opens with Milo persuading Yossarian to eat the chocolate covered cotton. He declares that he would like to serve it to the men suggestive of good intentions. However, the later account that the men have got to swallow it is a contradiction and serves to illustrate more of Milos forceful and corrupt power. In the passage, Heller directs the reader towards symbolism that denotes Milo as sinful. There are outstanding similarities to the story of Adam and Eve, with Milo sharing similar characteristics to Satan. Both Satan and Milo are corrupting man for their own benefit, Satan to corrupt humankind and Milo to increase his profit. Heller employs a vast amount of biblical references to highlight the connection to the Book of Genesis. Satan uses the tree of life to tempt eve with the apple, whilst Milo stroked the tree affectionately with close inspection suggesting that there is profit to be made. A financial endeavour is central to the character of Milo, signified by the symbolic connotations of the chocolate covered cotton. Milos concern is more about forcing the men to eat the cotton than whether or not they will enjoy it, thus proving Milo as a shrewd businessman caught up in greed. The chocolate covered cotton symbolises the lack of morals in both the military service and the world, hiding corruption beneath an exciting exterior. Milo deceitfully disguises the cotton with chocolate. Similarly, Satan disguises himself as a serpent to deceive Eve. The idea that appearance is deceptive creates another resemblance between Satan and Milo. Whilst Satan preyed on Eves weakness to flattery, Milo heightened the excitement of the cotton by covering it with chocolate. The biblical references in this passage are interesting as there is a lack of religious beliefs in the novel. Yossarian focuses on the bad occurrences in the world and questions God, therefore representing his character as being one of rebellion. His imagination that the chestnut tree is the knowledge of good and evil affords a level of sarcasm. The reader learns a lot about Yossarians character in this passage. Yossarian removes his uniform as he despises all that it symbolises. Sitting naked in the tree could denote Yossarian as crazy, however, there is a suggestion that with his uniform on he is simply another poor kid with a lost identity. Furthermore, the rarity of his Assyrian name represents his alienation, whilst also proposing the idea that he has been dehumanised by the war. In comparison, Milo patriotically wears the coarse olive drab uniform, with the interpretation that due to his corruption within the military service he may aspire to be unknown. However, the language Heller uses to describe the uniform suggests restriction, thus Milos tie knotted tight metaphorically signifies the restrictions that war inflicts. The contrast between Yossarian and Milo sitting in the tree is representational of their characters. Yossarian is defiant, refuses to participate in the war, and does not hide that fact. However, Milo conforms to the war and wears the uniform because he can financially benefit from such tragedies. Milo, like the chocolate covered cotton hides flaws and immorality behind a fai ade to connote oneself as trustworthy. He, like the officers exploits the name of the country to further his own profits. The latter part of the passage is a build up to the scene where Yossarian and Milo witness Snowdens burial. Heller employs the scarlet crested bird to create a metaphor for death. Scarlet denotes danger and blood, whilst the movement of the bird who shot by generates the idea of the gunshot. Finally, the quivering bush represents the fear and death of the soldier. This metaphor may represent Snowdens death and foreshadows the burial, as does the description of inactive nature as the leaves hung motionless. Yossarian and Milo witness the funeral and their dissimilar reactions are significant in displaying their experiences of the war. Whilst Milo points excitedly showing a level of naivety, Yossarian answered slowly in a level voice, thus signifying his remorse that returns. The death of Snowden entirely transformed the meaning of war for Yossarian and it troubles him to watch the burial. For a short while, Milos brown eyes filled with tears but immediately he only mourns the loss of his cotton, communicating that money is more important than life. Yossarian uses the opportunity of Snowdens burial to strengthen the grudge he holds upon Milo for Mudds death. Mudd was killed before he even got into the squadron due to Milo bombing the site to be rid of the Egyptian cotton. The very fact that Milo refuses to take responsibility of Mudds death reinforces him as a greedy, selfish Lieutenant. Mudd is referred to as the dead man in [Yossarians] tent, which reiterates the suggestion that the war dehumanises a person. This is a typical theme of war literature and supports the argument that capital is more imperative than life. In conclusion, this passage contains an interesting amount of themes and ideas that Heller incorporates into Catch 22 to create the dissimilar views and experiences of men at war; we must not assume men at war are homogeneous. Heller seems to be using humour to highlight the futility of war and the way in which it changes a man. Heller touches on events that are significant in displaying both ones character and their experiences. The passage continuously draws dissimilarities between Yossarian and Milo to create a distance of morals amid them.

Before the Harlem Renaissance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Before the Harlem Renaissance - Essay Example In another one of Harry Bloom’s books he reports on another famous black writer, Fredrick Douglass (â€Å"Major Black American Writers through the Harlem Renaissance† 34-35). Fredrick Douglass, like Phillis Wheatley, was born a slave. Unlike Phillis Wheatley, Fredrick Douglass’ owners treated him brutally. His owner shipped him from home to home working for cruel men. One of the mistresses he worked for taught him to read and write until she was ordered to stop by her husband. Fredrick wrote about what he knew about, slavery. His autobiography and speeches were published after his escape to England. His only fiction work was also about slavery. His need to document the plight of slaves and fight for the abolishment of slavery was apparent in all of his writings. Alexandre Dumas the writer of The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers was from France (Goetz). Even though Alexandre had been born a freeman, his grandmother was a slave. Alexandre grew up in the world of his white father. Thus his writing reflected 19th century France. The revolution in France had redefined justice. You see in The Count of Monte Cristo and The Man in the Iron Mask the new democratic views sweeping France at Alexandre Dumas’ time. Even the black writers not mentioned in this essay wrote about their plight at the time. Before the Harlem Renaissance black writers faced hardship, whether they were slaves or not. Even the best master could not help a writer they did not see as an equal. Each writer before the Harlem Renaissance faced a bias audience.

Critical evaluation of Agist policies, and age discrimination Essay

Critical evaluation of Agist policies, and age discrimination legislation in the UK , focusing on employment - Essay Example These may be related to older peoples use of, and relationships with, particular housing types or social care and health services. They may also be related to features of older peoples social, economic and cultural lives. Cross-cutting both of these disciplinary and subject contexts, older peoples relationships with their environments have been a sustained field of research interest. Most recently, the concern in ageing research for environment, space and place has become even more widespread. Two reasons may be suggested for this. First, this interest may be part of a wider emphasis on place as a central focus of investigation within a range of social science disciplines. Indeed, as part of cultural turns, many social sciences have recently undergone what may be termed spatial turns and have increasingly embraced the importance of space and place and how they may impact on, and represent, human experiences, behaviour and activity. Moreover, place has increasingly been conceptualised not only in a physical sense, but as a complex symbolic and cultural construction. Second, and more practically, academic interest in space and place has also been motivated by unprecedented demographic, social, fiscal and technological changes that have impacted simultaneously in many countries (McKeever and Coyte, 1999). Indeed, these are well documented, and include rapidly ageing populations, changing kinship relationships and responsibilities, an ever broader range of health and social care and increasingly limited resources with which to provide it. Together they have radically altered, and broadened, both the ways and the places in which health and social care is provided. Importantly, change has meant that the health care system is no longer hospital-based, discrete and bounded, but diffuse. Health care sites now include virtually every setting where human beings reside in, frequent and, importantly, live in (McKeever and Coyte, 1999). Being substantial